Trading MacKenzie Weegar Will Haunt The Panthers For Years To Come

MacKenzie Weegar is the most underrated piece of this trade for a few reasons. First, he led all defenseman this past season in even strength points with 31. Secondly, Weegar was statistically a top-20 defenseman in the entire league. Weegar had 44 points in 80 games and had a jaw dropping +/- 40. Weegar has spent the last few seasons building a great chemistry with Aaron Ekblad, which made them one of the top defensive pairings in the whole league. Weegar also logged 315 minutes of ice time more than anyone else on the Panthers last season and has the ability to be a shut down defenseman on the penalty kill.

Why would you throw in a top 20 defenseman that you spent the last couple of years developing into a blooming star in a trade this big? Parting with Huberdeau to acquire Tkachuk is one thing, but also throwing in Weegar is a massive loss for the Panthers that will haunt the franchise for years to come.