Report: Panthers C Shawn Matthias on the trade block, Canucks interested

The Kris Versteeg trade earlier this week made plain what had been apparent from reports and rumblings for weeks: the Florida Panthers are already sellers on the trade market. 

"Kris Versteeg was the first domino to go down there," said CBC's Elliotte Friedman during Hockey Night in Canada's Hot Stove segment Saturday night. "And there are some people who think the next one who may go down is Shawn Matthias."

A 25-year-old center with heft - Matthias is listed by NHL.com as standing 6-foot-4, and tipping the scales at 220 pounds - Matthias has two years remaining on a $3.5 million contract he signed this past summer. 

While Matthias has played fourth line minutes for the Panthers this season and has only managed four points in 21 games, he still profiles as precisely the sort of asset that would be coveted by a multitude of NHL clubs.

One of the teams interested might be the Vancouver Canucks, who are Florida's unofficial NHL affiliate and are desperate for center depth. "I believe Vancouver is a team that has interest in him," reported Friedman during the Hot Stove segment.