New goalie lands on trade block thanks to Team USA hero Spencer Knight!

The April 12 trade deadline is just around the corner and things got more interesting for teams seeking help in between the pipes. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers might want to listen… 

On Wednesday, the Florida Panthers signed top prospect Spencer Knight to a three year, entry-level contract. Knight, of course, starred for Team USA at the World Junior Championships this past winter and put together a stellar season for Boston College under trying circumstances in the NCAA. 

While teams would love to get their hands on the young phenom, it is his arrival in Florida that gets someone else in trade talks. According to Pierre LeBrun, UFA goalie Chris Driedger could be placed on the trade block. This is what he reported on last night’s edition of Insider Trading on TSN:

“The Panthers signed first-round pick Spencer Knight, the World Juniors star, on Wednesday. That was immediately met by several NHL teams reaching out to Panthers general manager Bill Zito, I’m told, wondering what that meant for pending UFA goalie Chris Driedger, who has had a really good year. And the answer from Zito, I think, to teams was ‘we don’t know yet.’ There is a possibility now that Driedger gets dealt, now that the Panthers have signed Knight. There have even been a couple of trade offers that were made on the spot on Wednesday, I’m told, in lieu of this news. Keep an eye on this as Driedger is a cheap cap hit and there are teams looking for goalie insurance and Driedger would certainly top the list for a lot of those teams.”

This will be interesting to following with 10 days to go before the deadline.