Roblogg’s Panthers Portal

The Miami Herald’s sportswriter, George Richards, has stoked the flames of speculation in his On Frozen Pond blog by claiming that the Florida Panthers may be on the verge of changing ownership:

“The NHL’s Board of Governors is meeting in Chicago this week with the sale of the Panthers from the Alan Cohen ownership group to the SPAC apparently on the agenda.”

Apparently that would mean it would indeed be on the agenda today, Wednesday, although the Phoenix Coyotes situation is likely to top the bill of discussions. The paper could not confirm these rumors so it remains as yet unknown if indeed an accord to sell the franchise has been struck or not – between Cohen’s ownership group and the SPAC, led by Andrew Murstein.

If indeed these rumors are correct it is possible that the Panthers have new owners by sundown tonight. However, both sides have been shrouding any potential negotiations in the utmost of secrecy; and so far very little has slipped out about the proposed deal. Hence we will just have to patiently wait and see…

On the lookout for a new GM?

One thing that a new ownership could come to have an immediate impact on is the appointment of a new Florida General Manager, according to that same report in the Herald:

“Murstein is reportedly close to former New York Rangers/Islanders GM Neil Smith, who [...] is one of a handful of finalists for the job as it stands today. The other finalists for the GM job: Sexton, Doug Reisbrough, Doug MacLean and Jeff Gorton.”

This goes against Mr. Richards earlier predictions the same day; betting that current inter-rim and Assistant GM Randy Sexton would get the job. Randy has of course been handling affairs ever since former GM Jacques Martin skipped the ship in early June, and it must be said, Sexton was left with a real mess to try and clean up after his former boss. Considering this, it would surely be terribly unfair if someone else stepped in and took over the ship – now that Sexton finally managed to get it back on an even keel again.

Personally I’m all for letting Randy Sexton continuing as Panthers General Manager; he has surely earned the right to give it a go. Having made all the tough off-season decisions – he deserves the chance to see where it leads. Give him a one-year deal and see how things look at the end of the campaign, then decide if outside help is needed to fill the position or not, that’s my five cents in the discussion. What’s your opinion in this matter?

Sexton himself remains philosophical about the current GM situation and the deals he’s made this off-season for the Panthers: “I’m pleased with what we have done,” he said to the Miami Herald. ”For me, it’s straight ahead, lots to do every day. I’m trying to make the team better, the organization better. The GM stuff will sort itself out.”

Panthers new Russian connections

It seems that Randy’s hands have been tied by the proposed sale, tight money-ropes and coach Peter DeBoer’s expressed wish to not make too many changes: ”We talked about a few deals, and he (DeBoer) encouraged me not to make them. He thinks there is more here, more upside,” Sexton revealed to Richards. The latter then goes on to predict the same Panthers line-up that I predicted here, several weeks ago, in my article “Do the Panthers Have What It Takes to Compete?”

Finally, Randy Sexton also said that he’s currently trying to sign this year’s top pick D Dmitry Kulikov before training camp. The Russian player has a KHL contract but has a buy-out trigger that the player himself can activate if he pays the money stipulated in that clause.

As for the other Russian question, the one I’ve reported here about LW Evgeni Dadonov, Sexton reveals the stance of the Florida Panthers is that Dadonov’s KHL contract “has expired” and that the protracted deal will be concluded before next season:

”He will be with the organization. It may take him a little while to adjust to the North American pro game, but he has very good hockey sense. Elite hockey sense. He’s not big, but crafty and clever. He has terrific potential. We all know there will be injuries. If he’s playing well [in Rochester], he’ll get up for some games.”

As I reported last Friday, Evgeni Dadonov’s KHL club Traktor Chelyabinsk will be seeking compensation from the Panthers if the proposed deal to sign the winger goes through. The latest to come out from Russia is that the club indeed consider that the player has signed with them and are seeking help from the KHL to defend their contractual rights.

The coach, Andrei Nazaros, said on the Russian site Sovsport.ru that Chelyabinsk will want compensation money from the Florida Panthers; so they can sign a new player in Dadonov’s place. He say’s that they don’t want anything extravagant or too hefty – just a modest $500.000 dollars…

“Traktor spends 12 years developing its students like Dadonov and bringing them to the first team,” Nazarov also said. “And then some cunning guys from North America simply steal our players.”

The man obviously has a point, especially if Dadonov indeed has a valid contract with the Russian team. How the Panthers organization responds to this latest development remains to be seen, as of yet no word has come out of the organization in response.

If Evgeni is signed, he’ll be plying his trade with the Rochester Americans this coming season.

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 Hockey News is reporting that Panthers’ forward Richard Zednik has signed a two year contract with Russian KHL team Lokomotiv. The Russian elite club announced the signing of Zednik on Thursday, but as of yet the Florida Panthers have made no official announcement and Zednik’s agent has not been reached for comments.

Zednik is a finalist for the Bill Masterton Trophy, a price that honors "the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey." Richard made an impressive comeback to hockey this season after suffering a life-threatening injury in the preceding season. Zednik scored 17 goals for the Panthers, several of which were back breaking – highlight reel goals.

It remains to be seen if this deal is truly stamped and sealed, but it was expected that Zednik would be moving on in the summer; being an unrestricted free agent, whilst the Panthers are reportedly preferring to look for a top-line centerman instead.