On a night loaded with news about the Florida Panthers blue line, the Miami Herald’s George Richards reports that the Panthers are discussing a contract with Boston College defenseman Ian McCoshen.
The Hudson, Wisconsin native just finished his junior year of NCAA hockey and was a huge part of Boston College having a great year that saw them work their way to the Frozen Four, where they lost in the semifinals.
The 6-foot-3, 218-pound defenseman was selected in the 2nd round (31st overall) of the 2013 draft and set a new career-high with 21 points for the Eagles this season.
Should he make the leap to the pro ranks they’d gain a strong, mobile defenseman who does good work in his own end, though he’s unlikely to become a high-scoring player.
For BC, this could be another significant loss in a summer where they’ve seen a lot of players turn pro from seniors like Thatcher Demko and Teddy Doherty to younger players like Alex Tuch, Steve Santini, Miles Wood and Adam Gilmour.
Wednesday also saw the Panthers trade away defenseman Erik Gudbranson, which captain Willie Mitchell might be upset about. That was followed by Richards reporting that Brian Campbell is likely headed to free agency. That, coupled with the possibility that Mitchell might not play again, could mean that the Florida blue line looks very different to start next season.
All of this comes after a change of general manager and the firing of many staffers in a large shake-up that included firing Director of Player Personnel Scott Luce, who oversaw the drafting of McCoshen and the players who make up the core of the current NHL roster.