any team interested in trading for him will have already used back channels to ask his agent if he will sign with them.
Maybe ? If that was the case though Mascherin would have been traded much earlier.
It's really surprising that the Panthers couldn't get at least 2019 or 2020 4/5th round pick for his rights. Maybe something else is going on ? I'm thinking his agent let it be known that he would only sign with one team which kills his value on the trade market.
I get that people want to take him again as revenge for not signing with us, but there is an opportunity cost associated with wasting a pick, even if it is a seventh-round pick. If the Panthers end up re-drafting Mascherin it will be to trade him ASAP and recoup a bit of the asset value.
A mildly annoying situation, but the acquisition of Vatrano makes Mascherin a bit redundant. Mascherin might become a better player than Vatrano, but they appear to possess similar skill set and build.