Moving Day!

The Panthers made a few roster moves today in order to clear up space for players coming off of the IR. Shawn Matthias and Michael Repik were sent back to AHL Rochester, while Nathan Horton, David Booth, and Richard Zednik were all activated.

While this is obviously good news, there is some trepidation that comes along with it. Matthias and Repik were two guys who knew their situation, and had to give a full effort every chance they got to earn playing time. I thought Matthias in particular was starting to get comfortable in his role, and averaged about 12 minutes a game over the last 3. More important then that is that he is a true center. His faceoff percentage has risen to about 70%, something that will be especially missed if Stephen Weiss misses any amount of time.

Don't get me wrong, seeing Cory Stillman back on the ice Sunday night, and getting the scoring touches of Booth and Horton back will be great, providing they actually score, of course. It will be interesting to see how the returnees fit themselves into the Cats new identity that has been forged since, and mostly due to, the injuries. Florida finishes off their 5-game road trip Thursday night in Carolina. Until then...