The talented but underperforming forward Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell was sent by the Florida Panthers to the Boston Bruins for the 15 pick in this year’s draft, struggling blueliner Dennis Wideman and a third round pick.
It is always tough to project the long-term winner in any trade, but the Florida Panthers seem to have got the better of the deal. This year’s draft has two super-stars, but it is also fairly deep in talent so there is a good chance that the Panthers will get a player who will one day contribute at the NHL level.
Both Horton and Wideman struggled this season and the Bruins and Panthers are both gambling that a change of scenery will get them going.
Nathan Horton has struggled with injury and there are questions about his competitiveness on a nightly basis. There is no denying that he has a ton of talent, but he has shown it too rarely in his young career.
Big power forwards like Horton tend to take a longer time to develop. He could turn out to be a player like Todd Bertuzzi who struggled until his late 20s before dominating physically and on the score sheet for a few years. However, if injuries and a lack of competitiveness keep hampering him, he could end up being a second or third line player.
One thing is for sure, he will have every opportunity to succeed with the Boston Bruins. If he can’t find any chemistry with one of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Marc Savard at center, Horton will likely never meet his potential.
Dennis Wideman struggled this season after being demoted to the second power play unit. His points total fell for the first time in his young career dropping to 30 points after scoring 50 last season.
Wideman can move the puck well and he should help the Panthers power play.
Defensemen usually take a long time to develop and it is not unusual for defensemen to struggled a bit with his confidence particularly after seeing reduced playing time.
Of the two main players in this deal, Wideman is more likely to reach his potential, but Horton has a much higher upside. The short term winner will likely be Boston. Horton seems like a perfect fit there and he should help their offense even if he doesn’t meet his potential particularly since opponents will be paying more attention to Boston’s high end forwards.
The Bruins are currently listed at +1600 in odds to win the Stanley Cup while the Panthers are +6600 reflecting their need to improve in all areas.
