It isn’t very often that NHL teams make trades in the first month of the season, let alone almost beating out the NFL trade deadline. Typically, the first month of the season is when coaches and GMs are trying to figure out what their team has and/or has a surplus of. The first month is when you want to avoid panic moves, and let your team gel. Vancouver Canucks’ GM Mike Gillis didn’t see these unwritten rules as guidelines he needed to follow. And who could blame him, as there isn’t likely a GM with more pressure to win now than Gillis, other than maybe Washington Capitals GM George McPhee. He saw his team, the Western Conference Champs from last year, crawl out of the gate at 4-3-1 in what many see as the least competitive division in the NHL. Along with the unappealing record, barely anyone is scoring other than the Sedins; their third-leading scorer is defenseman Sami Salo with 3-3-6. Yes, Ryan Kesler has only played three games, but the need for secondary scoring was glaring, and kudos to Gillis for acting fast before his team dug a bit of a hole. That secondary scoring void is hopefully filled by acquiring David Booth from the Florida Panthers for veteran forwards Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm. Vancouver also received Steven Reinprecht, whom they shipped immediately to the AHL, and a third round draft pick. Booth is a prototypical second-line winger: 6’0”, 212lbs, and should be able to contribute 25 goals regularly. On the other hand, his career has been inconsistent and filled with injuries. After a season that seemed like a breakout campaign in 2008-09 (31 goals, 60 points, +10), Booth suffered a concussion and played only 28 games in 2009-10. While concussions are certainly a tricky topic around the league, it is encouraging that he played in all 82 games last year for the first time in his career. Sadly his production dropped significantly (23 goals, 40 points, -31), to the point that contract could be deemed a burden. Florida signed Booth to a six-year contract extension after his 31-goal performance, with an annual cap hit of $4.25M. If he was still in the 30-goal/60-point range, his contract would be in line with his numbers, but with last season’s drop off, and the fact that he has one assist in six games to start the season, it’s entirely possible that he never regains his form. Looking on the bright side, perhaps he can regain that scoring touch playing on a much more talented team, with actual power play weapons, and alongside one of the league’s top two-way players in Ryan Kesler on Vancouver’s second line. If that is the case, then the Canucks surely don’t mind the contract, given that Booth is 27-years-old and signed throughout his prime years. If Booth doesn’t work out, he will still likely replicate the numbers that Samuelsson and Sturm would have provided this year, so Vancouver didn’t give up anything of value other than potential cap room next year. If the cap stays around $64M, then Vancouver is only slated to be $10M under that with a few key free agents they would like to keep. Looks like a decent moderate-risk, moderately-high reward trade from Vancouver’s side. Grade for Vancouver: B It is easy to understand Florida’s side of the deal as well. GM Dale Tallon wasn’t the one who signed Booth to that big extension, and he is in the process of remaking the Panthers’ roster his own way. He signed and acquired a fair number of long-term contracts this offseason, so getting Booth off of the books tidies up his financial sheets more than a little. This move was basically the equivalent of a typical NBA trade-deadline deal: Tallon traded a player with a contract he no longer wanted in exchange for a couple of expiring contracts. Samuelsson and Sturm combine to make $4.75M this season, the final year in both of their deals. Trading Reinprecht also freed up $2M off of Florida’s roster, and that cap hit is exactly why Vancouver immediately buried him in the minors. Samuelsson and Sturm, aside from being expiring contracts, have had long and successful careers, and could still contribute 15 goals each on a Panthers team that could fight for a playoff spot if they catch the right breaks. Samuelsson even brings Stanley Cup experience from his time in Detroit, so there could be some locker room benefits to be had here. And don’t look now, but Florida is armed with $20M in cap room next offseason, and with a successful year this year they could be an intriguing team for high profile free agents. The move is reminiscent of Tallon stripping away the Chicago roster he helped build, so that he could land big time free agents Marian Hossa and Brian Campbell. That strategy won the team a Stanley Cup, so emulating that build can’t be seen as a bad thing. Of course, there is also the possibility that the trade jolts Booth back into 30-goal form, he ends up being worth every penny of his contract, and Florida comes up empty on any significant player upgrades with the added cap room. You never know how things will end up, and that is the fun, and risk, of making trades in the salary cap era. Grade for Florida: B Nick is RealGM’s NHL Feature Writer. You can reach him by email [email protected] or on twitter @NickObergan