Wednesday, July 29, 2009

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.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

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.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

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).

Thursday, July 2, 2009

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.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

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.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

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.

Friday, June 26, 2009

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.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

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.

Monday, June 22, 2009

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.

Friday, June 19, 2009

NHL Awards 2009: No Masterton for Zednik

The NHL Awards show was last night and the player Panthers fans were hoping to see win an award wound up disappointed as the Masterton was awarded to Steve Sullivan.

But, Sullivan most definitely earned the award. And, not to belittle what Richard Zednik did, Sullivan missed a full season and spent months rehabbing to come back from multiple back surgeries and an injury that impacted his daily life for some time. Either player could have made a case for the award (and so too could Chelios, but not so much as Sullivan or Zednik) and I'm not let down in the least. If what Sullivan went through to get back to the NHL isn't perserverance and dedication to the game of hockey, I'm not sure what is.

If you run through the winners, only a few seem to be surprising (like Mike Richards losing out to Pavel Datsyuk for the Selke, despite receiving more first place votes).

Hart: Alexander Ovechkin
Norris: Zdeno Chara
Vezina: Tim Thomas
Jack Adams: Claude Julien
Calder: Steve Mason
Lady Byng: Pavel Datsyuk
Selke: Pavel Datsyuk
Lester B. Pearson: Alexander Ovechkin
Art Ross: Evgeni Malkin
Maurice "Rocket" Richard: Alexander Ovechkin
William Jennings: Tim Thomas/Manny Fernandez

For the awards determined by votes, no Panther had any impressive showing in the final numbers, but a couple did still receive a handful of votes in a few categories:

In the parentheses that follow the points awarded through voting, you'll see the number of first place through fifth place votes received for each Panthers player.

Norris: Jay Bouwmeester - 9 (0-0-1-0-4)
Vezina: Tomas Vokoun - 1 (0-0-1)
Jack Adams: Peter DeBoer - 3 (0-1-0)
Calder: Michael Frolik - 12 (0-1-1-0-0)
Lady Byng: Stephen Weiss - 6 (0-0-1-0-1)
Lady Byng: Richard Zednik - 3 (0-0-0-1-0)
Lady Byng: Cory Stillman - 1 (0-0-0-0-1)
Selke: Stephen Weiss - 1 (0-0-0-0-1)

For the 2008-2009 NHL All-Star Team voting, Jay Bouwmeester came in fifteenth for defensemen with seven points, all third place votes. Tomas Vokoun was tenth for goaltenders, picking up six points with a pair of second place votes.

That's it for now, though. I have to go to work.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Comrie, Jenks Invited to the U.S. National Junior Camp

Panthers' prospects Adam Comrie and A.J. Jenks are among the 43 players invited to the United States World Junior camp.

Comrie had nine goals and thirty points in 50 games with the Saginaw Spirit (OHL) this past season and was a third round choice of the Panthers last summer. He also managed a pair of assists in eight playoff games this season.

Jenks was taken in the fourth round by the Panthers last summer and in 61 games with the Plymouth Whalers (OHL), he scored 21 goals and amassed a total of 52 points. The Whalers made the playoffs as well, and Jenks had three points in eleven games.

As an aside, there's a local kid on the list. In looking at his numbers, they were very modest until he was traded this season from the Windsor Spitfires to the Erie Otters. With Erie, his production exploded and he scored 17 goals and 17 assists in 35 games. His name is Andrew Yogan and he's from Boca Raton. He isn't draft eligible this season, but the Panthers have their eye on him, and they may not be the only ones.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Whoops! Roenick Makes a Boo-Boo

San Jose Sharks' center Jeremy Roenick made an appearance on ESPN Radio 1100 in Las Vegas recently and when steroids in baseball came up, Roenick was of course asked to comment on its prevalence in hockey.

As you've noticed, I pretty much never write about something that doesn't in some way, shape or form involve the Panthers.

And that will continue.

I'm copying the quote directly from Puck Daddy at Yahoo Sports, so here's what Jeremy had to say:
"[Hockey has] never had a problem. Our League is squeaky clean. We had one guy that tested positive that was Bryan McCabe, but he was taking a steroid because he was blind in one eye, and the doctors were giving him some kind of aid to help him see a little bit out of his eye. And the other guy was the goaltender who put Propecia in his hair ... so he'd look better for the ladies."

Bryan McCabe? D'oh! Bryan Berard is the player that Roenick meant, not Panthers' defenseman Bryan McCabe - and Berard was banned for two years by the IIHF for his failed test.

Incidentally, Roenick forgot about former Panthers' defenseman Sean Hill. Hill, of course, was the first NHLer to be suspended under a then-new-league testing program back in 2007. At the time, Hill was playing for the New York Islanders and at the time, the Islanders were mere hours from an elimination game. They went on to lose the game and their season ended.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Pierre Groulx Let Go by Team

The Panthers chose not to renew their contract with goalie coach Pierre Groulx today, apparently opting to set their sights on a part-time coach.

Coach Pete DeBoer claims this was his decision, as the Red Wings only have a part-time guy and they can't find a way to justify having Groulx work full time. So, is money a motivation? Probably doesn't help.

Could add some fuel to the fire that Al Strachan claims will see the proposed SPAC sale fall through, though. If Cohen has to keep the team, he might only want a "part-time guy" so that he doesn't have to pay as much.

But, what seems more realistic is that DeBoer simply made this decision since he didn't have enough work to justify keeping Groulx on board full time. He said that he had never worked with a full-time goalie coach. Groulx had a contract when DeBoer climbed aboard and only Charron was let go. Groulx coached out his contract and it appears that's all this will be. No harm, no foul. Now, DeBoer can find a good "consultant" that he's interested in, so this move could be good for the team down the road.

And hey, Montreal's looking for a goalie coach. Maybe Groulx will team up with Martin again.

Andy O'Brien, the strength and conditioning coach has left the team as well. Apparently leaving on his own to accept a position outside the NHL.

Overdue Update: Brodeur, SPAC and More

Work has me burned out when I get home lately, but I'm trying to get back in to this because I enjoy it.

So there's a lot that has happened - ownership rumors, GM speculation and some personnel news (albeit minor).

First up is a rumor from Al Strachan that the potential sale of the Panthers to Sports Properties Acquisition Corp. has fallen, or is about to fall through. No one else has reported anything similar, and Strachan's reliability is somewhere around that of paying my cat (she's not the smartest of cats, mind you) to file your tax return online.

All indications thus far would be that this sale is still being pursued, so until we hear otherwise, I'm going to hold on to hope that it happens - and that it turns out to be a good thing. But really, aren't we all hoping for that?

****

Mike Brodeur, who basically singlehandedly turned Rochester around from being the undisputed worst team in the league to being "one of the worst", has rejected a Panthers offer. Brodeur won't be back, but don't worry about the Cats lowballing Brodeur. The Democrat and Chroncile reports that it was simply an offer Brodeur rejected because he believes he has better opportunity to play in the NHL with the Senators. And he may be right; the Sens have Alex Auld, Brian Elliott and Pascal Leclaire in goal.

Marc Cheverie and Brian Foster are presumably returning to college and Jacob Markström is still under contract in Sweden, so I would imagine that makes Alexander Salak the Amerks' goaltender for the time being, along with Tyler Plante and then maybe Shantz or Beckford-Tseu rounding things out.

These are all good things: Shantz and Plante have had their struggles at the pro level thus far, but the Panthers still have a good deal of confidence in Tyler Plante's future. The expecations for Shantz likely aren't as high. But Cheverie and Foster have been very good in college, and as posted at LetsGoAmerks.com, both looked good at the development camp - and then Salak and Markström get thrown in and the Panthers have some real opportunity to develop some true goaltending talent as opposed to acquiring it via trade. The future between the pipes should be exciting to watch it unfold.

****

That leaves the GM search. News making the rounds is that former Panthers GM Rick Dudley (2002-2004; fired) had boarded a plane in Buffalo en route to South Florida the other day, but the interviewing process has already begun and, according to team president Michael Yormark, Bill Torrey has received nearly 100 inquiries for the position. So Dudley, having previous experience with the team may simply have been flown in for an interview given his knowledge of the roster. Or maybe he was just on vacation.

And then there's Jacques Lemaire. If you remember the rumor a few weeks back that Lemaire was seeking a consultant's position with the Panthers or Lightning (he lives on the west coast of Florida), this news could be interesting to you.

According to the St. Pete Times, Lemaire has rejected the Lightning's offer to become a senior consultant - on good terms. Reportedly, Lemaire "has another offer that has gained his interest and which he is pursuing."

When Jacques Martin was hired to coach the Canadiens, however, speculation swirled that Lemaire would join his former team soon after. That very well may be the case as Lemaire played with Montreal , winning the Stanley Cup EIGHT times. But, for the sake of pure speculation, Jacques Martin was still with the Panthers when the report came out some weeks ago of Lemaire's interest. Now, Florida needs a general manager. Now, Lemaire may be much more interested in a job close to home.

7:13 Edit: RDS (English translation) is now reporting that Lemaire is indeed talking with the Panthers about the GM position.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Repik Drafted (What?)

The KHL held its inaugural draft today, and Florida Panthers' prospect Michal Repik was selected in the second round, twenty-seventh overall by Sibir.

That shouldn't be any cause for alarm, however, as Repik has expressed an abundance of interest and desire to play in the NHL. He's almost there now, and the penalties for contract jumpers are going to be much harsher now that the IIHF has written new rules to prevent future Radulov situations.

Really, the KHL's draft is one that the Russians hope can keep their talented young players home. While the NHL drafts 18 year olds, the KHL has a minimum age of 17 - which means Taylor Hall, the prospect many think can go first overall in 2010 in the NHL, was eligible. And of course, he was drafted by a KHL club.

So too was Victor Hedman.

There will always be players that can be wooed by money, or want to pass on junior hockey or the AHL or college - and there are players that will always want to play closer to home - so the draft might cost the NHL some players, but that it keeps many away, or keeps the next Ovechkin or Malkin out of the NHL is quite a longshot. At least in the immediate future.

But as far as the selection of Repik goes, I don't imagine there's anything to worry about. His draft rights will remain with Sibir until he is 28 years old, or his rights are traded or released. For the time being, however, Repik looks to be a leading candidate to be promoted from the AHL to the NHL this coming season.

Bad Timing: Jacques Martin Out

So, I'm a few hours late. I had to work today, but I saw this rumor early this morning and heard that it was true a couple hours later.

With Martin out, assistant GM Randy Sexton will take over in the interim and move the team forward as the draft and free agency approaches.

In the meantime, Bill Torrey will be searching for the Florida Panthers next general manager.

According to Michael Yormark, the Panthers were contacted a little over a week ago and team owner Alan Cohen then spoke to Martin about the Canadiens' interest. He gave the Habs permission to speak with Martin - JM loves coaching, and it's clear that his heart is still behind the bench - and last night, Jacques accepted the Canadiens' offer and was released by the Panthers to become the next head coach of the Montreal Canadiens.

What's surprising is that quotes surfaced soon after from the agents of both David Booth and Jay Bouwmeester, stating that the two had not yet had any contact with Martin. With the latter, that's no shocker. His agent, Byron Baltimore, said, "Probably not," when asked whether Bouwmeester would reach an agreement in Florida before walking away. Booth, on the other hand, says he loves it here and that he wants to stay here. Since then, it's come out that Randy Sexton has contacted his pending free agents, saying there's a plan in place and that it will be followed as best they can.

The options that exist for the new GM are many, but just how likely some are remains to be seen.

Jack Birch: Birch is currently the director of player personnel with the Panthers, having been with the team for five years. This past season was his first with the new title, however, having worked as a pro scout and director of hockey operations in previous seasons. He's been responsible for overseeing the team in Rochester this past season.

Rick Dudley: Apparently, Dudley wants to finish what he started here in Florida. He was the Panthers' general manager from 2002 to 2004, eventually handling the coaching duties as well, and is currently an assistant general manager with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Jay Feaster: Feaster helped the Lightning to the Stanley Cup in 2004, but whether the connection is irrelevant or not, some of Feaster's time with the Lightning coincided with current Panthers' president Michael Yormark's tenure as Tampa's Executive Vice President/Chief Marketing Officer.

John Ferguson, Jr.: Toronto's former general manager is currently working with the San Jose Sharks as a scout.

Les Jackson: Along with Brett Hull, Jackson is now a former co-general manager of the Dallas Stars (as of today).

Mike Keenan: If at first, you don't succeed - or the second time - why not hire him a third time and try again? But really, Keenan was recently relieved of his duties in Calgary after being reunited with Olli Jokinen and is once again out of work. Yet the same logic that tells you, "It didn't work out the first two times, so we won't go with Keenan," could also imply: "Cohen must like the guy to have given him another shot after he was fired the first time around. Maybe he'll do it again now that he's available. Again."

Jacques Lemaire: Lemaire was rumored to have an interest in working with an east coast team, and more specific to the rumors, either the Lightning or the Panthers. At the time, Martin was still in the front office and the position rumored was as a consultant. Lemaire lives on the west coast of Florida, so if there was truth to the rumor before, Lemaire may be more inclined to fancy a particular Eastern team now that one needs a new GM.

Doug MacLean: You remember MacLean, most likely. He's been with the Panthers before, coaching them to the Stanley Cup final during the 1995-96 season. But Bill Torrey fired MacLean two years later, and since then, MacLean saw a stint as GM of the Columbus Blue Jackets (their first in team history) end with another firing. The Jackets never posted a winning record with any of MacLean's teams, having finally made the playoffs for the first time ever two years after his departure.

Pierre McGuire: McGuire's name surfaced during the Minnesota Wild's hunt for a new general manager this summer. He's never served in a GM capacity and has only coached briefly in the league (head coach of the Whalers and assistant coach of the Penguins). But McGuire's been one of Florida's biggest cheerleaders this season, praising them and their new direction quite often whenever the opportunity arose. Much like hiring DeBoer to be the coach, McGuire would be an out-of-the-box move, but he's got exceptional hockey knowledge and an infectious (if not at times annoying in its presentation) enthusiasm for the game of hockey. Putting the two together would be a dramatic culture shock to the Panthers we've known for so long.

Mike Milbury: Milbury was the general manager of the New York Islanders for a spell, trading Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen to the Panthers for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha. He passed on Dany Heatley to select Rick DiPietro, and he traded Zdeno Chara, the second overall in 2001 (Jason Spezza) and Bill Muckalt to the Senators for Alexei Yashin. Not one of his better days. Nor was trading Bryan McCabe, Todd Bertuzzi and a third for Trevor Linden - in the mid-90s, when both McCabe and Bertuzzi were still under 22 years old.

Denis Potvin: Potvin was just released from his position as a TV analyst for the Panthers - a position that he held from the very beginning. But Bill Torrey is heading this search, and if he feels Potvin could be the right man for the job, one has to think he'd approach him. After all, they have a bit of a history together: Torrey drafted Potvin in 1973, then turned down a major trade offer from Montreal in order to keep Potvin as an anchor for his franchise long-term. Along with Potvin, Torrey had been with the Panthers from the very beginning.

Randy Sexton: Sexton's currently the assistant GM of the Panthers and he's been here since the beginning of the 2007 calendar year. Prior to joining the Panthers, Sexton helped mold the Ottawa Senators over eight years and was responsible for drafting Daniel Alfredsson and Pavol Demitra, to name a few.

Neil Smith: Smith took over a talented Rangers team and made them even better, drafting guys like Kovalev and Weight in to the league and added Adam Graves, Jeff Beukeboom and Esa Tikkanen to the team - and most notably - traded for Mark Messier. Messier would go on to lead the Rangers to the Cup with his famous promise. Smith signed Wayne Gretzky near the end of his career, and then left the Rangers soon after. He was more recently GM of the Islanders, briefly, and said at the time, "Knowing that I'll be working in the same office where one of my mentors, Bill Torrey, created a dynasty is an unbelievable feeling." Torrey, of course, will be doing the interviews - so Smith might be interested.

The list could go on, with names like Scott Mellanby (now a scout), Doug Risebrough, Dave Nonis and maybe even Scott Luce, but the short answer is that there are many possibilities out there.

The timing, however, couldn't be worse.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Nieuwendyk to be Named Stars GM

Former Panther Joe Nieuwendyk will be named general manager of the Dallas Stars during a press conference tomorrow.

From TSN --
The 42-year-old Nieuwendyk returns to the city of Dallas from the Toronto Maple Leafs' organization, where he had been serving as Special Assistant to the General Manager.

"I am very excited about returning to the Dallas Stars as General Manager," said Nieuwendyk. "I am ready for this opportunity. The Dallas Stars have built a winning tradition over the years and I want to help continue that legacy. My family is very excited about returning to Dallas. I have great memories from my playing days with the Stars and look forward to helping this team win as General Manager."

As part of the reshuffling process, co-GMs Brett Hull and Les Jackson have both been reassigned within the organization. Hull will be moving to the roles of Executive Vice President and Alternative Governor, while Jackson is returning to his role as Director of Scouting and Player Development. Hicks said it was in the team's best interest to return the pair to their "respective strengths".

"We are very excited to secure Joe Nieuwendyk as the General Manager," said Hicks. "These moves are all about helping this club take the proverbial 'next step.' Joe is a leader and has been a winner in everything he has done. He is ready for this opportunity and has a bright future as an NHL General Manager. We want that future to be with the Dallas Stars."

Niewendyk has become familiar with management roles recently. Prior to spending last season with the Leafs' club, he worked as a Special Consultant to the GM with the Florida Panthers and as Assistant GM with the silver medal-winning Canadian team at the 2009 IIHF World Hockey Championship.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Panthers Development Camp Roster

The Panthers are set to kick off their development camp on Monday, which will run through the following week, in Ontario.

Most of the Amerks' players will be there, with a couple of exceptions: Tanner Glass and Chris Beckford-Tseu don't appear to have been invited.

Glass is a restricted free agent, but the lack of an invite doesn't necessarily mean the Panthers are going to pass on tendering a qualifying offer and retaining the forward. Beckford-Tseu, on the other hand, has a year remaining on his contract - one that the Panthers are not too excited to carry around for another season, I'm sure.

But more importantly than who won't be there would be who will be there:

Forwards
Brady Calla
Dan Collins
Evgeni Dadonov
James DeLory*
Mike Duco
Michael Frolik
A.J. Jenks
Shawn Matthias
Kenndal McArdle
Michal Repik
Eric Selleck**
Andrew Sweetland
Ryan Watson

Defensemen
Peter Aston
Luke Beaverson
Michael Caruso
Adam Comrie
Roman Derlyuk
Matt Duffy
Keaton Ellerby
Jason Garrison
Jordan Henry
John Lee
Colby Robak

Goaltenders
Marc Cheverie
Brian Foster
Jacob Markström
Tyler Plante
Alexander Salak***

* The roster released by the Panthers (.pdf link) has DeLory listed as a defenseman, so that may be the position on which he works, but they wanted him to try playing as a winger this past season and he played as a right wing in Oshawa. So, he could be either position in camp.

** Eric Selleck will be attending on a tryout. He had 26 points in 26 games in his freshman season with the Oswego State Lakers, a Division-III school. Last year, Selleck played junior A with the CJHL's Pembroke Lumberkings, scoring 81 points (43 goals) in 49 games.

*** Salak signed with the Panthers today.

Panthers Sign Alexander Salák

The Panthers have made their first move of the off-season today by signing 22 year-old goalie Alexander Salák.

Salák was born in the Czech Republic, but has played in Finland since 2006. After a season in second-tier Finnish hockey, Salák signed with TPS Turku in 2007.

He played in 52 games this season with TPS, posting a 20-20-9 record, but a 2.4 GAA and a save percentage of .923%. Salák's performance seems to have most who have talked about him calling him the TPS MVP this season.

Prior to moving to Finland, Salák played for Ceské Budejovice in the Czech Republic, and during the 2004-2005 season, Salák was named the backup for the Czech U18 team, though he played in only one game. Also on that U18 team: Panthers winger Michael Frolik.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Gayduchenko Staying in Russia

At least for now.

The young goalie signed a contract extension with Lokomotiv, and though the details aren't out yet, there's a good chance he can be the backup goaltender this season.

I started a new job, so I've been busy. Sorry about that.

Friday, May 15, 2009

2009-10 Training Camp: Nova Scotia

The Panthers announced today that training camp will be held in Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia this September, leading up to the first preseason game of the year on September 15th against the Ottawa Senators at the Halifax Metro Center.

Halfiax Metro Center is home to the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads and seats 10,595 for hockey.


Florida's entire preseason schedule is still a couple weeks away, but the Panthers leave for Finland at the end of September to take on the Blackhawks in the 2009 NHL Premiere, so there won't be any October preseason games like this past season.

For the past three seasons, camp has been held in Vail, Colorado. So this should be a nice way to mix it up.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Jody Gage Out as Amerks GM

Jody Gage is now the former general manager of the Rochester Americans, having been removed from his position after thirteen years in the Amerks' front office.

Beyond that, Gage played for the Amerks for eleven years, racking up 728 points in 653 games.

According to the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Gage, who has been with the team in some capacity or another, for the last 24 years, may still remain with the club in a lesser role, but at the moment, the D&C reports that neither Curt Styres nor Lewis Staats could be reached for comment to explain the decision.

When Gage retired from playing in the mid-90s, he became an assistant general manager with the Amerks. The team won the Calder Cup and after that, Gage became Rochester's general manager. Since then, Rochester has won five division titles, advanced to the Calder Cup final twice and finished with the best record in the league in 2004-05, setting a franchise record with 51 wins.

I'm very anxious to hear why this move was made, because it definitely caught me by surprise. I don't really think you can attribute Rochester's poor seasons these last two years to Gage. Buffalo was a terrible parent club at the end of their affiliation and Florida gave the Amerks an extremely inexperienced team in their first full season as sole parent. Money could be the driving factor behind the decision, as most of the roster is stocked by the Panthers.

Sports Illustrated's Best and Worst NHL Owners

Sports Illustrated put out their list of the top five owners in the NHL, and with it, the five worst. It shouldn't come with much surprise that Florida Panthers owner Alan Cohen made the bottom five.

The Panthers have been the epitome of mediocrity for nearly a decade, lagging behind the rest of the league most seasons only to come on late and get themselves away from a top pick and away from the playoffs.

A revolving door of coaches and general managers under Cohen's watch should put him on the list. Although, I don't think he should be the second worst owner in the league. Third or fourth? Probably, unfortunately.

The actual list reads like this:

5: Predator Holdings LLC (Nashville Predators)
4: Atlanta Spirit (Atlanta Thrashers)
3: Charles Wang (New York Islanders)
2: Alan Cohen (Florida Panthers)
1: MLSE (Toronto Maple Leafs)

After the start that the Tampa Bay Lightning have had since Oren Koules and Len Barrie took over, I'm not sure how they're not even in the top five. Realistically, they should be either #1 or #2. According to SI, MLSE's problem is that, despite being a nearly $2B entity, their most valuable asset (the Maple Leafs) hasn't won the Stanley Cup in 42 years. Fair enough. But, I think Brian Burke will do well for the Leafs, even if he has to blow up the franchise to do it. So right now, if you're looking for the most spectacularly unsuccessful owners, maybe Koules and Barrie should be #1.

Yes, they might turn out to be decent as they get some more experience, but their start this past season was an abomination. I've tried to destroy my teams in Eastside Hockey Manager and had less success than the Lightning did this past season:

Take for instance, Dan Boyle. Supposedly, the owners threatened to waive Boyle, who would likely be claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers if he didn't agree to waive his no-trade clause. You'd think the first kicker here would be that Boyle signed a contract extension a week earlier, but when Tampa traded him to San Jose, they got Matt Carle, Ty Wishart and a late first in return. Koules then said that acquiring Matt Carle "ensures that our team is better in October and for the next ten years." After 12 games, Matt Carle was traded to Philadelphia for Steve Eminger and Steve Downie. Downie has since been hit with a 20 game AHL suspension for abuse of an official and Steve Eminger is now a Panther. Dan Boyle, it should be noted, put up 57 points this season.

After 16 games, recent hire Barry Melrose became recent fire Barry Melrose.

When they realized the defense was a problem, they decided to just give every defenseman in the league an opportunity -
22 different defensemen played at least one game with the Lightning at some point during the season. Most of the defensemen were AHLers or cast-aways from other clubs, as was the case with Cory Murphy and Noah Welch from Florida. Welch and Murphy played on the top pairing in Tampa at one point, together. Good guys, but top pairing defensemen? Not so fast. And now, with rumblings about a Vincent Lecavalier trade that would get them out of the huge extension he just signed, Koules and Barrie are looking for new investors to help reduce debt.

For Tampa, the way these guys ran their first year would be like taking the Panthers' last eight years and bunching them up in to one huge, collective fail. Maybe it just hasn't been enough time to pass fair judgement, so they didn't make the list. But the fact remains, no matter how they turn out, this was a rough start.

As for Wang in New York, on one hand, he saved the franchise. If you want to call it that. The Islanders haven't done much lately, but he sank a fortune to keep the team on Long Island and they've been unable to get support for a new arena. On the other hand, not more than a week ago, Wang came out and said he regrets buying the team and, "If I had the chance, I wouldn't do it again."

The Thrashers are in the same boat as the Panthers, sort of. Atlanta has a superstar in Ilya Kovalchuk and a promising center in Bryan Little, but like the Cats, there's absolutely no fixed direction and the only thing that the Thrashers are thrashing right now is the checkbook. Nashville's problems have been buried by the drama and financial woes that now have Phoenix on the hot seat.

Phoenix and Tampa Bay should have strong cases to be in that list, but who you bump to get them there is probably where it gets tricky, and I guess Tampa can get a pass since this year can be attributed to their first experiences owning a pro hockey team.

But looking at Alan Cohen's tenure as owner, it's like I said before. The Panthers have had a dozen coaches and general managers, or interim fillers at the position since he took over. That's terrible and it's no wonder we haven't seen playoff hockey here in nearly a decade. You have to commit to something, and I can only hope that it's a lesson finally learned, because we need it. Given the consistent, though gradual, improvements we've been seeing the last couple of years, I hope he's going to be off of those lists very soon.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Do the Flyers Want to Trade?

Today, South Jersey's Courier-Post took a look at some of the options the Philadelphia Flyers may have in goal moving forward and the possibilities are all over the board. Both of the Flyers' goalies are unrestricted free agents this summer, so it's no surprise that one option is to acquire Panthers' goaltender Craig Anderson.

Philly already has one option in simply re-signing Martin Biron, but so far, they haven't gotten around to it. Maybe they won't.

Biron's regular season numbers were nothing special: a 2.76 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage aren't top-15 in either category and big saves weren't always made when the Flyers needed to get them. Marty Biron's salary isn't bad compared to some around the league, but for a team pressed up against the cap, that shouldn't cost them $3.5M.

The Flyers have had to work hard to stay below the upper limit this year, and if the cap were to go down in a year or two - Biron being middle-of-the-pack at $3.5M just isn't ideal for Philadelphia moving forward. And as the article writes, even if you offer Biron a lesser salary, it's probably not a deal that gets accepted unless it's a multi-year deal. Teams always have to be mindful of the future, and two years from now, that might not be in the Flyers' best interest.

So, it's no surprise that rumors are abound over Philadelphia's potential interest in the UFA goalie market.

Last week, Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said that the team is even throwing some consideration Ray Emery's way. Whether it's true or not, statements like that generally aren't made when a team has already got a goaltender for the following season.

But beyond Biron and Antero Niittymäki and a plethora of generally run-of-the-mill free agents, the Flyers can always look at the options they have via trade. With a potential cap hit to dump, the Flyers can probably offer the Panthers more for a UFA's rights than any other team would be comfortable, or willing. It doesn't hurt that Philadelphia's large cap hits come from their offense.

The Courier-Post article suggests trading any combination of forwards Joffrey Lupul, Danny Briere and James van Riemsdyk, defenseman Ryan Parent and a first-round draft pick, for the rights to Jay Bouwmeester and Craig Anderson.

Briere's salary next season would be second only to Pavel Bure in the Panthers' history, though, and based on the layoffs and moves within Sunrise Sports & Entertainment this past season, I don't think the Panthers would be willing to take on a player who struggled with injuries all year - and will make $8M next year. No matter what, someone is going to want an advance on negotiations with Jay Bouwmeester, and the Cats just may be able to come away with a nice return for a player that they would otherwise lose for nothing.

Still, Philadelphia seems like a realistic trade partner and all things considered, a deal between the two clubs seems like it could work well for both teams. The Flyers have made no secret of their interest in Jay Bouwmeester and more recently, Craig Anderson - and Cats GM Jacques Martin stopped in at the Wachovia Center in February to catch a pair of Flyers games just prior to the trade deadline. Then, when the Flyers reportedly made an offer for the defenseman on deadline day, Jacques Martin passed on the deal - presumably because the offer helped the Panthers "in the future" but only at the expense of their playoff push (which didn't end well).

So we know there's already something there, and it's been there for months. If Florida's willing to take a big salary, Philadelphia has the offensive depth to help the Panthers, and if a prospect with the potential that James van Riemsdyk has were to come to the Panthers, it'd be hard not to get excited for his development.

Of course, they could just be cool and give us Jeff Carter. I wouldn't mind.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

2009 IIHF World Championship Finished

The World Championship has ended, with Russia defeating the Canadians to win gold. Florida's four representatives came away without medals, although the United States did make it to the medal round.

Probably the best overall performance can be attributed to Karlis Skrastins. The Panthers' defenseman (and looming UFA) served as Latvia's captain, had a goal and an assist and was chosen by the coaches as one of his country's three best players.

Skrastins' fellow countryman Janis Sprukts, while named Latvia's player of the game when they took on Sweden, didn't crack the list for Latvia and neither Rostislav Olesz (Czech) nor Keith Ballard (USA) made those lists for their respective countries.

Nevertheless, it was good to see these guys playing a little more after the season here in Florida came to an end.

So, with that, I'll move the table to a post where it might look slightly less tacky.

NAMEGPGAPts.PIM+/-
Keith Ballard (USA)
91232+3
Karlis Skrastins (LAT)
71120+2
Rostislav Olesz (CZE)
70112+1
Janis Sprukts (LAT)
701100


Panthers Talking to Lemaire

(Jacques Lemaire drinks from the Stanley Cup for the first time - in 1968)

According to the Boston Globe, former Minnesota Wild head coach and Palmetto, Florida (south of Tampa) resident Jacques Lemaire is talking with both the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning about a position as a consultant (near the bottom). The Globe speculates that the role could be comparable to that of Scotty Bowman in Chicago, and before that, Detroit.

As a player, Lemaire won the Stanley Cup eight times - all with the Montreal Canadiens, and twice he scored Stanley Cup winning goals. Only five other players have can say they have done the same: Toe Blake, Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard, Bobby Orr and Mike Bossy.


After retiring, Lemaire won the Cup twice more with Montreal as an assistant general manager, and when the Devils won the Cup in 1995, it was Jacques Lemaire behind the bench earning his eleventh Cup win. There aren't many in hockey who have been around success near as often as Lemaire.

Lemaire's coaching strategy was defense oriented and that was evident with Minnesota, of course. Before that, all that talk about the Devils playing the trap in the '90s? Lemaire was there. So I think we can all see where Jacques Martin takes an interest.

When he started in Minnesota, the Wild traded for Lemaire's nephew, goaltender Manny Fernandez. Splitting time with Jamie McLennan, Fernandez took advantage of the opportunity and went from being a backup to a legitimate starter in the NHL. Incidentally, Fernandez is an unrestricted free agent this summer.


Lemaire has had incredible success as a player, and he's had success both in management and as a head coach. He's won the Stanley Cup eleven times. That's almost as many full seasons (not counting the 2004-05 lockout or the shortened season in 1994-95) as the Panthers have in their history as a franchise, and it's nearly three times as many Cups as the Hall of Famer Denis Potvin won. Denis' history was impressive enough to have in the organization.

Lemaire also boasts a pair of Jack Adams Awards, winning it first in 1994 with the Devils and then again in 2003 with Minnesota.


Success like that doesn't chance itself upon an individual. Lemaire's an incredible hockey mind and if he were to join the Panthers in any capacity, the Cats would be better for it. Much better.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Marc Cheverie Named DU's '08-09 MVP

Last night, Denver University gave out it's end-of-the-year awards for hockey and for goaltender Marc Cheverie, you'd have to think it was a pretty good night.

The Panthers' final draft selection from the 2006 entry draft led the Pioneers to a 23-12-5 record and second place overall in the WCHA, in the process helping guide the team in to their 20th NCAA Tournament.

While the Pioneers were eliminated in the first round by the eventual runner-up Miami Redhawks (Miami of Ohio), it was unquestionably another strong season for the university's hockey program.

Cheverie, a sophomore, became the team's starter after Peter Mannino graduated last spring and went on to sign with the Islanders. For Cheverie, the change would move him from appearing in 5 games as a freshman to starting all 40 as a sophomore this season - and he thrived on the opportunity.

Nicknamed 'Chevy' (Cheverie.. clever!), Marc finished the season with a record of 23-12-5, a 2.21 goals-against average, .921 save percentage and four shutouts in forty games.

His performance on the ice earned him the team's Bill Masterton Memorial Award (MVP) and their Star of the Year Award (for picking up the most star-of-the-game points). On a league-wide level, Cheverie received All-WCHA Second Team honors, was one of DU's 18 All-WCHA Academic honorees and was recognized as one of the school's seven WCHA Scholar-Athletes (GPA of 3.5 or better).

Back in April, New Hampshire Wildcats goalie Brian Foster was named the team's MVP (Roger A. LeClerg Trophy). He also picked up the team's "SCO Nate Hardy Ironman Award", awarded to the player whom "excels in the weight room through a 15-event competition during fall dry-land training".

Out of Ohio State, defenseman Matt Bartkowski received two awards: 'George Burke Most Valuable Freshman' and the 'Joseph W. Smith Best Defensive Player' award, as voted by his teammates. He was also voted to the CCHA All-Rookie Team.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

LaPoint's Recovery: "Way Ahead of Schedule"

There's good news out of North Dakota today on sophomore defenseman Derrick LaPoint. LaPoint, if you recall, suffered a serious leg injury during a game against Minnesota State-Mankato back in February. Both his tibia and fibula were broken when his skate caught the boards awkwardly after being bumped from behind.

The Fighting Sioux website has a Q&A with LaPoint today in which the 20-year-old says, "Things have been going really good. I’m way ahead of schedule."

LaPoint underwent surgery after the injury and has been wearing a protective boot ever since. But the injury, which his doctor said could keep some people in a boot for seven months, hasn't changed much about LaPoint. Instead, his commitment and work ethic are shining through. He resumed riding a bike a month ago, and by four months (June), he says that he may be fully out of the boot and getting back in shape for the new season.
You just come to a realization that it happened and you can’t really do much about it. You just have to move forward and hopefully just get back as fast as you can.
The full interview can be found at the UND website.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Potvin Out, Lindsay In

In an unfortunate move, the Florida Panthers and TV color man Denis Potvin have parted ways.

The official release at the Panthers' site thanks Potvin for his time with the organization as Denis had been, until now, the only color commentator in the franchise's history.

Steve Goldstein retains his role as play-by-play, while former Panther Bill Lindsay will move from the radio booth and replace Potvin on FSN. Randy Moller will stay on to call the games on the radio.

In reality, while Lindsay might grow in to the role and eventually make it his own, filling Potvin's shoes is going to be difficult. Denis spoke his mind, and it wasn't always to defend the Panthers as the "brutal homer" he was often times made out to be on various internet forums.

Further still, it's a move that will undoubtedly upset a good amount of Cats fans (no, I'm sure not everyone appreciated the occasional story of Potvin's hockey days with the Islanders). That it's, in all likelihood, financially motivated makes it more of a disappointment.

Potvin told Steve Gorten of the Sun-Sentinel: "It's tough. It's very tough. You come to a point where you figure you're a lifer with a company or a group. That's not the case anymore. I was surprised. I was not expecting it."

Sunrise Sports and Entertainment has been in talks of a merger recently, they've had to lay off employees and now Denis Potvin is a former member of the broadcast team. With Phoenix's recent woes serving as a reminder that nothing lasts forever, it will undoubtedly raise questions about the Panthers' financial standing.

But for the time being, there is no reason to believe the Panthers are in danger. Struggling, quite possibly. But in danger? I doubt it.

As for the organization's take on the ordeal, Michael Yormark spoke to George Richards and defended the move as one with no financial motivation whatsoever. Rather, that they were simply seeking a new direction and that their financial relationship with FSN meant that it made no difference the number of broadcasters on board.

So if it didn't matter, why exactly has Denis been shown the door? We'll probably be hearing a little more about this as time goes by.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Post-Season Blues

With the playoffs upon us, the Panthers golfing, prospects' collegiate and junior seasons wrapped up and all but a select few NHLers still playing in the World Championship, there's not much to do.

The Panthers organization has been active this off-season with regard to keeping the site worth reading on a near daily basis, and that's something that in most off-seasons, we have been lacking.

They've kept tabs on the guys over in Switzerland for the World Championship and they've introduced a few new blogs on the site. First, we saw team president and chief operating officer Michael Yormark put out some entries under the name "Sunrise Edition". For the most part, it's a gigantic advertisement and that seems to have irked some people, but really, if reaching out and showing some loyalty to partners and potential advertisers can help solidify the sponsorship base, that's never a bad thing. Unfortunately, there's not much there that deals with the nitty-gritty details about the Cats that summertime makes everyone yearn to understand. If you look at the "Panthers News" section to the right of this page, his entries should be preceded by "Sunrise Edition" and this is the most recent entry.

The other blog that has popped up is written by Dave Joseph. As the description on the left of his entries state, he's the director of internet and publication content. There's a good deal more hockey talk in his first two entries and then some other random stuff. Looking to the right, anything that starts with "Two Minutes For:" is one of Dave's blogs. The most recent entry is right here.

There is an article on the upcoming draft, as well as the "Above the Glass" feature that keeps the TV & radio voices of the Panthers (minus Denis Potvin) busy talking about, at present, the playoffs. All told, the Panthers are doing enough to keep people coming back to the site and to make sure they can't just fade in to obscurity over the summer. Hopefully, they'll keep that up.

With George Richards (Miami Herald) and Steve Gorten (Sun-Sentinel) holding other responsibilities with their respective papers, the day-to-day updates we live by over the course of the regular season have slowed to a nearly interminable crawl.

So for now, while everyone searches for stories to run, features to air and for the best time slots to fill to make the most of what they've got, here are some direct links that have been active recently:

Florida Panthers @ Twitter: This has been great during the WC. Lots of updates and quick news on new content at the site.

South Florida Business Journal
: If you care to monitor the potential merger that has been discussed, this link (I've pasted the URL to the sports section), should be a good place to check.

Florida Panthers: Of course. Hopefully they'll keep the new stuff coming in to the heart of the off-season. For the time being, they've stayed busy.

Miami Herald Hockey Section
: It's mostly geared towards the playoffs at this point, but a condensed version of George Richards' blog is also in the top left corner, so you could strike off-season gold and find a story in the hockey section and a completely different entry from GR's 'On Frozen Pond' in one click. Or not. But, it's worth a shot.

Sun-Sentinel Panthers' Section: Similar to the Herald, only with the Panthers remaining the prime focus. Steve Gorten's blog is in the upper right corner, so like with the Herald, maybe you'll get good news (or not so good news) in one click. Or maybe not.

Florida Panthers' Official Message Boards: They're totally dead at this point in time. Sign up and talk about something. Please?

I'll try to come up with something worth reading this week because, quite frankly, I'm not in the mood to stop talking about the Panthers, either.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

FS-Florida: Florida Panthers Post-Season Special

Fox Sports Florida is airing their Panthers' end-of-season wrap-up show at 5:30 this evening. It's a thirty-minute special that will feature plenty of highlights, interviews and other features to recap one of the better seasons in recent memory for the Panthers.

As always, Craig Minervini will host and Frank Forte will have a special feature on Stephen Weiss.

If you miss it tonight, the first replay will be on Monday, May 11th at 7:00 PM, and then it will replay three more times in the final half of the month.

Monday, May 11: 7:00 PM
Saturday, May 16: 6:30 PM
Thursday, May 28: 7:30 PM
Saturday, May 30: 6:30 PM

The only other programming listed at the FSF Panthers' schedule is a repeat of the "Where are They Now?" edition of Inside the Panthers. That repeat will precede the post-season special on Saturday, May 16th at 6 PM.