Lowry to the Sharks in San Josè, and Kozlov to the sunshine state Florida

Hoping he will live up to his huge potential, the offense-starved Florida Panthers today traded their 1998 first-round draft choice to the San Jose Sharks for 22-year-old left wing Viktor Kozlov.

In a separate deal between the teams, the Panthers re-acquired their fifth-round pick in 1998 from the Sharks in exchange for left wing Dave Lowry, who was a key component in Florida's run to the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals.

Kozlov, in his second full season in the NHL, has five goals and two assists in 18 games for the Sharks and was second on the team with 51 shots, four fewer than Owen Nolan. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Kozlov was the sixth overall selection in the 1993 draft.

"He's a big, very talented kid with great offensive potential," said Panthers vice president and general manager Bryan Murray. "We believe he can come in and give us a tremendous amount of skill. His potential hasn't been realized so far, but we feel he can be an excellent NHL player."

The younger brother of Detroit Red Wings left wing Slava Kozlov played 16 games for the Sharks in 1994-95 and 62 the following season. He set career highs in 1996-97 with 16 goals, 25 assists, 41 points, 40 penalty minutes and 78 games.

The Panthers' 39 goals are the fourth-lowest total in the league. In the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Lowry, they are giving up a 32-year-old grinder who has 254 points (122 goals, 132 assists) and 967 penalty minutes in 748 games for Florida, the St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks.

Lowry's best performance came during Florida's playoff run to the Finals, when he led the team with 17 points, 10 goals and four power-play goals.

"As for Dave Lowry, he was looking for an opportunity to play on a regular basis and that wasn't happening with us," Murray said. "This gives him a chance to continue his career."