Roblogg’s Panthers Portal

Yes, the Panthers have been around. Christopher Columbus would have been proud and impressed.

Winger David Booth recently designed a T-shirt that has been circling the locker room; to commemorate a flying preseason for the Cats.

It features a rock ’n’ roll style Panther on the front. And on the back side can be read: “Florida Panthers – World Tour 2009”.

Thereafter follows a list of dates and “gigs” that many an aspiring rock band might drool jealously upon:

9-12 Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia
9-15 Halifax, Nova Scotia
9-16 Ottawa, Ontario
9-17 Montreal, Quebec
9-18 Edmonton, Alberta
9-20 Calgary Alberta
9-22 Dallas, Texas
9-23 Sunrise, Florida
9-30 Tampere, Finland
9-30 Helsinki, Finland
10-2 Helsinki, Finland
10-3 Helsinki, Finland

Since then three more gigs have been added to the schedule due to popular demand:

10-9 Raleigh, North Carolina
10-10 Sunrise, Florida
10-12 Tampa, Florida

Suiting enough, this mini-tour ends on Columbus Day: Here’s to the memory of you Christopher and your stunning feat of mal-navigation!

 

Vokoun the Workhorse

 

With the Finnish excursion now firmly put to the books, the Panthers need to find their feet quickly. They have 3 games in 4 days to look forward to.

Goalie Tomas Vokoun in particular will have his stamina and resiliency tested as he looks to be playing one consecutive game after another.

With recently acquired back-up goalie Scott Clemmensen on leave, due to family matters, youngster Alexander Salak will be with on this tour as well. When Scott will return is still unknown and head coach Peter DeBoer has already said that Vokoun will be playing in these games whether Clemmensen returns or not.

Tomas Vokoun is of course no stranger to playing hefty minutes. He has always done so in the past and there is no use in confusing him now. Last campaign he also played in the opening five games of the season.

Vokoun strikes me as the kind of goalie that produces his best when he gets a lot of action. He doesn’t like standing or sitting around idly. The more the merrier for Tomas it seems and he’s getting his Christmas wishes early this year.

 

Some Early Question Marks

 

Otherwise the lineup looks relatively intact from Helsinki.

Center Steven Reinprecht got a shot off the skate in practice the other day, but X-rays showed no sign of any fracture. He will thus play tonight.

Whether or not another centerman, new signing Dominic Moore, will feature in any of these games is still unknown. The reason behind his delay in linking up with the team is VISA issues. As soon as they are resolved he’ll join and likely be thrown straight in to the fray by Coach DeBoer.

If Moore does arrive before tonight’s game or any of the other two, it will likely mean that defenseman Ville Koistinen won’t be utilized as a makeshift forward on the fourth line. If he’ll return to the blueline or be made to sit out the game(s) is not yet clear.

It would likely be either Koistinen or rookie Dmitry Kulikov that would be made redundant for the time being when Dominic joins the lineup. But knowing DeBoer he’ll likely be shuffling things around as soon as results aren’t forthcoming; so it may be a very brief spell on the sidelines in that case.

It is also worth noting that the Panthers have announced the signing of 23 year old right winger Victor Oreskovich on a two-way deal.

Oreskovich is a player that Peter DeBoer knows well from the juniors and he’ll be assigned to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. Victor was originally a third round draft pick by the Colorado Avalanche. This offseason he attended Florida’s training camp and also featured in four preseason games.

 

Boxed In at Carolina

 

Looking closer at that game in Carolina versus the Hurricanes it would seem that the Panthers are in for a tough matchup. The Cats may have won their last game in Raleigh 5-0, but that was in all honesty before the Canes got together as a team and started to click last campaign.

It is likely to be a much tighter affair this time around.

During the week the Panthers have been working hard on special teams and coverage assignments in the defensive zone. Both of which were Achilles heels in the opening head-to-head with Chicago. With a spanking new defensive corps these issues are predictable to occur in the early going.

The best way to minimize the threat of opposing man-advantages however is, as it always has been, to stay out of the box.

Carolina have a good enough team to punish Florida if the Cats again can’t play fair; as the Blackhawks did in game two.

And knowing your defensive assignments, well, that’s just basic hockey ABC. Give it a few games and some practice and that should not need to be a continued issue.

The Hurricanes meanwhile have also started the new season in a wobbly fashion: Losing 0-2 and 2-7 to the Flyers and Bruins respectively. They then rallied to trump the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 2-1 shootout victory on Tuesday.

Both teams should be rested and well prepared for this game, having not played in the last 3 and 6 days respectively. That does however also make the game a highly unpredictable one. It’s hard to see which team will show up with the greater hunger and will to win.

I think this will be a tense game that will go down to the buzzer.

With both teams likely to have stressed defense in practice, due to both having a hard time to keep opposing forwards out of their zone, I’m sure that emphasis will shine through in the game as well.

However, with Carolina having a record of 15-2-0 at home against Florida since Feb. 16, 2004; they must be seen as the favorites to clinch the points in the end analysis.

 

Selling Out

 

The next day the Panthers go home to play their first home game. Outside of Finland that is…

The New Jersey Devils continue their three game road trip and make a visit. Tickets have been selling fast and the Bank Atlantic Center is expected to be a complete sellout.

After having lost their initial two home games of the season, the Devils travelled to Tampa and made an astonishing last second push in regulation to tie the game and eventually win the contest. Again the Lightning lost in a shootout.

It would seem the shootout curse has now switched over to Florida’s west coast. Good riddance!

The New Jersey Devils is as always a tricky customer. With Martin Brodeur between the pipes you can never be assured to score. The Panthers players are also likely to arrive with tired legs in this contest; after having played in North Carolina the previous evening.

Nonetheless, with the B.A.C. packed with hopeful fans there can be no excuses.

The Cats need to display some sharp claws and dig deep for a memorable performance. With the fragile fanbase that exists here; every big crowd turnout is a new chance to redeem the club and gain some new followers in the process.

The importance of this game for Florida can hence not be stressed enough.

 

“Tampa Bay Lightning is a Box of Chocolates; you never know what you’ll get”

 

I don’t think it was Columbus that uttered those words, but it is to him we now return.

For the Panthers he’ll make an appearance in Tampa Bay this coming Monday, on Columbus Day. It will be a symbolic way to end the long preseason tour and early campaign as the Panthers thereafter get some rest (until next Friday’s game versus the Flyers) and then return to the regular season grind.

With five regular games under the belt we should be in a much better position to judge what this year’s reincarnation of the Cats hold in store.

Before we come to that point however we have the Floridian derby against the Lightning, a game that will be contested by fierce cross state rivals. Although prior to the game against the Panthers, the Bolts have a chance to redeem their early season woes against Carolina on Saturday.

So far, after three games, it is fair to say that the Tampa Bay Lightning have not got off to the start they were hoping for.

Much was expected of Tampa Bay for this season in terms of overall on-ice improvement. This has yet to come to fruition and they remain winless to this point.

To me it seems that the Bolts last season put all their efforts into their forward compartment; with the end result of the team becoming unbalanced. This summer therefore, the management focused solely of the upgrade of the defensive corps.

However, the rising evidence seems to suggest this has only led to a new imbalance; with 9 defenders battling for icetime.

It is hard to understand this logic. But we all know the Tampa Bay Lightning organization work in strange ways. Who am I to question their reasoning?

I’m probably too conservative. I like the idea of balancing the team, whilst at the same time I detest the idea of letting players sit on the bench rolling their thumbs without playing any competitive games. But hey, I’m sure they know what they are doing… Right?

Anyway, the Panthers often find the Bolts to be a tricky opponent to unlock. And it being a derby game; one never knows how things will unfold.

This could go either way.

Nonetheless, I do dare wager that the Lightning will struggle this season if they do not address the glaring issue of imbalance. A couple of trades are likely necessary to rectify the problem: The sooner the better for the team and its fans in western Florida.

As for the Panthers, we will not get anything for free this season. Yet, the team is being slowly molded into Coach Peter DeBoer’s own image. And if the players can display his level of competitiveness, never-say-die attitude and directness, we should be fine.

It is a long road to travel however, and while the Florida Panthers players may feel like they’ve already circumvented the Earth a couple of times; truth is that the real journey starts today…

Yes, it undoubtedly is time to rub those drowsy eyes this morning. Was it real or did I dream it? My dreams are never usually that good, so it must have happened: The Panthers won a shootout!

Key to this miracle was of course, as we all knew all too well from last season, not to use any of the players still left from the prior campaign. Put in the new signings; it couldn’t be any worse – and boy did they deliver.

Steven Reinprecht’s and Ville Koistinen’s shootout pearls had in common that my first reaction was that they missed. Whether this was through extensive conditioning, so that I expected them to miss and hence saw that happen in my mind’s eye, or if they were just that well taken I can’t quite tell… Doesn’t really matter I guess – point is – we won a shootout… What a way to expel the demons and get this new campaign off the tracks!

Anyway, enough ranting. The hockey season is finally off the mark and a fan couldn’t be happier. Whether or not the Panthers are any more competitive this season than in seasons past; still remains a question mark, but it sure felt good when David Booth put us level late in the third. The trio of Reinprecht, Koistinen and Tomas Vokoun then did the rest to complete the object of my marvel.

Hopefully the players have rubbed their collective eyes by now and are focused on making it two-in-two. Considering several players had been battling the flu just previous to yesterday’s game, that victory truly was astonishing and a minor miracle in its own right.

As I expected from a team molded in coach Peter DeBoer’s image; the players came out flying in the first period and put the Blackhawks well and truly to the sword. Only some magnificent goaltending from Cristobal Huet and some, by the opposite token, sloppy finishing from the Cats held the game tied without the net being troubled. It could easily have been 2 or 3 up to Florida at that point.

The second period was an overall even affair. The teams exchanged prolonged periods of pressure as well as a goal each. Both came against the run of play and changed the momentum of the game. Overall it was an even period and 1-all reflected that.

In the third period however, the Panthers’ extreme pre-season schedule and bouts with the flu seemed to be taking its toll, as would be expected. Yet, despite the Blackhawks increasingly dominating the procedure, a dogged team effort from the Cats kept them in the game. Vokoun came to the fore and Koistinen lifted the roof with his goal to tie the game at two, before Booth made a third and final riposte for Florida with just a couple of minutes left on the clock.

It was 3-3 and extra time ensued. Vokoun made a crucial save on a breakaway and kept the contest alive for the climactic shootout scenario, which *rub* *rub* we won!

Nonetheless, it is too early to get carried away, if that at all is possible not to do for a hockey fan, but it sure felt good seeing the Panthers compete with the Blackhawks – an early favorite of going all the way this coming spring. Yes, Chicago had some 50+ shots on Vokoun, but we all know Tomas thrives when he has a lot to do, and, strut his stuff he did. Apart from a few sprawling efforts that left me hand-in-mouth, one can easily see why Vokie is so respected in the goalie community. A very dependable fellow indeed!

The lopsided shot statistics lie a little too. Even in the first period when the Cats completely dominated and should have had multiple goals for their efforts, the Hawks still had more shots at goal, but the quality was not good. Later in the third period the Panthers were up against the wall getting hammered, but considering the effects of the flu on the key defenders – that was rationally to be expected.

Question is how the team will handle playing a back-to-back game today? Will they wilt further or can they find yet more resolve to overcome the Blackhawks a second time?

And lastly, but certainly not least, what an introduction and dream start by new signing Ville Koistinen. To play his first game for the Panthers in his native Finland, play out of position, score a beautiful regulation goal and then the winning shootout effort… No one could have scripted that ending better…. *rub* *rub*

 

On a final note it is worth a moment of awe directed toward the organization, for the speed at which they handled the filling of the General Manager’s position. Rarely has an organization moved so rapidly and decidedly to fill an all-important position within its own being. They only missed the draft, free agency, training camp and total pre-season…

Fortunately for the corporate snails, the right man was already in place and Randy Sexton saved their blushes by acting decidedly during his reign as inter-rim GM. Why on earth they didn’t make the position permanent a long time ago, if they indeed thought he was the best man for the job as they now claim, is anyone’s guess I guess.

Nonetheless, we are no longer a headless chicken and my best wishes goes to Randy, it’s no easy job for sure, but he has at least filled me with some confidence this summer by making some key signings – despite the air of uncertainty that otherwise has rocked the organization. But, as I nowadays console myself – it could be worse; we could be on paw-level with the Phoenix Coyotes if Murphy’s Law was to be extrapolated to its gravest inference.

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…