Richard Panik was a gift courtesy of the overflowing cupboards of Steve Yzerman and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Panik was picked up off of waivers on October 9th after other young players forced Yzerman’s hand.
This waiver claim was a chance the Leafs could afford to take. The depth on the Leafs wasn’t great – as made perfectly clear by 2015 – so taking a chance on Panik was an easy decision.
If you’ve been watching the Tampa Bay Lightning since Steve Yzerman took over you’d see that nearly everything he touches turns to gold.