Oilers Acquire Draft Pick for Teddy Purcell
The Edmonton Oilers acquired another draft pick when they traded forward Teddy Purcell to the Florida Panthers. The Panthers gave up a third round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
In 61 games played this season, Purcell has 11 goals, 21 assists, 32 points, is a minus nine and averages 17:27 of ice time per night. He also has 27 hits, 14 blocks, 22 takeaways to go with 29 giveaways. The forward can play either the left wing or the right wing. In 544 NHL games, he has 98 goals, 196 assists, 294 points, and is a minus 43. He has 14 game winning goals, three overtime winning goals and has averaged 15:36 of ice time per game throughout his career.
Purcell will be another veteran in the locker room for a young Panthers team during a pivotal time of the season. The Panthers are first in the Atlantic Division with 78 points, but the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning are only four points behind them in the standings. Purcell also has 22 games worth of playoff experience from when he played for the Lightning in both the 2011 and 2014 seasons. In that time, Purcell has seven goals, 11 assists, 18 points, and averaged 14:02 of ice time per game. The Panthers now have 11 10-goal scorers on their current roster.
Purcell can both set up his teammates or finish on a pass from his line mate. He has the offensive ability that is a benefit on the power play, and he is also responsible enough in the defensive zone that he can be used on the penalty kill, where he has a point this season. Purcell does tend to lack the game-to-game consistency, but the Panthers have enough players around him that can score and produce. The forward could stand to be a little bit more physical, but that isn’t really his style of play. He will be a nice complementary addition to the Panthers lineup that will be able to provide leadership, if needed.
Purcell is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. This will be an audition for Purcell, who will be looking to land another NHL contract in the offseason.
