Bouwmeester not on the trade block

From Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:

“As far as I know Bouwmeester is not the guy that Jacques Martin is offering up,” said a league executive yesterday. “Bouwmeester is the guy they’ve got to build that team around. I haven’t heard his name being offered around in a trade, not even once.”

Read the entire article here.

Obviously the Panthers don’t want to trade Bouwmeester, so it is no surprise that the Cats have not offered Bouwmeester up in a trade. But as Garrioch points out, the speedy defenseman can opt to sign a one-year deal through arbitration and then become an UFA after next season. Thus, the Panthers’ only option may be to trade the defenseman if they cannot come to some sort of long-term agreement.