Keith Yandle has fallen out of favor with the Florida Panthers coaching staff. Now GM Bill Zito will have to figure out what to do with Yandle. Because he can’t be placed on waivers without his permission, Yandle will remain part of Florida’s active roster rather than the taxi squad. If Yandle does not make it to the starting lineup, that Panthers will likely scratch him until he is traded. That is too bad as Yandle has a 866 consecutive games played streak.
Yandle might have trade value if the Panthers are willing to absorb some of his $6.35-million AAV for three more seasons including this one. He’s still more than capable of helping a team’s power play, but it’s a question of whether he’s willing to waive his NMC.
The Boston Bruins are the glaringly obvious team to mention. Yandle is a Massachusetts native. Perhaps he’d be more likely to waive his NMC to go there than anywhere else.Â
The New York Islanders are another team that could use a puck-moving defenceman but they lack the cap space right now to make a trade for Yandle.
