Roblogg’s Panthers Portal

The pending signing of the Russian right wing talent Evgeni Dadonov (Panthers 3rd Round, #71 overall, select in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft) has been mooted for quite some time now. However, no official word has come to indicate it’s a done deal – from the Panthers camp that is. Dadonov’s Russian KHL club, Traktor Chelyabinsk, on the other side – have gone public with their complaints about the Cats snapping up their precious talent. Does the name Jiri Hudler pop up in anyone’s mind at this stage?

Well, it seems possible that this is a similar situation anyway. The Russian club claims that Dadonov signed a two-year deal with them in the spring, whilst Evgeni’s camp apparently denies this. The coach of the Chelyabinsk club, Andrei Nazarov, has stated that the KHL side won’t let go of the talented forward without a fight.

The route they’ll take is the opposite one of the Detroit Red Wings in the Hudler case; the club is planning to speak to the KHL to formally oppose the transfer – as NHL has already done in the other case. They also claim that they’ll produce the contract, which Evgeni allegedly signed in the spring, and put their case before a court of law – here in Florida – to argue their case.

Whether they indeed have a case or not – I suppose we’ll all find out soon enough…?  

It’s a tricky situation and frankly very hard to tell where the truth lies. This could turn out to be an affair that drags on for a while and likely new pieces of information will become available along the way, but for now, nothing is for certain – and we’ll have to keep an eye out for future developments…

The Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet is reporting that the Florida Panthers are giving up on signing star winger Alex Tanguay. The paper claims that Canadian press now believe it’s a race between the Phoenix Coyotes and Tampa Bay Lightning to sign the experienced forward.

I have been unable to either confirm or reject these latest rumors that the Cats have given up on Tanguay. The interest of Tampa Bay Lightning and Phoenix Coyotes however has been widely reported. The deal between those two teams, which brought Radim Vrbata to Phoenix for Fedoruk and Hale, does give our western neighbors the necessary cap space to pursue a player of Tanguay’s caliber.

It would no doubt be a real blow to Panthers fans if these rumors came true – and Alex Tanguay were to join Tampa Bay instead of us. Take this latest information for what it is though, speculation, but as soon as anything more substantial comes along I’ll let you know…

On a sidenote, the same paper – this time using Russian sources, claims that winger Ilya Kovalchuk of the Atlanta Thrashers; is going to sign a new multi-year contract. The deal, if these sources are correct, will give him the maximum amount possible (20% of the teams total wages against the cap) and make him the best paid player in the NHL, earning an estimated $11.36 million a year!

Not bad for a player plying his trade on one of the worst teams in the league…

LW Tanner Glass signed today with the Vancouver Canucks, together with two other players. Glass played a few games with the Florida Panthers over the last two seasons, but saw most action with the farm affiliate in Rochester.

Indeed, the 25-year old spent most the 2008-09 season with the Rochester Americans of the AHL, playing 44 games and recording four goals, nine assists and 100 penalty minutes. The six-foot, 196-pound Regina, Saskatchewan native played three games with the Panthers, collecting seven penalty minutes. He was originally drafted by the Florida Panthers with their 265th overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Although the details are not clear, it is likely to be a two-way contract for the power-forward. Whilst inter-rim GM Randy Sexton earlier said to be interested in re-signing Glass, it is possible the signings of several free agent forwards already, may have crowded him out of a place with the organization. Hopefully the gritty winger will be given a chance with the Canucks, seeing as he’s a very likeable fella that we wish all the best in his future endeavors.

Another former Panther, 33-year old D Rhett Warrener, is currently out of work and has so far not been offered any new deal with an NHL team. He spent last season with the Calgary Flames and played in only 31 games for the Alberta club.

The lack of interest has surprised Rhett: "You’re kind of out there floating around. There’s nothing concrete about anything. Spinning your tires a little bit, I guess you could say".

If he does not find a new club this off-season, he may be ready to end his career, although his priority is still to find a new team in the NHL: "Because I’m a dumb athlete I don’t know if I’d ever rule out playing," he said to the Calgary Herald. "I imagine if someone came and offered me a contract, I’d have to consider it."

Elsewhere, it seems that a couple of the free agent signings by the Panthers were not made without plenty of competition from other teams…

Defenseman Jordan Leopold, who the Panthers gained the rights to negotiate with at the draft from Calgary – but was unable to sign before free agency opened, had at least one other option that is likely to have been hard to turn down for him. The former Minnesota University blueliner had an offer on the table from the Minnesota Wild, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. It was a serious attempt to get the player to join the organization, but in the end Leopold opted instead to join the Cats on a one-year deal.

So, why did Jordan reject Wild for the Panthers?

Because apparently Florida have offered him a greater role in their team for this upcoming season, than Minnesota were willing to do, and so Leopold chose greater ice-time above the overtures from the Wild.

Canadian center Jamie Johnson meanwhile, had already signed for another team – when the Panthers made their interest in him known. Having spent last season with TPS Åbo, of Finland, he then signed a deal with Swedish second tier side Leksand. He was signed as their new star centerman, but when the Cats made their interest known he was able to leave months before even playing a game for his new side. This because in his contract with Leksand he had the option of signing with an NHL club before the 15th of July.

The 27-year old subsequently triggered his get-out clause and signed a one-year deal with the Panthers; although it remains unlikely he’ll be seeing too much action in Florida. More than likely he’s been signed to play with the Rochester Americans affiliate – in the AHL instead…

Despite rumors to the opposite effect, circulating the Internet yesterday, star winger Alex Tanguay has not signed with the Panthers. It doesn’t mean he won’t, but like I reported here a few days ago; Alex will likely take his time to review several offers from a plethora of interested teams and then make an informed decision.

After declining numbers in recent years, mainly due to injury woes, he will need to jump start his career with his next team. That makes his decision an important one, not just for his future career, but also, it could mean he’d be willing to spurn some dollar signs in return for a perfect fit.

Whether or not the Florida Panthers could provide that remains uncertain. Certainly they are one of the interested parties, and inter-rim GM Randy Sexton also states that the club indeed have money to spend on a good player/addition to the squad (such as Tanguay, we would presume): “We’ve got dollars,” Sexton said on the Panthers website. “We don’t have unlimited dollars. I don’t think anyone does these days…There’s dollars available if we need them.”

He further goes on to say: “We’re having ongoing discussions with agents and players. We’re being selective to find the right fit to fill the right need at the right price. We the like the chemistry of our team and have to be sensitive to that. I think there’s going to be a fairly good-sized pool of people still around. We also want to provide a spot for some of our younger players.”

One can gather from this statement that the Cats indeed aren’t finished in the marketplace, and there are several good signings to be made (check out this list from the NHL website to see which ones are yet to find a new home), but it is likely the Panthers may only make one/two at most/ additions to the projected roster. The other signings are likely to be aimed at the Rochester Americans; who need an overhaul after last season’s dreadful performance in the AHL.

Meanwhile, one Eastern Conference team that was active today was the New Jersey Devils. They snapped up former Panther Cory Murphy on a 2-year, two-way contract. The details have not been released, but his salary will obviously depend on whether he can make the Devils team or if he’ll spend the season in the AHL. Murphy is a skillful and quick, yet small blueliner that can contribute on the power-play. He was picked up by the Tampa Bay Lightning on re-entry waivers last season, as the Panthers had plenty of depth in defense and didn’t need his services.

I always felt it was a bad deal for the Cats to lose him to the Bolts on re-entry waivers (hence being stuck with half his wages) and a slap in the face for the Amerks – who could have needed his experience on that level. However, it was a chance for Murph to re-ignite his career in the NHL. And now the Devils, who are well known to pick up fringe players and then mold them in to stars, have reached out toward him and wish him the best in Jersey.

Hopefully the Panthers won’t be left to rue this move in the future. We’ll see I guess….