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).
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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.
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