Roblogg’s Panthers Portal

The Florida Panthers have in the prelude to today’s opener in Helsinki, against the Chicago Blackhawks, been forced to re-tool their blueline. Losing the workhorse stallion of Jay Bouwmeester (to Calgary) always meant the Cats would need a makeover in defense this off-season. But how do you replace such a vital player as Jay-Bo anyway?

Well, you don’t, quite frankly. There’s only a handful players of Bo’s caliber in the league and the Panthers have none of them in their line-up. What inter-rim GM Randy Sexton and Head Coach Peter DeBoer instead has tried to do; is to go for strength in depth to remedy the situation.

Operation Defense

With one hefty pay-check off the books, it allows the team to get 2-3 players of proven or upcoming qualities, to come in and steady the ship. The Cats have indeed added numbers to the blueline this summer – to the extent that the opening day defensive pairings are anyone’s guess at this point in time.

In have come the likes of Jordan Leopold, Ville Koistinen, Dmitry Kulikov and Dennis Seidenberg, whilst Bryan Allen finally has returned from his long-term injury. Already on the books are steady fixtures Keith Ballard and newly appointed captain Bryan McCabe; whilst AHL’r Jason Garrison provides good injury insurance with his two-way contract and uncapped potential. How’s that for competition and blueline depth?

This defensive depth may come in handy earlier than anyone would have anticipated with three defenders (Ballard, Allen and Leopold) struck by the flu bug. They all skated yesterday and should be available for selection today however (together with fellow victim Stephen Weiss).

One that will be selected for opening night will be young Russian Dmitry Kulikov; who the Panthers managed to get signed to an NHL entry level contract, just before the end of the deadline, a couple of days ago. This year’s first round draft pick has impressed coach DeBoer, who is quoted as saying that Kulikov will be given 9-10 games to prove himself in the NHL.

Together these blueliners should be able to divide Jay-Bo’s almost 30 minutes-a-game playtime between them, create a sense of competition and hopefully push each other to new heights. At least that is what Sexton and DeBoer are counting on.

The philosophy shown in the summer signings in defense are echoed in the goalie department; where Tomas Vokoun will pushed hard by Scott Clemmensen, whilst Alexander Salak will provide back-up duties in case of injuries and is therefore with on the trip to Finland. Tomas has been penned in for the opening game tonight, and if he plays well he’ll be back in goal again in the second header-to-header tomorrow, against the Hawks.

Meanwhile, Vokouns former team mate and back-up Craig Anderson started his career as a No.1 goalie in promising style yesterday; helping Colorado beat San Jose 5-2, making 38 saves.

Promising Offense?

Despite the loss of Bo, Skras and Andy in the defensive compartment, arguably the make or break of Florida’s hockey fortune’s – this upcoming season – will be the performance of the offensive units. Certainly its shortcomings last season, when it came down to production, were what prevented the Panthers from making the post season that time around.

With the core still intact from that campaign, it is clear that coach DeBoer is counting on those promising Cats to up their game and take it to the next step at this level. The Sunrise Express line of David Booth, Stephen Weiss and Nathan Horton is likely to be counted on as the top unit. But as good as those players are – question marks still surround them as to whether they really deserve top billing on a team striving to reach the playoffs?

Only time can tell, but fans have been hoping long enough that these players would develop in to legitimate NHL stars. There must come a time when hope gives way for results, and most likely that time will be now. These three players must find that extra level within them and elevate their game accordingly. It’s probably now or never to be honest.

On a projected second line, the Panthers have new summer recruit Steven Reinprecht centering veteran Cory Stillman and youngster Michael Frolik. The major question mark here is how Reinprecht will perform in this role, having previously been accustomed to a more checking role in Phoenix.

And on the checking third line we again can expect Gregory Campbell and Radek Dvorak teaming up for some hard hits and quick counter attacks, probably together with Rostislav Olesz, who got most of last season spoiled with injury. On the fourth we’ll find utility players like Nick Tarnasky (when back from injury), newbie Mike Duco, Kamil Kreps and Shawn Matthias battling it out for a starting role.

In addition, there are a few players in Rochester that could be called up in case of injury or if they impress sufficiently in the American Hockey League. Hopefully the Panthers farm affiliate will be better equipped this season, with a couple of key veteran signings, to stand up for themselves in that competition. Young Florida prospects are more likely to develop in an atmosphere of success, rather than in one of doom and gloom, so the revival of the Amerks is pivotal to the organization as a whole.

The Thin Red Line

Overall, the Florida Panthers have a steady, yet unremarkable team in the sense of star names. Again they will be dependent on digging deep for that little extra something in games and work hard for every scrap and point they can get. It is hard to judge this 09/10 incarnation of the Cats. Success will rely on the successful development of existing talent on an individual level and on the mental fortitude and togetherness of the team.

In Head Coach Peter DeBoer the club has the right man for the job, and the team is very much molded in his image, but can he do what so many others have failed with; take the underperforming Panthers to a playoff?

Personally I won’t count this out, stranger things have happened in sports, but he sure has a difficult task on his hands. Perhaps even an insurmountable task at that. There are positive signs, yet overall, I go in with less confidence this season than I did the previous one. I really thought that that was going to be the time when Florida unshackled itself from the chains of failure, only to trip on the final hook.

With this in recent memory, it is hard to be overly optimistic. But, there is always a ray of hope… And, against all “better” judgment, hope – I do…

Having had a holiday from hockey I now feel ready to dig in to and continue this hockey blog about the Florida Panthers. It’s been a busy time for the Cats and the Assistant General Manager Randy Sexton. After Jacques Martin skipped the ship, to take up the Head Coaching job with the Habs, Sexton has been left with a real tangled mess to try to sort out. So let’s sum up and take a look at what moves he has done so far:

May 29th: Panthers sign G Alexander Sálak

Before Jacques signed off with the Panthers he made a move for, and signed, goalie prospect Alexander Sálak from TPS Turku of the Finnish League. The 22-year old goalie was signed to an entry level contract. The previously undrafted prospect played 53 games last season for TPS, posting a 2.40 GAA and .923 save percentage.

June: Panthers Development Camp in Toronto

One of Randy Sexton’s first priorities, when stepping in to Martin’s shoes, was to talk to the agents of restricted and unrestricted free agents Bouwmeester and Booth. While those attempts may have stolen most of the pundits’ attention, Randy also took time to visit the Panthers’ Development Camp – held in Toronto, Canada. He was quoted as expressing himself as very impressed with a trio of youngsters: Michal Repik, Keaton Ellerby and Michael Frolik. Whilst Frolik has already burst through the NHL scene, Sexton’s comments could also be seen as foreboding the imminent breakthrough of Repik and Ellerby on the big scene as well. Later Sexton also mentioned that D Jason Garrison could be ready to push for a place in the Panthers’ squad.

June 19th: Steven Reinprecht signed to 3-year deal

Randy Sexton’s first major move was for pending UFA Steven Reinprecht of the Phoenix Coyotes. The Panthers gave away the rights to Stefan Meyer, who was one of the leading scorers in Florida’s Rochester farm team last season, and in return received the exclusive negotiating rights to the veteran center Reinprecht. Steven was then quickly tied to a 3-year deal. The 33-year old will bring a wealth of Stanley Cup experience after having tasted glory with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. To the Panthers he also adds some competition for the center slots of the team. Described as a high character (was assistant captain in Phoenix) and hard working player, Sexton will be hoping that Steven can help the Cats win a few more face-offs while also injecting some speed into the team.

June 26th: NHL Entry Draft in Montreal; Day One

With the spectacle that is the Entry Draft underway in Montreal last Friday, people were expecting plenty of pending moves to be announced. However, with the notable exception of the blockbuster move of Chris Pronger to Philadelphia from Anaheim, it turned out to be a quiet occasion. Not even Jay Bouwmeester’s name was read by the commissioner – to most people’s surprise.

NY Islanders sealed John Tavares with their top pick and Tampa Bay sealed much needed blueline talent in the form of the giant puck moving Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman with the #2 pick. Matt Duchene went third; to his favorite team the Colorado Avalanche. These were of course the “Big Three” names of the draft and the selection of them went pretty much the way everyone had expected.

Expected to go higher in the draft was the talented puck moving Russian defenseman Dmitry Kulikov (Ranked #11). Many analysts projected him to go among the top ten and it must have come as quite a surprise to Randy Sexton that the talented defenseman was still around when it was time for the Panthers to pick at #14. Teams had been scared off Dmitry due to the “Russian factor”, that is the fear that a Russian player might leave for the KHL without compensation – now or in the future, but Sexton and chief scout Scott Luce knew a steal when they saw one and selected the defenseman with their first round pick (14th overall).

Scott’s verdict of Kulikov was summed up in four words: “Smart, driven, determined and passionate”. In addition to this, the player himself has been said his lifelong dream was to play in the NHL, and for a Russian to come to Florida to live and work – it surely is a dream move in more than one way. In fact, he might even be plying his trade here in South Florida this coming autumn already. Scott Luce at least seems to think he has that kind of immediate upside. At the very least he’ll be given a fair chance to make an immediate impact this coming season.

The last year Kulikov has been playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and won the Rookie of the Year Award after scoring 62 points (12 goals) for Drummondville. Drummondville’s assistant coach Danny Brooks said about Dmitry: “He could’ve made life easy and stayed in Yaroslavl Locomotiv and been a superstar in the KHL. But his dream is to play in the NHL and bring his family from Russia to North America….He’s a North American player who happens to have a Russian last name.”

June 27th: NHL Entry Draft in Montreal; Day Two

Jay Bouwmeester was finally put out of his misery here in South Florida and was traded to the Calgary Flames for their 3rd Round Pick in this year’s draft and the rights to pending UFA Jordan Leopold (D). Since then Bo has signed a 5-year deal with the Flames worth #6.68 million a year and he seems happy enough to be back in Alberta, Canada. The Cats has of yet, not been able to tie down Leopold to any deal, but are hoping Keith Ballard’s old collage buddy and golf partner – will want to partner Keith on the ice as well. We’ll see I guess…

As the actual day two of the draft got underway, the Panthers selected Drew Shore from the United States National Team Development Program. The 6-2, 200 pound center, was ranked at #28, and expected to go in the first round. But the Cats managed to nab him at #44 instead. The upside for Florida is that they get a solid, big center prospect; who also just happens to be American. This could be a very good steal by Sexton and Luce.

Thanks to the Bo trade the Cats also had a third round selection to make. With the #67 pick Florida grabbed C/RW Josh Birkholz from Fargo Force. The 6-1, 182 pound winger, is currently taking classes at the University of Minnesota and working out with Keith Ballard. It seems the Panthers may soon need to start paying Ballard some extra money for all the networking, on behalf of the organization, that he seems to be doing… Anyway, with Birkholz the Cats get another solid American prospect to swell to the current ranks.

Randy Sexton however felt the Panthers needed to further enlarge that contingent of prospects and moved to secure Los Angeles’ 4th (#107) and 5th (#138) Round selections in this year’s draft – in exchange for a 3rd Round pick in 2010.

With those picks the Panthers selected two more forwards; LW Garrett Wilson (#107), a gritty winger from Owen Sound, and C Wade Megan (#138), who’ll attend Boston University this spring – after graduating from a boarding school in Connecticut.

In between those picks, also in the fifth-round, the Cats selected C Corban Knight (#135), an offensive centerman that will attend the University of North Dakota this coming season – after having led all rookies in scoring in the Alberta Junior Hockey League this previous campaign.

Last, but not least, the Panthers selected 19-year old C Scott Timmins in the 6th Round (#165). Timmins is a player Coach Peter DeBoer knows well from his Kitchener days and scout Scott Luce believes the player is one to step up and turn pro immediately. Timmins is a good skater that won back-to-back Memorial Cups for Kitchener and Windsor.

June 30th: The Day before Free Agency

With the onset of free agency the Panthers organization, and Assistant (now inter-rim) GM Randy Sexton in particular, are by necessity going to be very active. It started on the 29th already as C Brett McLean was placed on unconditional waivers. Brett had a miserable season last year and his $1.7 million contract is now up in the air. Question is: If no one takes McLean on waivers; will his contract be bought out? In such case the Panthers would be on the hook for two-thirds of the remaining amount of the deal.

Janis Spukts, the Latvian center that played in Rochester last year, went public with his frustrations and has now been released to play in Europe instead. Other current Rochester players that were pending RFA’s and have not been handed any offers so far include: Drew Larman, Tanner Glass, Franklin MacDonald and David Shantz. Current Panthers player Steve Eminger, acquired on last trade deadline, hasn’t either been offered any qualifying deal.

Sexton however admits that he’d like to re-sign a couple of these players, including Glass and Eminger, but didn’t want to sign them before free agency. In Steve’s case it is due to the fact that he played so many games with the Lightning last season that his qualifying salary would be too juicy for Florida. Instead they are willing to take their chances with him as a pending free agent.

Two pending RFA players that have been offered qualifying offers are Panthers star David Booth and prospect David Brine. Booth will be up for a considerable pay-rise and has expressed his willingness to sign a long-term deal with the organization. And since the departure of Bouwmeester; he is now set to be the face of the franchise and a deal should be able to be sorted out before long.

Of the pending UFA’s Richard Zednik has already signed a deal that will take him to Russia’s KHL next season, whilst Nick Boynton is set to be released. Nick has a big contract and since his falling-out with Coach DeBoer has not been seen as a player with a future within the organization.

Of the other free agents that Sexton has expressed an interest in re-signing, we find veterans such as Karlis Skrastins, Ville Peltonen and Radek Dvorak. Whether or not this trio of players will be re-signed for next season – will largely come down to what their wage demands will be. It will perhaps also depend on whether the Panthers are able to compete for the signatures of any quality free agents available elsewhere. Likely is that one or two of these players will return to the fold next season; seeing as they all have been instrumental in Florida’s largely successful penalty-kill unit this previous campaign and seem settled in the area.

A couple of other players that will be UFA’s are Anthony Stewart, after he was not handed any qualifying offer and Craig Anderson. It seems unlikely either will re-sign with the Panthers, but it’s still a possibility for both. Anthony didn’t develop in the way the organization had hoped and may need to find pastures new for the coming campaign. In Craig’s case the opposite is true and he now feels ready for a starting gig in net and with Vokoun still with the Cats – he won’t get that here. If he fails to land that move however; then he may consider re-signing for Florida, but it seems very unlikely at the moment.

It will be an interesting next few days and much of the suspense will be to see what Randy Sexton and the Panthers do about their free agents and whether or not they can compete on the market for the plentiful plethora of skilled free agents available. It also remains to be seen if Randy is given the confidence to be take the reigns full time as GM – or if a new face will be brought in for the job. What happens over the next week is likely to settle both those questions…

The Florida Panthers’ season came to an inglorious and screeching halt this weekend. No playoffs this year either – - just another way to die…

The Cats may have salvaged some pride in their two final victories of the season; against Southeastern rivals Atlanta and Washington, but overall, nothing but the playoffs would be good enough this season – and so it was – the effort was inadequate in the end.

As predicted in the previous post it was the day of judgment last Tuesday, when the Panthers travelled to Philadelphia and came home empty-handed. What was worse was that it was the ref who gave away the victory to the Flyers, not the Floridians. It leaves a bittersweet taste in ones mouth when the officials, who it must be said have been very consistent all year in granting the Cats one disfavor after another, end up ruining the burgeoning spring.

Then again, the Florida Panthers gave away their playoff spot on March the 3rd, when all teams around us got stronger, but Florida remained the same. No wonder then that the team started to sputter and falter, immediately thereafter!

Soon afterwards came that disastrous five game home stand from which the Panthers emerged with one mere victory. That was never enough to make a concerted playoff run and the Cats had to rebound quickly against the Sabres, in the very next game. 3-1 up in the third period and then a couple of minutes of madness which saw Buffalo leapfrog their visitors and win the contest, 5-3. That was when the season died.

Winning six of the eight last games was never going to be enough as I prophesized at the time. The Panthers could only afford to lose one game, if even that, to have a chance. But losses to Atlanta and Philadelphia derailed those vague hopes. What made me feel sure the season had effectively ended after the Buffalo game was the inconsistency of the Panthers, as described in a post at the time.

The players showed plenty of resiliency all year, but consistently winning games; that was always much harder. Even when having impressive winning streaks – they always had a slip-up or two along the way – usually against the lower ranked teams; like against Atlanta down the stretch. When you look at it this way, it actually resembles more of a suicide than a death at the hands of excessively powerful playoff-race opponents. The mental scars that have lacerated this franchise, through the many years of mediocrity, run deep indeed.

Nonetheless, this season was a big step forward, compared to previous ones, it must be said. The team has a strong nucleus of players that stick up for each other and have shown increasing pride of wearing the jersey of this club. That is a good sign and a good evaluation of the job that rookie coach Peter DeBoer has done; in this his first year in the NHL.

Respect was his key word DeBoer brought with him when entering the scene this summer. Respect is also the word staring down on the players as they dress for games, and respect he has achieved, both for himself and for the club and its staff. Not bad. Not bad at all!

Whilst being critical about General Manager Jacques Martin and his deadline dealings, or rather; the lack thereof, he too has done a good job for the organization.

His hockey expertise is unquestionable and he has a calmness in his demeanor, which inspires both confidence in his ability and handling of affairs. The Jokinen deal this summer worked a charm – as especially Keith Ballard has the making of a top defender that will thrill the crowds of the Bank Atlantic Center for many years to come with his big hip-checks. Nick Boynton also did a very good job this season, but his verbal head-butting with DeBoer may have cost him a future here in South Florida.

There is also a plentitude of work awaiting Jacques Martin now that the regular season has come to a halt. The team has several UFA’s and RFA’s to either sign to extensions or let leave. The club also needs to address the difficulties of scoring from the forward lines before next season. A top forward is a ‘must have’ – preferably a top centerman to bolster the ranks. It will require a dip in to the free agent market, come July.

Also, Jacques need to think about re-tooling the Rochester Americans in the AHL. Ending dead-last in that league cannot be what the Panthers want for their top-prospects to have to endure. Preferably they should be learning winning-ways and not soaking up a losing-culture. The importance of a good affiliate in the AHL is paramount for future success in the NHL.

Some positives this season has been the emergence of rookie Michael Frolik as a top-prospect in the league. The continued development of David Booth and Stephen Weiss has been steady and the defense unrecognizably excellent – both offensively and defensively. Vokoun and Anderson were equally – perhaps one of the best goalkeeping tandems in the league.

Some negatives include the inconsistency of the team, especially the forward compartment; which has been found lacking zest and punch at times. The Panthers simply didn’t get enough contribution from the forwards to claim a playoff berth. Incidentally, another team that had similar difficulties with scoring was the NY Rangers, difference was that they did something about their ills at the trade deadline, Florida did not.

The powerplay meanwhile was woeful and simply not near good enough for a team fighting in a tight playoff race. The constant passing around of the puck, ad infinitum, rather than daring to shoot – was enough to drive anyone crazy!

It’s still a bit too early to look forward to next season and try to eclipse this one with a post-season crusade. First this one needs to be fully analyzed and then put firmly to rest. But, it will nonetheless be interesting to see what the GM and Head Coach together plan for the next campaign: Who will come, who will go? Will the Panthers finally find a way to succeed – - or just another way – to die?

Just when one thought it was over, the Panthers go and win their next three games and bring back that never ending flame of hope. Not sure if that’s a tune sung in an all-out positive note or not; after all – false hope we’ve had plenty of already…

Nonetheless, the Cats are a mere point behind Montreal, who won yesterday versus Chicago and have a game in hand, and two to the rear of the NY Rangers. With the Canadiens back to winning ways and with a favorable schedule, perhaps our biggest hope is that the Rangers will falter. They have a tough stretch of games that include Carolina next and Philadelphia in the last two games of the season. I bet the Flyers would love to upset the applecart of the Rangers!

For Florida the schedule looks good, only the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia games look like potential losses. Win one of those, the two against Atlanta, and then the last regular season game at home versus already playoff bound Washington… Doesn’t sound all that impossible after all!

Yet, it will require slip-ups from either Montreal or the Rangers for this scenario to pan out. If we’re really unlucky we could win our five remaining matches and still not make the playoffs. But then again, that’s the price you pay when you lack consistency; it becomes a scramble for points this time of year and a lot of scoreboard watching…

Yesterday the Panthers were clearly up for the fight (which certainly isn’t always the case against lower end opposition) and had a good command of the timorous Senators from the get-go. No goals in the first and tied at 1, at the end of the second, then came that timely highsticking four minute penalty from the visiting stick.

It is always a definite help to have a powerplay at the end of periods when players are already tired. Florida took full advantage and scored not one but two goals; 5on4. So the Panthers’ ailing powerplay got a shot in the arm and so did the confidence of the hometown players.

The Cats got a cushion in the third with the 4-1 goal and relaxed somewhat. Perhaps too much as the Senators fought back, a bit belatedly, and had some pressure in the Florida zone; scoring one.

Michael Frolik put a definite end to the contest when slotting home an empty netter in the dying minutes and put a little gloss to the 5-2 scoreline. It was his 20th goal of the season, a great mark for a rookie to hit! This kid has a big upside and could develop into a star of this league in the future; he certainly has the right mentality and bags of potential to go with it…

It will be interesting to follow his continued progress at this level and what will happen in the next few seasons. Whether we make the playoffs or not there are some positives to take in to the following season: Including the continued development of David Booth and Gregory Campbell, the solidity of the defensive core (if we can re-sign some of those pending free agents) and veteran leadership provided by Bryan McCabe and Cory Stillman. Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss also look like they might be able to go one better next season, while Tomas Vokoun has been unfairly targeted, but he remains a very solid goaltender.

Michael Frolik is gratulated after scoring against the Rangers in February. He scored his 20th of the season against Ottawa and it looks like he'll have a bright future in the league.

Nevertheless, the best way to get player to mature and gain experience is to get the team in to the playoffs; that would provide a real boost of confidence and know-how that is virtually invaluable to the progress of a hockey player. Fingers crossed, but we need to make that post-season!

For now, whatever happens, we can look forward to another week of thrilling – playoff chasin’ – hockey and, well, a glimmer of hope I guess!!