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Panthers pick up Thomas Vanek for Dylan McIlrath, draft pick


The Florida Panthers reportedly picked up one of the top trade deadline targets, acquiring scoring winger Thomas Vanek from the Detroit Red Wings for a 2017 third-round draft pick and defenseman Dylan McIlrath.

The Red Wings also reportedly will pick up 50 percent of Vanek’s $2.6 million salary cap hit.

The 33-year-old Vanek has resurrected his career with Detroit this season with 38 points in 48 games after two straight lackluster seasons with the Minnesota Wild.

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“He could go to a decent team and do what Phil Kessel did last year (with Pittsburgh),” a team source said to Puck Daddy recently about Vanek, “He could go on lower line in the playoffs and provide match-up problems.”

The Panthers currently have 68 points in 62 games, one point behind the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. Florida ranks 22nd in the NHL in allowing 2.48 goals per-game and Vanek should help in this department as the team makes a playoff push. The Panthers have scored at a 3.18 goals per-game clip since Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov returned to the lineup in early February.

McIlrath, the 10th overall pick in the 2010 draft by the New York Rangers, has been a disappointment in his career so far. He has played just 43 games and averaged 13:01 of ice-time per-contest. Florida acquired McIlrath from New York in November of this year.

Trading Vanek is the latest seller move for the Red Wings, a team that will likely see its 25-year streak of making the playoffs come to an end this season. Detroit has already dealt defenseman Brendan Smith and forward Steve Ott as the team tries to re-tool for next season.

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On the Milbury scale we give this move …

One Milbury
One Milbury

ONE MILBURY: The Red Wings get usable assets moving forward while the Panthers get one of the top offensive trade targets on the market for their playoff push. The deal works well for both teams.

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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