Rumor: Panthers have just made two of their top prospects healthy scratches.

Panthers about to pull the trigger?

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Rumor: Panthers have just made two of their top prospects healthy scratches.
David Santiago/TNS/Zuma

If you are a conspiracy theorist then you are probably going to believe that the Florida Panthers are on the verge of pulling the trigger on a trade with the New Jersey Devils. 

As you all know the Devils are now clearly trying to trade star forward Taylor Hall this season and by the sound of things over the past few days it sounds like the Devils have no intention of waiting up until the trade deadline. Hall has now been made a healthy scratch in back to back games for the Devils, signaling that the Devils feel they are close enough to a deal to warrant having Hall sit out as a precaution against any potential injuries. Additionally at different times it has appeared as though there has been a heavy favorite with the Colorado Avalanche looking like a shoe-in to grab Hall early on, the Arizona Coyotes then seemed like the frontrunners for a moment late Friday night and early Saturday morning, and now it appears as though the Florida Panthers have stepped up to the table with a late offer for Hall.

Hall as mentioned was made a healthy scratch tonight but the latest buzz surrounding this rumor actually comes from the players the Florida Panthers have reportedly scratch from their line up this evening. Both former Florida Panthers first round pick Henrik Borgstrom, selected 23rd overall at the 2016 National Hockey League Entry Draft by the Panthers, as well as prospect Aleksi Heponiemi have been made scratches tonight by the American Hockey League's Springfield Thunderbirds, the AHL affiliate of the Panthers. The suspicion of course is that the Panthers are about to trade the two players to the Devils in exchange for Hall, but that is nothing but speculation at this time.

What is likely however is that, like in the case of Taylor Hall, both men are being made healthy scratches as a precautionary measure in the event that they do move forward with a trade. One insider reported earlier this evening that the Hall trade could become official within the next 24 hours, and given this latest information it definitely sounds like that is a realistic possibility here.

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