Only a little bit..

George Richards wrote late last night that the sale of the team to SPAC was not only not dead, but could possibly be announced - maybe as early as today.

The NHL's Board of Governors is meeting today in Chicago and this sale is apparently on the agenda.

Should a sale go through, it is entirely possible that the Panthers could see someone other than Sexton taking over as general manager and that could explain why it has taken such a long time to make a hire at an otherwise rather important time of the off-season.

Evgeni Dadonov and North America

While we wait for news on a now-refuted Tanguay-to-the-Panthers rumour, there's a little bit of a development with the NHL/KHL contract situations affecting a couple of players, most notably, Detroit's Jiri Hudler - but the one most concerning the Panthers: Evgeni Dadonov.

The main piece in this is of course Detroit's Jiri Hudler signing over in the KHL for next season. Players make the jump quite often these days, but Hudler is a restricted free agent that had filed for salary arbitration prior to signing.

It was then contested by the league that Hudler, in filing for arbitration, had committed to the NHL as a ruling would then essentially put Detroit in the driver's seat for a moment: either accept the contract awarded or walk away and lose Hudler entirely as an unrestricted free agent allowing him the freedom to sign wherever he wants.

So this brings us to today: KHL president Alexander Medvedev agreed that the league will not process Hudler's contract until his arbitration hearing is settled, in keeping with the "gentleman's agreement" in place between the two leagues.

Medvedev went on to cite the Atlanta Thrashers' retraction of a contract offered to Joel Kwiatkowski recently, as Kiwi, a former Panther, was still under contract with Cherepovets in the Continental League.

So, does this bode well for those of us hoping to see Evgeni Dadonov make the switch to North America this season?

It's still quite possible. If the rumours are true and Dadonov has indeed signed with the Panthers, there's not really anything that the KHL can do to stop it. But, they can create a big fuss over the issue and one has to wonder if Florida would then back down.

The KHL wants to protect its assets and Dadonov is a good one. If he chooses to abandon the Russian contract, sanctions would fly and there would undoubtedly be some bitterness (again) between the two leagues. But then, perhaps in such a situation, the league would simply agree to negotiate compensation to release Dadonov from his contract and let the issue die.

Has Tanguay Signed with Florida?

According to Eklund (yes, yes, I know), it's not only a rumor but a confirmation (e5) that Tanguay has signed a contract with the Panthers.

There is no news elsewhere yet that I have seen, but keep an eye out. He was right on Koistinen and he was on with Tallon, so it.. might.. be possible..?

4:30 PM: Panthers interim GM Randy Sexton has told Steve Gorten of the Sun-Sentinel that the reports are 'false'

Meanwhile, Tanguay is listed at the NHLPA website as a member of the Montreal Canadiens again next season, set to earn $5.375M. I guess we'll see soon enough.

Rochester Adds Two More

The Panthers signed center Jamie Johnson yesterday to a one-year deal, while the Amerks have brought a favored face to Rochester for two years, themselves.

For Florida, Johnson's signing points largely towards the AHL, but two seasons back, he was one of the better players on the Albany River Rats, scoring 20+ and just under 60 points before heading to Finland to play with TPS for a season. TPS, of course, being the team from which we plucked Alexander Salak. In a shortened 42 game season in Finland, Johnson scored eight goals and a total of 28 points.

Like most of the signings this off-season, Johnson will probably have a chance at the NHL out of camp, as Florida is still a few players short.

Up in Rochester, however, Chris Taylor returns to a team where he played for seven years, scoring above a point per game in his career with the Amerks (369 in 367), good enough for eighth on the club's all time list.

Taylor spent the past three seasons in Germany and led the Frankfurt Lions in scoring in all three, so at worst? Rochester has added a face to the team once again, and a face that at worst, can still put up some points.

But most importantly, they've added a true leader and a player that can provide a hugely positive influene on Panthers' prospects.

And what's more, they might not yet be finished.

Panthers/Amerks Sign Graham Mink

The Panthers, staying true to their word that they are committed to building a winner in Rochester to help their prospects develop, today announced that the club has signed AHL veteran Graham Mink to a two-year deal.

While all of the signings will likely have at least an itty-bitty chance to make the NHL roster this fall, this looks to be the third pickup that the team has made for Rochester: Jeff Taffe and Clay Wilson being the other two.

Florida signed Ville Koistinen several days ago (I know, I'm behind) and acting GM Randy Sexton would neither confirm nor deny a rumor that the club is interested in Alex Tanguay.

The Cats have been operating with self-imposed caps and we don't really know what it is this season, but they probably aren't there yet (the payroll is pretty low compared to the averaged cap hit), though many of the options are dwindling in free agency as we press on through the second week of July.

Among the players that are off the market now are former Panthers that have moved on to new clubs; first, Tanner Glass signed a deal with the Vancouver Canucks and today, Anthony Stewart signed a one-year contract that will take him to Atlanta.

Also, I've been trying to tweak some settings on the template, so some things might look different (or bad).

Leopold in the Fold (One year, $1.75M)

I don't know which is better. My rhyming skills or that we signed a much-needed defenseman.

Really though, I know it's the skills.

The contract is, according to TSN, for $1.75M. Not bad at all. That puts the Panthers around $49M against the cap, although the reality is that it's a little bit lower. Team payroll is closer to $44M.

If you don't factor in the Amerks as possible roster players next season, Florida has eleven forwards and now five contracted defensemen and two goaltenders, so they are presumably not yet finished.

Panthers Sign Clay Wilson

The Panthers have signed defenseman Clay Wilson to a two-year deal, per the Panthers' twitter. This is a Rochester-based move, though Wilson probably can be a sufficient emergency call-up (right now, he might fit in on the Cats top six, but I digress, I've made myself sad).

Wilson played for four different teams last year (Columbus and Atlanta in the NHL and their affiliates, Syracuse and Chicago in the AHL), but the vast majority of his season was in the AHL.

In seven NHL games (total) he had an assist, and in 70 AHL games, he had 45 points (14 goals).

So this looks like a good signing for the Amerks, especially if the Panthers don't snatch up some more defense. You have to think we're going to get someone else, though. The Panthers roster isn't even up to twenty, yet.

Free Agency Begins at Noon

And I have to leave for work in fifteen minutes. That sucks.

But since I won't be able to follow the news of the day (until three or so, so at least I'll be home relatively early?), you'll have to do it for me and I'll be there in spirit geeking out over the joys of July 1, which happens to be Canada Day as well. So happy Canada Day, Canada.

Aside from George Richards and Steve Gorten, look to Litter Box Cats for the best Panther fan blog online - it looks like he'll be around all day long, so if you miss something, you'll probably catch it there.

And by there, I mean here: www.litterboxcats.com

Then there's Twitter. Whether you love it or you hate it (personally, I hate it but I can't stop using it for hockey news) has become the place to get these big deals as they break and before TSN and other major outlets can confirm them. So of course, some of it is a load.

Since the draft, a couple have stood out to be pretty reliable and so you may want to check these (or just get a TweetDeck thing, so far it's made it easier for me to continue ignoring Twitter unless something useful happens) and throw them all in there:

Kevin Allen (USA Today)
Darren Dreger (TSN)

For Panthers specifically:

Florida Panthers
On Frozen Pond
Rochester Americans
Let's Go Amerks

There will definitely be some news today with the Amerks because there's a press conference today to announce the new VP of hockey ops up north. Possibly NOT Jody Gage.

Hey, look. While I was typing, the Tweet Deck made a noise and updated with a new Twitter thing from Let's Go Amerks: Ted Nolan the new VP of hockey operations. So there's that. Keep your eyes on that, sh--tuff gets real at 1 PM.

Then I think there's ESPN's Pierre LeBrun who has been pretty solid. This is his blog at ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?name=lebrun_pierre

So there you have it. Have fun for me.

Bouwmeester Signs with the Flames

Tonight, Jay Bouwmeester made the trading of a third round pick worth Calgary's while by signing a five year contract worth $6.6M against the cap per season for the Flames.

Meanwhile, the Cats are still trying to turn Jordan Leopold's rights in to a contract signing of their own, and have yet to extend David Booth's contract.

In other words, Booth can receive offer sheets in a little over twelve hours.

Draft, Trades and Buyouts - Hooray?

I was in Tampa for a few days, so I missed most of the draft and everything else that Sexton has been doing recently, but while you likely already know, to recap:

Florida traded Jay Bouwmeester to Calgary for Jordan Leopold and a third

Leopold is, like Bouwmeester, a UFA. His agent, however, says that they are open to signing here and the Panthers are no doubt working on this.

Draft:

Round 1 (14th overall): Dmitry Kulikov (Drummondville, QMJHL)
6'1", 195
Defense

The shortest way to describe Kulikov is that he is simply a complete defenseman. Be it puck movement, skating ability or just defensive awareness, Kulikov has all of these things and he executes well. He had 62 points in 57 games with Drummondville of the QMJHL and in the process was named the QMJHL's Rookie of the Year, Defensive Rookie of the Year, Best Professional Prospect and Defenseman of the Year. His contract status and the ever-lingering uncertainty of Russian players had a hand in his falling to the Panthers, and even if you were hoping for a different player, Kulikov was almost certainly the best player available - and he has an outside shot at cracking the Panthers roster as early as this coming season.

Round 2 (44th overall): Drew Shore (USNDP)
6'3", 190
Center

Over the past decade, the United States' National Development Program has produced quite a few NHLers and more recently, some of the best American prospects in the league. Shore was a borderline first round pick in some mock drafts and his size and skill should have the Panthers excited about his development. On the ice, Shore says he models his game after Joe Thornton. Both are big centermen and both are playmakers above all else. In Drew Shore, the Panthers have an American center with top six upside that plays offense first. Fortunately, he won't avoid going back to help out if he needs to. Shore, a native of Colorado, is headed to Denver in the fall and will be playing with two other Panthers prospects in Marc Cheverie and John Lee.

Round 3 (67th overall): Josh Birkholz (Fargo Force, USHL)
6'1", 182
Right Wing

The Panthers picked from the United States Hockey League with their third selection and this time chose a right wing from Minnesota. Like Shore, Birkholz is committed to his home college and will be moving to the University of Minnesota in the coming months. At present, Birkholz's skating is his strongest element while consistency is his weak point. He has been spending his mornings working out with former Gopher Keith Ballard, and hopes to move through the ranks quickly to get to the NHL (but really, who doesn't?).

Round 4 (107th overall): Garret Wilson (Owen Sound Attack, OHL)
6'2", 199
Left Wing

Wilson has good size for a left wing and that's a welcome attribute for a player that his coach in Owen Sound says has a good nose for the net. But despite his size, strength appears to be one of his weak points, although that is nothing that can't be improved. Similarly, his skating stride is not without its flaws, but like strength, this is something on which Wilson can work. It seems, though, that Florida is getting a defensively responsible center that at worst can be a sound penalty killer, and that's not too shabby. Wilson was suspended for 15 games after a slew foot penalty which resulted in Kitchener Rangers forward Dan Kelly suffering a broken ankle. In watching a replay (don't worry, you can't really see anything break.. and more importantly, if you watch, don't close it after the first replay because it looks like very malicious, however, the second angle clearly shows that there was no penalty), there was no slew foot and Kellywas run in to cleanly, losing his footing from a clean hit. By the time Wilson's skate was underneath, the Ranger was already crashing in to the boards. But, the point remains the same. Florida's got another solid prospect here that could someday be a valuable role player on the Panthers.

Round 5 (135th overall): Corban Knight (Okotoks, AJHL)
6'1", 180
Center

Corban Knight played this season as a rookie in the Alberta Junior league and finished in the top ten for overall league scoring while leading all rookies with 72 points in 61 games. He elevated his game in the playoffs and despite being eliminated in the second round, Knight was still third in playoff goals (10) when all was said and done. Another college bound player, Knight will be attending the University of North Dakota - but not this fall, rather the fall of 2010. That means there's another year in Alberta to be had. But to a fan, what made Corban Knight stand out in spite of the limited scouting detail and video has to be his performance at the NHL's draft combine. Knight showed impressive overall athletic ability, ranking third in VO2 max testing, second in pushups and fourth in upper body power with a 4kg ball.

Round 5 (138th overall): Wade Megan
6'1", 185
Center

A low ranked American high-schooler, the Panthers took Megan after interviewing him earlier in the morning. Megan's goals and assists both improved, and in fewer games, this season. Add to that Megan is committed to reigning NCAA champion Boston University for this coming fall and it's a nice late round pick to take.

Round 6 (165th overall): Scott Timmins
6'0", 193
Center

Last, but not least, the Panthers took former Kitchener Ranger Scott Timmins. Timmins turns 20 in September and will be eligible for the AHL this season. And he knows how to win. Timmins was on the Kitchener Rangers when they won the Memorial Cup two years ago (under Peter DeBoer, no less) and this season, played for the Cup winning Windsor Spitfires after being traded mid-season.

What else?

The Panthers tendered qualifying offers to only two of their restricted free agents: David Booth and David Brine. That means Steve Eminger, Anthony Stewart, Tanner Glass, Drew Larman, David Shantz and Franklin MacDonald will become unrestricted free agents.

The case for Eminger was most definitely money. When he got to Tampa, he became a fixture on their defense and logged high minutes and played in all situations. He was supposedly seeking a nearly $3M deal so the Lightning bit the bullet and made a trade, because they knew he would likely be able to get something similar through arbitration. And that's where the Panthers now find themselves. Eminger, if qualified, could take the Cats to arbitration, but by not qualifying him, Florida has taken away that element of the negotiations. If the price comes down, Florida would be silly to not want to bring the defenseman back. But if he holds out for more money, Florida will have no choice but to pass.

With all of these players, returning is not out of the question, though for some, it seems unlikely they would be brought back. A few, however, could still be brought back depending on the market.

Which leaves us with the most recent move (and one that was foreshadowed by the acquisition of Steve Reinprecht): Brett McLean being placed on unconditional waivers.

This is the typical start to a contract buyout, so it looks like McLean's time with the Panthers is done.

George Richards: Maybe No Bouwmeester Trade

From On Frozen Pond:

MONTREAL -- The newest rumor I am hearing is that Jay Bouwmeester has become all but untradeable, his agent again telling prospective employers that Jay will not sign with anyone until he hits the open market on July 1.

If this is true, this is a major buzzkill for Panthers fans today. Wasn't expecting much, but I can't say I was expecting nothing.

Bouwmeester Talk in Philadelphia

Well, perhaps this is not ideal for the Panthers.

According to Philly.com (article link is in the title), the UFA-to-be defenseman is unwilling to talk contract with any club before free agency hits:

The Flyers seem to have run into a roadblock with Bouwmeester, who appears content to wait until the free-agent period starts Wednesday before he talks to teams.

Before the start of the free-agent period, a player can tell his team - in Bouwmeester's case, Florida - he is willing to talk with a team that is interested in acquiring his rights.

Bouwmeester has not given the Flyers permission to talk with him and see if he would sign for X amount of dollars before they made a deal for him.

He apparently hasn't given any team permission, an NHL source said.

"My gut sense is that they can't get him to agree to talk to anybody now," said a Flyers official who asked to remain anonymous. "That's the wrinkle."

The draft begins tomorrow night. Right now, a Bouwmeester trade return is anybody's guess.

Former Panthers Coaching in Calgary

If you've been a Panthers fan since the beginning, you know Dave Lowry and you may know that he coached in the WHL last season leading the Calgary Hitmen to a 59-9-3-1 record and an appearance in the WHL championship.

Now, he's moved back to the Flames, the team on which he finished his career, as an assistant coach. And if you remember Jamie McLennan, he's done the same. McLennan, who built up quite a reputation for being a great player in the room and a good relationship with his starters, is the new goaltending coach for the Flames after serving as a scout for the club last season.

That's all for now. Just thought that was pretty cool.

Reinprecht and Bouwmeester

Well, by now you probably know that the Panthers traded Stefan Meyer to Phoenix for Steven Reinprecht, and subsequently signed Reinprecht (or Reino [Reino]; whichever you prefer) to a three year contract with $2.05M per season.

Meyer was a restricted free agent, but it seems as though the Panthers weren't going to tender a qualifying offer to the 23 year old, so he was sent packing. Reinprecht was to become an unrestricted free agent, so Florida got the beat early and picked up a player that they had apparently been targeting and that was hyped up a good deal by former teammate Keith Ballard.

Also of note, no mention of Nick Boynton talking about Reinprecht. At least not when I first read about it. So if you were looking for even more reason to suspect that Boynton will not return next season, there you go.

That's a pretty lame assessment, you say? Yeah. It is.

The acquisition of Reinprecht gives the Panthers the ability to move Horton back to wing regardless of any other moves that they may or may not make, while bumping Stephen Weiss to the top line permanently and then allowing Greg Campbell, Kamil Kreps and Brett McLean to slot in somewhere as needed. Or, more likely, to be traded. At least one of them, anyway. Unfortunate, but likely a necessary move (especially if McLean can fetch a draft pick, as his struggles this past season, coupled with a $1.7M cap hit should make him the most available of the bunch).

****

Speaking of availability, there's always (non) news about Jay Bouwmeester.

Kevin Allen of USA Today says, "To talk to Bouwmeester before July 1, Florida Panthers want a draft pick, which would become a 1st rounder if he signs."

I guess that's not all that surprising. But there it is anyway.