Veteran defenseman might waive his NMC for a contender before the deadline and would fit Panthers identity

A trade is not close until it's real, but the chatter makes one thing clear, Myers would have to choose it. He has a no-movement clause this season, so any move to a contender starts with his approval.

If he did say yes, the contract is easy to picture on a deadline spreadsheet. Myers carries a $3 million cap hit through 2026-27, and PuckPedia lists his clause structure as NMC in years one and two.

He's still a very particular asset on the back end, a 6-foot-8 right-shot defender built to handle tough minutes without needing power-play time. This year he's logging 20-plus minutes most nights and taking a heavy share of penalty-kill work, close to three minutes a game..

The playoff angle is why the rumor has legs, because Myers has lived those games. Vancouver's own release puts him at 61 career postseason games with 16 points, and that matches his playoff line elsewhere.

As a Panthers fan, I get why a huge veteran defender feels like comfort food in April.

Florida wins when the ice shrinks and the crease turns ugly, and Myers is built for that part of the sport. He's not here to dance, he's here to box out, eat pucks on the wall, and make the second whack harder.

He also brings a sneaky kind of experience, because he's been the young guy and the old guy. Myers was the 12th pick in 2008, won the Calder in 2009-10, and has played over 1,100 NHL games, so panic is not in his toolbox.

The waiver piece is the whole plot twist, though. Myers loves Vancouver by most accounts, and with a full NMC he controls the destination, so it's not about «can Florida get him,» it's «would he want Florida.»

Tyler Myers has never won the Stanley Cup, and at this stage of his career that reality can change how you look at your options. If a true contender comes calling, it's easy to imagine him being more open to a move, even if it means waiving his no-move protection, because you don't get endless shots at a ring.

He's built a long, respected NHL career, but for some veterans the Cup becomes the one box left unchecked, and that can be a powerful reason to accept a trade and chase it while the window is still there.

If it ever happened, the value would show up fast in a tight series, one clear, one blocked shot, one big body that refuses to move. That's not flashy, but it's the kind of playoff detail that keeps a team alive

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