Roblogg’s Panthers Portal

It was a remarkable and memorable victory that the Panthers pulled off this weekend against the top-dogs of the East – the Boston Bruins.

A goalmouth scramble as Frolik and co. turn on the forecheck.

Most impressive was the defensive effort by Florida; the defenders worked very hard and although Tomas Vokoun was forced to be very active (42 shots) and make some impressive saves, his defenders where right there to aid him and deflect rebounds out of harm’s way when needed to. The Cats third line of Peltonen –Campbell – Dvorak thrived in their defensive responsibilities and also proved to be the tipping point when going forward. Radek Dvorak was perhaps the most active of the forwards and found some open ice to attack several times during the course of the game and helped to kill off several Panthers man-disadvantages.

Radek Dvorak was unstoppable in the game against the Boston Bruins; scoring two goals.

In the end the difference turned out to be a couple of plays in the third period. Radek Dvorak found some open ice during an early penalty kill in the third and lofted home the opening goal of the contest; 41:44 in to the game. Then came that match-deciding sequence when Vokoun scuttled across his left leg – and on his back – managed, somehow, to keep the puck out of his net. On the ensuing counter-attack Campbell fed Dvorak who made no mistake – sliding the puck beneath Tim Thomas.

A few nervous seconds followed as the play went to review, but sighs of relief echoed around the Bank Atlantic Center as the crowd, glued to the replay screen, saw that the puck never crossed the line – and suddenly it was 2 goals up for the Panthers!

Did the puck go in? Vokoun makes the game-winning save on Bergerons wrap-around attempt.

Boston didn’t give up, but the wind had been knocked out of them, and the Cats held on for the vital victory. Vital because the other teams in the playoff race keep picking up points – left, right and center.

Radek Dvorak had a glorious opportunity, with Tim Thomas withdrawn from the net, to put some gloss to the scoreline and collect a rare hattrick for himself. It wasn’t to be, but the individual contributions – on top of a solid team effort – from Dvorak and Vokoun was enough to see off the Conference leaders on this night.

Tomas Vokoun makes another save and is helped out by a solid defense in front of him.

Noteworthy, away from the actual win, was the turnout – while not fully sold out – it was a good, boisterous crowd; just the way you want it when attending a sporting event. In fact, I noticed on a couple of occasions a few players looking up in the direction of the lively crowd – seemingly in disbelief.

They sure aren’t spoiled with good turn-outs our Panthers; but all the better then that the players could skate off the ice to the sound of cheering – happy – South Floridian fans. It seems that, a bit belatedly, people are starting to recognize what is happening here – we have a good team defying the odds and make a run for it, playing exciting hockey…

Whether that will be enough to convince Bo to stay however, remains to be seen of course.

Jay Bouwmeester steering away a menacing puck vs. the Bruins in a delicate act of balance.

Next follows a tough road trip which includes another match-up with Boston on Tuesday. Then it’s off to play the NY Rangers, New Jersey, Washington and Atlanta – before returning on the 5th of March to engage playoff-race-rivals Pittsburgh in Sunrise.

Notable is that the next home game will be after the trade deadline. One wonders how, and if, that may have a negative effect on the Panthers’ transfer dealings.

One can only speculate; but perhaps the Florida revival happened all a little too late to convince Jay Bouwmeester to stay and sign on to a new contract. And furthermore, if we struggle on this road trip; it may just make it even harder to recruit players of sufficient quality – to significantly aid our playoff hopes – before that deadline on the 4th of March.

Then again, we win a few of those games and things take on a very different outlook. The next couple of weeks will nonetheless be nail biting time for Panthers fans…

Tomorrow we visit a Boston Bruins side, smoldering with a burning desire for revenge, not just for the loss at the paws of the Cats, but also for yesterday’s loss to the Lightning. The ‘B’s have now lost 6 out of their last 7 games and will be itching to turn things around in their own house tomorrow. It’s really the worst possible scenario for Florida. Beating Boston tomorrow would be nothing short of a sensation and I’m certainly not overconfident, but if Vokoun can continue his fantastic form between the pipes and the defense remains solid – anything’s possible!

A sprawling Vokoun could again be the difference-maker at Boston.

A Fourth Period article reported yesterday that the Florida Panthers is receiving a lot of interest from Philadelphia about Jay Bouwmeester. According to the same report, citing the Ottawa Sun, the Flyers would be willing to trade top-prospect James van Riemsdyk and veteran left winger Scott Hartnell for Bo. Hartnell has a no-movement clause and would need to accept the deal first.

As discussed, in the previous article about potential Panthers trade deadline wheeling-and-dealings, the Philadelphia Flyers is perhaps the team most desperate team for a defender of Bouwmeester’s caliber and could be willing to part with premier players and prospects for his service. Scott Hartnell is rumored as being shopped by the Flyers – in order to free up the necessary cap space to accommodate a top defender with a sizeable contract. Hartnell’s no-movement clause may scupper any such plans nonetheless and he needs to agree on any deal involving him.

The Florida Panthers would be expected to be very interested in a top-prospect of van Riemsdyk’s quality, but have three solid left wingers already in Booth, Stillman and Peltonen; it is consequently unlikely the Cats will want Scott Hartnell as part of any deal.

If the Flyers could package a replacement defender, a top six center forward or right winger together with van Riemsdyk; Florida could perhaps be more inclined to have a long hard look at any such deal.

Yet, Bouwmeester’s importance to the Panthers team is undeniable and GM Jacques Martin is not looking to rush any decision and will want to keep Jay’s services for as long as humanly possible. With a very tough schedule coming up and top-opposition pending at the Bank Atlantic Center; Florida will need Bo more than ever.

As a consequence, Jacques Martin will more than likely keep his cool and wait closer to the deadline before seriously looking at the deals being presented to him. With so many teams currently interested in Jay Bouwmeester; the offers are also likely to increase as the trade deadline moves closer and teams get more desperate. Philadelphia is perhaps the most probable destination at this moment in time, if a new contract can’t be agreed upon, but much will undoubtedly change in the coming weeks. Don’t hold your breath quite yet.

With the transfer deadline looming just over the horizon, the rumor mill is gearing up for overdrive as March 4th is rapidly approaching. Panthers and its GM Jacques Martin were active last year; making a couple of deadline deals with Toronto for Wade Belak and Chad Kilger.

Not the best moves as things turned out (and that’s putting it mildly). However, the swap deal with Colorado was a stroke of brilliance; receiving Karlis Skrastins for Ruslan Salei.

Who will it be this year?

Florida are expected to be active again this trade deadline with Jay Bouwmeester’s contract still not having been renewed and Jacques expressing a real interest in getting a top six centerman on several occasions. So, it is fair to raise the question and although no one will say anything publicly; we can speculate a little and indeed look at those players that have been linked with the Cats by different sources.

The Fourth Period has assembled a Top 25 of available players and teams interested in their services. Let’s look at those players being linked with the Panthers and those that aren’t but probably ought to be…

Panthers to be linked with a trade deadline exit

Jay Bouwmeester (Cap Hit = $4.8 million), TFP Rank #3

Well of course his name is here! It’s been speculated since day one of the season that he’s unhappy and won’t sign an extension to his contract with the Cats. Whatever the truth is to these rumors he’s ranked at #3 overall by TFP and no less than 9 teams have been linked with an interest in his services: Montreal, Toronto, Boston, Ottawa, Edmonton, Dallas, Washington, New Jersey and Philadelphia.

The list of admirers is long, but his greatest aficionado is perhaps Florida Head Coach Pete DeBoer, who’d love to keep Bo, but admits it is a question for the General Manager to resolve and not him. As long as there is a ray of hope that he might sign a new deal however, Jay won’t be going anywhere.

If there is no such hope on the other hand, Jacques Martin will certainly look at whatever offers come in and see if any of them blows him away or not. It would have to be significant offer for him to give up a player of Bouwmeester’s caliber; especially when the Panthers are battling it out for a first playoff appearance in 9 years!

Apart from Jay though, no other Panthers have been linked recently with a trade. If Martin pulls the trigger on a Bo deal, it may be a blockbuster kind that would require other players nevertheless to accompany him out of the door; but so far there’s no news on this front – apart from the obvious and various Bo-links.

Players to have been linked with the Panthers

Milan Hejduk, Colorado (Cap Hit = $3.9 million), TFP Rank #13

Together with fierce playoff rivals Buffalo and Pittsburgh, Florida have been credited with an interest with the 32-year old right wing sniper. A proven goalscorer with silky hands, Hejduk would be a first line player with almost any team. For him to be available however the Avs must first fall out of playoff contention and – considering how tight the Western Conference is – that is certainly no certainty. He also has a no-trade clause and must accept any trade he is involved in.

Overall, whilst there is no questioning Hejduk’s obvious talent, this one seems to have a few too many “ifs” surrounding it, to sound like a feasible Panther catch. Also, we should be more interested in a quality centerman than another winger. Horton is who we’d like to use on that first line right wing and if Hejduk were to arrive it would mean Horton would have to stay in the center – and I’m not sure that is in Florida’s best interest.

It is hard to see us being involved in more than one non-Bo-related blockbuster move. So, this rumor doesn’t sound all too hot, although things could yet happen to change that equation (injuries, trades etc).

Jordan Staal, Pittsburgh (Cap Hit = $2.2 million), TFP Rank #16

Although the Penguins recently signed the 20-year old centerman to a new 4-year $16 million deal to extend his current contract, the rumors of Pittsburgh shopping him haven’t dissipated. In fact the contract extension, while upping his market value considerably, is only likely to make teams even more interested in the young stud forward.

He’s been playing well of late, but with both Malkin and Crosby in the same team he only ranks as No.3 center in the Penguins dressing room. He’d likely be given more responsibility on a different roster and Pittsburgh is more in need of wingers than centermen. They are believed to be shopping Ryan Whitney, but if that doesn’t field the right offers then Staal could indeed be available.

For the Panthers this seems like a near perfect fit! In a long-term perspective that is…

He is a young, talented and driven centerman – that could be a star player for us in the future. His new 4-year contract extension would also justify us giving up a considerable asset in acquiring him. The negative part is that we are unlikely to have what the Penguins would want in return for him – a first line winger. Unless of course Jacques Martin would be willing to give up a player such as Nathan Horton that is…

Also, while we remain in a gridlock playoff race with Pittsburgh we’d have to think long and hard before making a trade with them – the last thing we’d want to do is to give the Penguins an extra edge over us in that race!

Scottie Upshall, Philadelphia (Cap Hit = $1.225), TFP Rank #18

The Flyers are reportedly looking to bolster their blueline and would be willing to deal away a forward in order to accomplish that. Scottie is one of those players linked with a trade and the winger could slot in to a top six forward compartment; playing either on the left or the right wing depending on where he’s needed. Apart from Florida, Atlanta has also been linked with Upshall.

Again, a winger is not top priority for Florida, but if a player of Upshall’s quality is available Jacques may very well consider a move. Only problem is that we’d have to give up a top quality defenseman in return and if we indeed must part with Jay Bouwmeester; we’d be loathed to lose another top blueliner in addition to him.

Unless of course Philadelphia is serious in pursuing Jay at the deadline; Upshall could then be part of a major package deal for Bo. Question is if the Flyers are really willing to give up all the assets it’s likely to be required to get their hands on one of the league’s elite defensemen? Right now this seems like a long shot, but we’ll see closer to the deadline if that changes or not.

These are the major players so far to have been mentioned with Florida in the same breath as the trade deadline. However, earlier in the year the Panthers were at times linked with other players; for example Vermette of Ottawa and new names are sure to surface as we move closer to that March 4th date. Here follows a couple of names we are not currently linked with, but could become connected to later on – as the Cats would probably be interested in them, or at least should be, if they become available for a reasonable offer…

Player that could get linked with the Panthers down the line

Keith Tkachuk, St. Louis (Cap Hit = $4 million), TFP Rank #8

While a deal for the 36-year old Blues veteran would be both spectacular and unexpected, he does fit the bill of a class-act experienced first line centerman that Florida definitely will need if they are hoping to advance in a potential playoff. Boston, Montreal and Chicago however seem like more probable destinations if St. Louis miss the playoffs and look to deal the veteran.

Keith has a no-trade clause and doesn’t want to move, although reports claim he’d be willing waive that clause if the destination were a Stanley Cup contender. Hence why the other mentioned teams are more likely destinations than the Panthers – or Carolina and Pittsburgh for that matter, who have also been touted as being interested.

This seems like a no go for the Cats at present time I’m afraid.

Jason Spezza, Ottawa (Cap Hit = $7 million), TFP Rank #12

With the Senators hitting rock bottom, a shake-up of the team will be expected; with established players leaving at the trade deadline. Spezza is one of those players being continuously linked with a move. Columbus is apparently very interested and so is Edmonton. However, it remains uncertain as to whether the Ottawa owner Melnyk really wants to part with his star centerman.

Panthers should also be interested as he is a very talented and proven centerman that could slot in to our first line very well. The drawback is the considerable size of his contract which would leave us few alternatives as to who to give up to Ottawa in return. The Senators have expressed much interest in Bouwmeester over the season, but since their continued woes on the ice firmly cemented them in the lower echelons of the league – such talk has begun to die out for obvious reasons. They need talents and picks, not a player whose contract is set to expire this summer.

Again, this sounds like a no-go, but if Jacques is creative in orchestrating a blockbuster move involving several players, it isn’t an impossibility, but remains unlikely for the time being.

Doug Weight, NY Islanders (Cap Hit = $1.75 million), TFP Rank #21

The veteran 38-year old centerman is available according to several reports. With the Islanders firmly in tracks for that No.1 pick in the drafts, they are willing to offload some players; Weight currently being one of them rumored to be offered to playoff contending teams. Columbus, Buffalo and Phoenix are rumored to be interested in taking on his contract.

I’m surprised that Florida’s hat doesn’t seem to be in that pile at the moment. He looks like a good match for us with his experience in that center position. It could be a player the Panthers GM Jacques Martin might want to take a closer look at. We could afford to add him to our salary cap without having to give up any talent; a pick for the upcoming draft would probably suffice. He may be getting old and a bit slow on the skates, but he could definitely fill an important role with the Cats and provide some veteran presence, amid the heart of our forward lines, for a concerted playoff-push this spring.

The Head Coach merry-go-round in Ottawa continues as Craig Hartsburg has been relieved of the duty as of today. Binghampton Senators coach Cory Clauston will be the new inter-rim coach. Meanwhile assistant coach Curtis Hunt has also been let go from Ottawa, but given the chance to move to Binghampton instead.

Ottawa Senators General Manager Bryan Murray expressed his regret that the team has been unable to perform this season. He said that the club had high expectations going in to the season and when things started to turn sour early on “we hoped there would be change in our performance [but] it didn’t happen.” [Quote from the Ottawa Sun]

The Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk had hoped the team would make the playoffs this year, but as that has increasingly become a pipedream; something had to give. Murray said that a reason for making this coaching change was “to find out the level of performance this group is capable of. Is it what we’re playing like now, or is it what we’ve seen out of a lot of these players in the past?” [Quote from The Fourth Period]

That of course remains to be seen. However, with the players available to the Head Coach it is perhaps not unreasonable to expect a serious playoff challenge. Being so far behind already and the cumulatively dismal performances by the Senators made a change seem inevitable. Ottawa isn’t exactly famed for its patience with coaches either. In the last year they will now have had four different coaches behind the bench.

While it is easy to blame the Head Coach, it is reasonable to try and bring someone else in and see if indeed it is a coaching problem or a player/team chemistry problem. If it is the latter the club of course needs to know this and make the necessary changes amid playing staff and rebuild the roster. If this turns out to be the case, and the new coach Clauston can’t get the team playing as a team, one can expect Ottawa to be heavily involved by the trade deadline; moving veteran/star players for draft picks and prospects.

Considering it was just the year before last that the Senators were in the Stanley Cup Final, this turn of events must be mystifying to many; especially considering the roster hasn’t changed all that much. But then again maybe that is, in itself, at the heart of the problem.

Nonetheless, it is trying times in Ottawa and Clauston is set for one enormous uphill challenge – to try and turn things around in the Canadian capital.