Roblogg’s Panthers Portal

The Florida Panthers kept their collective heads above water by winning last night’s game in Atlanta. The Thrashers are a tricky team to play and have done well as of late. The Cats again started slow, and in the end it took two game tying goals from rookie Michael Frolik and mesmerizing set-up pass from Karlis Skrastins to get them playing some good hockey. Atlanta then staged a late comeback in the third and made for a couple of nervous minutes before the buzzer relieved the dangling visitor’s nerves.

It is a time of dread and apprehension for most players and fans as the trade deadline approaches and several Panthers players have seen their names out there in the rumor mill. The call-up of Keaton Ellerby and disciplining of Nick Boynton also added some fuel to the flames already burning around the heels of Jay Bouwmeester.

Will Jay Bouwmeester stay in South Florida for the remainder of the season or be traded later on today?

But with the deadline finally upon us all, here are my last minute predictions for the Florida Panthers and our involvement: It may very well be a quiet trade deadline after all.

I base this guess on what Head Coach Peter DeBoer said prior to the Atlanta game when asked about the Panthers current situation and the pending trade deadline: "Jacques (Martin, Panther GM) realizes we’ve got a good group in here, we’ve got some chemistry. Unless he feels he can improve the team substantially, I think he’s going to keep that in mind going into the deadline."

Hence it seems unlikely the General Manager would go against his Head Coach’s wishes and make big changes to the chemistry of the team. Jacques has previously said he’d be willing to do that if it was in the clubs best interest, but then again, the best interest of this club is to make the playoffs and making big changes could severely hamper those goals.

Many hockey experts also seem to be of the opinion that the franchise would do best in keeping Jay Bouwmeester for the playoff race and then trade his rights at the upcoming draft. This seems like the most probable outcome right now. Jay-Bo will see out his contract here in South Florida, unless there is some GM out there that is ready to mortgage his entire franchise in getting Bouwmeester. And that’s pretty much what it would take.

Jacques Martin has said that the Cats don’t just want draft picks or prospects; they want a top six forward and a top four defenseman – in addition to some mouthwatering prospects and picks. Now that’s a hefty price! And I don’t think anyone will be willing to pay that price right now with a tight salary cap and few movements in the transfer market as a whole over the season.

Yet, who knows what’s really going to happen? That’s the thrill of this day and why I, and many with me, are anxiously waiting for some news to start trickling in….

As for other movements, apart from the Bouwmeester saga, I think Nick Boynton is in danger of being traded. But then again, it all depends on what kind of disciplinary breach he really made. If it was of a severe enough magnitude; he could be traded. The call-up of defenseman Keaton Ellerby from the AHL sure makes you wonder anyway – what’s going on!?

What does the future hold for Florida defenseman Nick Boynton?

What the Panthers do need and are probably going to go aggressively in search of; is a top six forward. The recent injuries to the front line have shown Florida are vulnerable here and would need at least one reinforcement in this compartment. I feel pretty confident Jacques will pick up such a player, but if it will be the top centerman we so badly crave is a different question completely. It may be too much to ask to be able to get a star centerman and the Panthers lack perhaps the right high profile prospect for such a deal; unless of course Bo is available after all….

Anyway, we’ll soon see what our General Manager has in store for this club and it will be an exhilarating day to watch the action unfold. Some nervous movements are sure to follow!

Tomorrows transfer deadline will be eagerly anticipated by hockey fans everywhere with a mixture of dread and hope. Some General Manager’s will be more active than others and some will want to get their deals done already. In fact, some have. Here are the deals made today:

Sean Avery claimed by NY Rangers on re-entry waivers

No surprises here. The New York Rangers are obviously desperate and need any help they can get. From a financial (rather than sporting) viewpoint, this is a good deal for the Rangers. They get a big nasty centerman that can help them in their playoff bid and only need to pay half the bill. Dallas will lovingly pick up the other half, seeing as he was claimed on re-entry waivers. Avery has a $ 3.8 million yearly wage and it runs for another 3 year’s after this season. Coach John Tortorella who said Avery “doesn’t belong in this league” will have to learn to love Sean the way GM Glen Sather does…

Meanwhile, another recent Rangers waiver claim, Mark Bell, is sent to Hartford in the AHL to make room for Sean’s princely salary.

Nicklas Backstrom locked up in Wild

After a season of speculation that the Minnesota Wild may have to trade their All Star goalie Nicklas Backstrom on the deadline, if he didn’t sign a new deal – a new deal was signed. It’s a four-year deal worth $ 24 million, which will keep the inspirational netminder locked up to the organization for the foreseeable future. Nicklas had always said he’d like to remain with Minnesota and the Wild clearly wanted him to stay too. This is a great deal for Minnesota’s GM Doug Risebrough and the franchise.

Calgary claim D Nycholat on waivers from Canucks

The Flames were looking for some added defensive depth and got it for free as they claimed Lawrence Nycholat on waivers from the Vancouver Canucks, TSN reports. Calgary GM Darryl Sutter said in a statement: "We were prepared to give up a draft pick to acquire a depth defenseman." Well he got what he wanted and got to keep the draft pick; sounds like a good deal to me!

High profile players placed on waivers

In an attempt to shed salary before the trade deadline, some high profile players have been placed on waivers by their respective teams, TSN reports. The four most notable are:

Miroslav Satan was placed on waivers by Pittsburgh. The Penguins had hoped he’d take a wing spot next to Crosby, but the $ 3.5 million winger didn’t get any chemistry going with Sidney – and now he’s on waivers…

Brendan Morrison was placed on waivers by Anaheim.The Ducks need the cap space because of players returning from injury and Brendan never really got going in Anaheim.

Gary Roberts was placed on waivers by Tampa Bay. The 42-year old veteran forward is expected to attract some attention from tams around the league, including Calgary; where Roberts won the Stanley Cup in 1989.

Martin Gerber was (again) placed on waivers by Ottawa in the hope that someone would take his wages from their hands. Whether anyone is willing to gamble on the out-of-form Swiss netminder this time around however; remains to be seen.

More waiver-claim-eligibles: Brenden Bell was also placed on waivers by Ottawa, Aaron Voros by the New York Rangers and Erik Reitz and Eric Perrin by the Thrashers. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks put Craig Adams on waivers, while Islanders did the same with Jon Sim.

Burrows signed to new Canucks deal

The Vancouver Canucks gritty winger Alex Burrows was signed to a new four-year deal. The 27-year old has managed to work himself up from the ‘energy’ lines up to the top lines and is now rewarded with an $ 8 million dollars worth 4-year deal. It had been rumored the Canucks would trade Burrows if no deal was signed, but now those fears are dispelled in Vancouver and some will sleep a bit sounder tonight.

The Sun-Sentinel blog has reported that Florida Panthers prospect defender Keaton Ellerby has been re-called to the team from its affiliate Rochester Americans.

Question is why?

The official report is that Jassen Cullimore’s wife is expecting (although Cullimore is still expected to play in the Atlanta game). That would of course be the easy explanation. But with the trade deadline tomorrow and a certain Jay Bouwmeester being the center of attention, there are other possible explanations and conspiracy theories abound….

We can only speculate, but I see a few possible reasons behind this call-up that is not necessarily related to Cullimore’s potential absence. Could it be that:

• Jay Bouwmeester is on the verge of being dealt and defensive cover is needed?

• Are the Panthers putting the former first round draft pick (10th overall in 2007) Keaton Ellerby in the shopping window? Why else wouldn’t the more experienced Jason Garrison not be called-up instead? The Panthers need to acquire a first line forward is well documented – and someone must be dealt in the opposite direction.

• After the trade deadline only four call-ups are allowed. Perhaps the call-up was made to provide some depth down the stretch?

• Or perhaps is it defenseman Nick Boynton that is being traded? He is currently not with the team due to a breach of discipline and it’s possible the Panthers would like to move him on as his contract is also up in the summer. But if Boynton is moved, it would seem unlikely that they’d move Bouwmeester too.

As I said, we can only speculate and the reason could be completely trade deadline unrelated, but that seems like a rather big coincidence doesn’t it? We all get a bit paranoid the day before the trade deadline and something seems to be going on here….

Watch this space!