Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas on the 32 Thoughts Podcast: 882 Down. 13 to Go. episode, on the Florida Panthers, and if Matthew Tkachuk‘s injury opens up an opportunity for the Panthers to go after a defenseman like Seth Jones. They could use a right-handed defenseman.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Friedman: “Matthew Tkachuk, I don’t know what his timeline is going to be yet. I think he was, like the one thing I’m always careful about, and I do recognize this could be a while. Remember, we were hearing lots of rumors about Patrick Laine when he got hurt this year, whole season, six months. And what did he miss two and a half because he found one doctor that said, ‘hey, there’s a different path here for you.’
So I’m always, even though I do think it’s going to be some time here for Tkachuk, I just want to wade through the process with this, with this groin injury he’s dealing with.
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If he misses time, I wonder if Florida does it? Florida needs another defenseman, a right shot. They’ve been looking for a right shot all year. And I admit, I haven’t looked a lot into the future of what, how all the pieces would fit. But from a pure hockey point of view, I wonder if Florida tries to do it for Seth Jones.”
Bukauskas: “Oh boy.”
Friedman: “But it would it right now, it would take Tkachuck being out for the rest of the regular season, and I just don’t know if that timeline fits yet.”
Bukauskas: “Yeah.”
Friedman: “It’s just something that jumped into my head.”
Bukauskas: “Right, because, you know, (Aaron) Ekblad is up.”
Friedman: “Yep.
Bukauskas: “So where does ….”
Friedman: “Sam Bennett‘s up.”
Bukauskas: “Sam Bennett’s up.”
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Friedman: “Caps going up.”
Bukauskas: “Jones still has five years after this one, as we mentioned, so you got to have a plan.”
Friedman: “And I think on a team like that, with players like that, I think he’d be rejuvenated. I like Seth Jones. I like him as a player.”
Bukauskas: “He, I mean different players, but is that not in a way, what happened to Oliver Ekman-Larsson, to an extent last year with them? Different players. Different situations contractually.”
Friedman: “Yeah, he’d be making more money, but…”
Bukauskas: “Yes.”
Friedman: “I like the idea that Ekman-Larsson got refreshed by going there, yes.”
Bukauskas: “Yeah, I think to the point where his teammates were like, we almost took it for granted that we have that player on our third pairing. You know what? I mean.”
Friedman: “Yeah.”
Bukauskas: “But, boy, that would be some heavy lifting, Friedge. ”
Friedman: “You know me, I like to lift heavy.”
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Bukauskas: “Yes, actually, I think we get into that in the thought line later on.”
Friedman: “Yes, yes, we do. But that the audience, sometimes you just sit there and you go through fits, right? And you what makes sense? What can work?”
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