Please Check Out The Hockey Writers

I have decided to shut this one down and concentrate soley on my Hockey Writers responsibility. I am the Panthers' correspondant there and will be frequently submitting articles, so please come on over and check it out. It really is turning into an outstanding site. Because of the time it has taken me to actually compose my thoughts into a coherent article instead of just my rambling thoughts, along with plain laziness, I am not going to post anymore on Cat Scratch. Had we made the playoffs last year, I would have continued, of course (hockey players aren't superstitious or anything...). So again, please check out the Hockey Writers and I hope to see some of your comments there! Thanks for taking the time to check my blog out last season, hope you enjoyed.

Noteworthy News From the Past Week(s)

Some news has surfaced that may be of note to a few of you, and the other two people probably won't care. But I'm still going to tell you anyways, because I can. As the Panthers' "Amazing Journey" wraps up it's North American portion of the tour tonight, the Cats have proclaimed Bryan McCabe team captain. The Panthers went through all of last season sans captain, so McCabe will be the first Panther to wear the "C" since Olli Jokinen. Stephen Weiss and Cory Stillman will be the assistants. A perfectly good choice, in my opinion. He's been a captain before, and has been an assistant captain on every team he's played for. The added weight of wearing the "C" shouldn't bother him.

The Panthers are 3-3-0 this preseason. They opened with 2 wins against the Ottawa Senators, then lost 3 straight to Jacques Martin and his Montreal Canadians, Jokinen, Bouwmeester, and the Calgary Flames, and the Edmonton Oilers... who have no Panther ties that I am aware of. The Panthers played in Dallas last night, and despite dressing the minimum 5 NHL players, the AHL heavy Cats beat up on the Dallas Stars. Those Stars will be in south Florida tonight for the Panthers lone preseason home contest. I haven't checked, but I think good seats are still available...

One last note of interest; ESPN.com came out with their preseason power poll, and the Panthers are sitting at a somewhat surprising 8th in the east. While it's far from earth shattering, it is nice to see Florida get a little respect from a major media outlet.

The Panthers head to Finland on Friday for a couple exhibition games against SM-Liiga teams before opening the regular season with the Chicago Blackhawks on October 2nd. Until then...

2 Short Weeks Away...

The Florida Panthers now have 2 preseason games behind them, and they are 2-0-0! Unfortunately, the real games don't start until October 2nd.

For those interested, I have a full season preview now up on the Hockey Writers. To be honest, I'm not sure how much of my immediate, post-game reactionary blogs I'll get to on this site, but will certainly have weekly recaps or items of note on the Hockey Writers. We shall see.

As for the Panthers, they are slowly but surely instilling confidence and optimism in this fan. Their defencemen are now a respectable bunch, top to bottom. Dennis Seidenberg is the latest addition and will join Keith Ballard, Bryan Allen, Bryan McCabe, Jordan Leopold, and Ville Koistinen. That's not a bad list...

The offense might take some time to come together, but there is potential. Obviously Horton, Weiss, and Booth will be leaned on strongly to provide the biggest punch. But a Stillman, Reinprecht, Frolik line generates interest. Maybe a Dvorak, Campbell, Olesz line can be this year's CPR line, the COD line, if you will. Throw in Matthias\Repik, Kreps, Tarnasky for some size and toughness, and who knows? (I have heard Nasty Nick may be out up to 6 weeks with a broken bone in his face, but haven't seen anything for sure.)

In any case, there are a lot of unknowns going into the season. Enough unknown that I can and will hope for the best, at least until I am proven wrong yet again.

Finally September!

Now now, don't pout. Even though it appears as though all that waiting will be for nothing, the season is approaching none-the-less. Summer has come and gone, and barring some minor miracles, we know the players who will be fighting it out for ice time come October. Training camp officially opens up in just a couple short weeks (although informal practices have been going on down at Incredible Ice). While we know that the David Booths and Nathan Hortons will be there, it will be interesting to see which of the rookies will do enough this pre-season to warrant a starting spot come October 2, and there will be starting spots available.

Defensively, this team will need rookies to have an immediate impact. It looks as though the top 4 is set, with Brian McCabe and Keith Ballard returning from last season, Bryan Allen returning from his injury-cancelled season, and Jordan Leopold coming down south from the Great White North. The final pairing should be an interesting fight between "veteran" Ville Koistinen, 2009 draft pick Dmitri Kulikov, and NHL rookies-to-be Keaton Ellerby, Jason Garrison, and Clay Wilson. Knowing Pete DeBoer like I do, which is to say like any fan "knows" a coach, I'd expect everyone to enter camp on September 13 with a clean slate, and the better performers will see the ice in October. Should anyone slip, someone will be fighting to take their place. And on the optimistic note I try to keep here, competition only leads to better performance, so our defense might not be as bad as initially feared.

On the scoring front... do I really want to get into this? Maybe I should just put it like this. If a bunch of "ifs" come true, we could do OK this year... IF our draft picks finally mature into polished NHL scorers, we could survive. The “Sunshine Express” line should be reunited, with Stephen Weiss (2001 first round), Nathan Horton (2003, 1st round), and David Booth (2004, 2nd round). Throw in 2004 first round pick Rostislav Olesz, who has yet to score more than 14 goals in a season, and you have an amazing amount of untapped potential. Beyond that top line, the Cats will be hoping for more from sophomore Michael Frolik (21 G, 21 A in his rookie year) and then a return to Y2K for Cory Stillman, Radek Dvorak, and Steven Reinprecht. IF pretty much everyone on our top 2 lines has a career year, we could be OK. More rookies will be counted on this season on the offense, including Shawn Matthias and Michael Repik, both of whom saw NHL action last season. As of now, however, the top 2 forward lines should look SOMETHING like this... again, just speculation; Booth-Weiss-Horton, Frolik-Reinprecht-Stillman. Beyond that, I must admit, there are players on the Panthers' roster I do not know too much about. We know Olesz, Greg Campbell, and Kamil Kreps bring to that table. But what about Evgeni Dadonov, recently smuggled, err... transplated from Russia? Jamie Johnson, who put up solid numbers in the AHL two seasons ago, but spent last season in Finland? Graham Mink, who put up 87 goals in 200 games over the last 3 seasons, but is past his 30th birthday? And what of Shawn Matthias and Michael Repik? Both saw time with the big club last year, is this the year that they break through and become an everyday member of the Panthers? (See, I knew I shouldn't have even started on the offense...)

Cutting this short, there are so many questions, so many holes, so much potential... it's hard to see this being a competitive team this season, but for now, there is hope. The same hope that all 32 teams are holding on to. Training camp opens in 2 weeks... should be fun.

(and I didn't even get into Tomas Vokoun vs. Scott Clemmensen)

Still Here, Still Waiting...

Have no fear, I'm still around. It's been a couple weeks since my last post, and that's mainly because nothing has really happened. Yes, there was that odd Drew Rosenhaus shtick. We were able to sign Leopold, which was nice. The schedule came out yesterday, which isn't really newsworthy beyond the fact that I find out when I make my trips to Tampa (once in the first week of the season, October 12th. Then in January, and then the final road game of the season, which will hopefully have some sort of meaning). For a full report of the past weeks since my last post, check out my Hockey Writers article here.

For now, though, we are patiently waiting a confirmation of a leaked rumor yesterday that had Alex Tanguay coming to the Panthers. Normally, rumors with so few facts behind them would go unnoticed, but then I came across this from ESPN.com's rumor page; "The Panthers denied signing Alex Tanguay yesterday, but what about today? The Sun-Sentinel reported that the internet rumors of a Tanguay signing were false. But HockeyBuzz.com spoke to three teams, not including the Panthers, that were interested in Tanguay, and all three said they're no longer pursuing him. That leaves the Panthers, who have shown significant interest and might lock up the winger today."

Certainly worth paying attention to. Tanguay managed 41 points in just 50 games last season, and if the Panthers can get him to come down from his 2008-2009 salary, he would be a much needed breath of hope to the Cats. Imagining a top 2 lines consisting of Weiss\Horton\Booth and Reinprecht\Tanguay\Frolik puts just a touch of optimism back into my outlook. We'll see...

The defence could still use a touch up, as well though, and there aren't many tangible options left. As of now, it looks like this in my mind; Ballard\Leopold, Allen\McCabe, ???\???. There will probably be 3 or 4 guys fighting for that bottom pairing. Ville Koistinen is the only one with NHL blue line experience. I know the organization is hoping for BIG things from Keaton Ellerby, so as of now, he's probably the best option for the last spot. Jason Garrison and 2009 draft choice Dmitri Kulikov will be pushing for ice time, should Koistinen or Ellerby fall off. But wouldn't one more, bona fide NHL defenceman make you breath just a little easier?

A Look Back

The past few days have taken quite a toll on this Panther fan. I've waited a couple days since the first day of the "free agent frenzy" came to close, hoping and praying that there would be some good news developments to get excited about. I'm still waiting, although I feel much better today than I did 24 hours ago.

First, the moves the Panthers did make were all solid. GM-for-now Randy Sexton has done everything that could be expected of him. Re-signed David Booth to a 6-year deal. Re-signed Radek Dvorak for 2 more years. Almost instant reaction by losing backup netminder Craig Anderson by signing Scott Clemmensen. Signing much needed defense in Ville Koistinen and Jordan Leopold, who Sexton claimed to have very little hope of signing just 24 hours before the deal was announced. In fact, Leopold's signing might have been one of the most impressive moves by any GM. Trading Bouwmeester's rights for a 3rd round pick and Leopold, after Bo and his agent publicly announced they were waiting until free agency regardless, is incredible. Everything he did needs to be commended. Imagine trying to convince a player to come to the Panthers, a team that has missed the playoffs for 8 straight seasons. A team that's ownership is in flux and has no full-time general manager. Dreams of signing a Gaborik or Hossa were just that, dreams. What Sexton was able to accomplish was superb. Kudos.

But then there's that painful nuisance... reality. The Washington Capitals, who have dominated the division in recent history, got better by adding perpetual 25 goal scorer Mike Knuble. Tampa Bay now has a vastly improved defense after drafting Victor Hedman, then adding Mattias Ohlund and Matt Walker. Even the Thrashers look better, after signing Nik Antropov and Pavel Kubina. All this happening while Florida took a step back, losing Jay Bouwmeester, Karlis Skrastins, and Richard Zednik. As it stands now, the Panthers defence is made up of Keith Ballard, Bryan McCabe, and Jordan Leopold. After that, you have Brian Allen, who missed virtually the entire '08-'09 season. Rounding out the top 6 could be rookies Keaton Ellerby or Jason Garrison. Or free agent signing Ville Koistinen, who despite an impressive Finnish Elite League resume, played only half a season in his first 2 NHL years, and some of those games were as a 4th line winger. For a team who's greatest depth just 3 months ago was defence, it now looks like it could be its greatest weakness. Throw in an offense who will be led by the still-waiting-to-breakout-line of Weiss, Booth, and Horton, and it could be a long year.

There are still free agents out there who could provide an instant boost to my morale. Randy Sexton claims to still be pulling some strings. Steve Reinprecht was a nice addition, and he could be just enough to show the kids-no-more what it means, exactly, to work and earn goals. Booth grew into that last season. Horton showed flashes late in the season he may still have another level. Michael Frolik had a nice rookie season and could be a 25-30 goal scorer. Keaton Ellerby could prove to be the monster on the blue line that the scouts think he will be. There is just so much uncertainty and so many unfilled expectations on this team that it is hard to feel optimistic. I'm praying I am wrong. I do believe there is a strong core. Pete DeBoer showed he might just be the guy that can get these guys to overachieve. I just have that sinking, stomach enveloping feeling that this team is still a couple pieces away from being competitive next season.

The best news of the last week is that we only turned the calendar to July. October's season opening trip to Finland is still a few months away. Months that could see the Panthers fit the puzzle together. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm not quite ready to exhale just yet...

...And They're Off!

8:28 pm - So it looks as though Florida might be done, at least for tonight. This from Steve Gorten's blog regarding signing a top tier scoring forward. "Sexton said, "I'm not sure you ever have enough scoring, but we're real comfortable with our top three lines. Our top six of Booth, Weiss, Frolik, Stillman, Reinprecht, Horton, we think those guys can score. ...We're very comfortable offensively with those top six. I don't know that you can ever have enough, but I don't think it is the issue it was last year, at least in some people's minds."

So I guess we're going to count on a bunch of 20-25 goal scorers to have career years... again... next season. One would have thought that saving $9 million by not re-signing Jay Bouwmeester and Nick Boynton, there would have been room to sign a top tier guy. But we did sign David Booth long term. Found a quick, and possibly better, replacement for Craig Anderson. Signed a kid in Koistinen that is supposedly an offensive defenseman (who played half a season in his first 2 years in the NHL...). And... oh yea, Dvorak resigned. So I guess it's not an awful day. Then again, we have 4, FOUR, signed defensemen for next season, including Koistinen. Karlis Skrastins remains unsigned. Jordan Leopold remains unsigned. Get those 2 on the roster, and I'll feel a lot better about getting no help for our forwards. Until then... it could be a giant step back from the progress made last season.
______________________________________
5:43 pm - Apologies, I had to make an unexpected return trip to work and apparently missed out on some happenings. First, a replacement for Craig Anderson has been signed; Scott Clemmensen, who made a name for himself last season when Martin Brodeur went down for a lengthy stretch. Clemmensen will reportedly make $1.2 mil for the next 3 years as a Panther. While I have no doubt Clemmy(?) will serve his purpose, the money makes me nervous. We now have nearly $7.5 million in our two netminders. Only one can play at a time... Add to the fact that Clemmensen will no doubt be given a chance to earn the #1 spot, as Anderson was last season. "Play the winning hand," I believe is how Pete DeBoer phrased it. So what happens if Clemmensen continues where he left off last season? We have a $6 million man as a backup, with a no-trade clause? Yikes... Add to the fact that we drafted Swedish phenom Jakob Markstrom last summer, and he is expected to be in the Panthers' fold next season, and it's a scary situation. Although to be fair, not quite as scary as having a backup with zero experience, so I guess I'm happy with the lesser of the two evils. Kudos to Randy Sexton for getting one of the more sought after UFA goalies.

Also, Florida has signed Ville Koistinen, who played parts of the last 2 seasons in Nashville. Koistinen is...well...a defenceman, which brings Florida's tally up to 4 signed d-men for next season. Double yikes. Koistinen played just 38 games last season, and 48 his rookie year in '07-'08. I can only hope that he is being brought in as insurance, in case Jordan Leopold, Karlis Skrastins, and\or Steve Eminger do not return next season. Or if Keaton Ellerby and\or Jason Garrison are not quite ready come October.

More as it occurs...
_____________________________________
1:49 pm - hearing reports now that Craig Anderson has signed with the Colorado Avalanche. Should that be true, the Cats are suddenly in the market for a #2 goalie. The Avs have 2 guys who were starters at some points, Peter Budaj and Andrew Raycroft. Does Sexton try to snag one of them for backup duty? Or do we just sit on our hands and do our anti-injury dance for Vokoun, hope that he stays healthy, use one of our AHL guys next season, and hope last summer's first draft pick, Jakob Markstrom, is ready for NHL duty next season? I would have to think that Sexton will be making phone calls this afternoon... nothing against Chris Beckford-Tseu or Tyler Plante...
__________________________________
1:39 pm - via Panthers twitter page: BREAKING NEWS: The Panthers have signed David Booth to a 6-yr contract extension. Booth led the team with 31 goals last season. More to come...

It seemed just a matter of time before this was announced, probably just hashing out the final money figure and length of contract. Booth had a breakout year last season and Florida looks like they are expecting more of the same from Booth. More 30 goal seasons and a couple playoff appearances and Booth could become the Panther.
_______________________________________
12:46 pm - The Panthers have resigned Radek Dvorak to a 3 year deal, according to TSN. Does this mean Ville Peltonen is out? Dvorak was the younger of the two, and most productive. A good sign by Sexton.
_______________________________________
12:01 pm - Happy Canada Day! Oh yea, and the "free agent frenzy" is officially underway. Any rumors or actual news that is relevant and\or interesting will be talked about here as soon as I hear about it. Stay tuned...

Free Agency Just Hours Away

The countdown is on for Free Agency 2009, and the Panthers may actually be an active participant this year. According to GM-for-now Randy Sexton, it will depend on what they can get accomplished with current players before the market opens. With Jay Bouwmeester's rights shipped to Calgary, Richard Zednik having already packed his bags for Russia, and Nick Boynton, Brett Mclean, Anthony Stewart, and Jassen Cullimore basically being told they aren't being welcomed back, that leaves Radek Dvorak, Ville Peltonen, Karlis Skrastins, Jordan Leopold, Steve Eminger, and Craig Anderson to deal with. All could be\would be unrestricted free agents tomorrow.

Of those UFA's who were Panthers last year, I could see bringing back Dvorak OR Pelts, but not both. They are both in their mid-30's, and bring the same characteristics. Last year showed that you can have a roster full of good heart\good character players, but if they aren't putting the puck in the net, someone who can needs to be found.

Skrastins would be a nice hold over, but not for the $2.4 mil a year he was making. Leopold and Eminger are younger and cheaper, and personally, I think Skrastins benefited enormously by playing with Bouwmeester. Besides, Keaton Ellerby and Jason Garrison are just waiting for a chance to prove they can play at the NHL level.

As for Craig Anderson... this is the most interesting case for Sexton. Andy feels he is good enough to be a starter. Agreed. He's going to want a raise. Fair enough. The only problem with that is that our current #1, Tomas Vokoun, is the highest paid player on the roster. Spending almost $9 mil on goaltending alone (considering only one can play at a time...) seems ludicrous. So, can Sexton convince Mr. Anderson to ride the pine another year for a minimal raise? The Panthers drafted Swedish phenom Jakob Markstrom last summer for a reason. But Markstrom is still at least a season away, and it would be folly to simply hire a mediocre to poor backup as a holdover. One twist of the knee to Vokoun, and ________ would be our starter. Andy is a solid backup, and if we can keep him for one more year (again, for the right price) then kudos. If not... it wouldn't be a bad thing to go after a castoff starter\backup from the UFA market. A few that pop into mind...Peter Budaj, Brian Boucher\Antero Niitymaki, Martin Biron, Yann Denis all performed well in stints last year. If any of these could be signed for backup money, it would be a nice move.

Of the big names that are out there, there are a couple that make actually make it into the Panthers' locker room. If Randy Sexton wants to make a big splash and gain some big browine points, maybe he'll take a look at these;

Mike Cammilleri - A center (check #1-obvious need), and while he will probably make around $4 mil next season, he provides an instant and clear cut #1 center\scorer. If the Flames are able to sign that Bouwmeester kid, they will have to dump salary somewhere.

Brian Gionta - It's been a few years since he nearly eclipsed the 50 goal plateau, but he has made it known he's looking to become the focal point of a team's offense, and he would certainly be that in south Florida. Again, at around $4 mil, the price could be right.

Mike Knuble - Like Calgary, the Flyers are in salary cap hell. A victim of roster cuts could be Knuble. As close to a sure-thing 20 goal\50 point guy, I think he could also slide in very comfortably to Pete DeBoer's high tempo, aggressive offense.

Be sure to stay locked in tomorrow through the day for any moves the Panthers do make. For a full list of free agents, check out ESPN.com's FA tracker. Until something happens...

Happy Pre-Free-Agency-Eve-Day?

With the hockey world awaiting Free Agency Day, the Florida Panthers extended qualifying offers to only two of their pending free agents today, David Booth and prospect David Brine. Players of note left on the outs include Steve Eminger, Anthony Stewart, and Brett McLean.

Eminger, who was acquired at the trade deadline in March, may still be playing for Florida next season, if the price is right. In fact, the whole tone of the official release on the Panthers' site seemed to be all about the benjamins, so to speak.




So heading into the day before free agents are able to sign, here's what's on the table.
UFA
Karlis Skrastins
Radek Dvorak
Ville Peltonen
Jordan Leopold
Craig Anderson

As Mr. Sexton said, if the price is right, they could all be wearing Florida jerseys next season. The goaltending situation is probably the most vital. Obviously, Tomas Vokoun makes the big bucks and is the starter. The question is, how willing is Craig Anderson to ride the pine, even if he does get a nice raise?

It also appears as though the organization has finally given up hope that Anthony Stewart and Brett McLean will magically turn into productive NHLers. Quality checking liners that they were, they just never turned the corner. Roster spots open for Matthias\Repik? Or is this an indication that Randy Sexton isn't done filling his resume?

Heads up, tomorrow I'll hopefully get a wish list of available free agents hitting the market, I'm just sick and too lazy to go through it now... But there are obvious needs the Panthers will (hopefully) address come Wednesday... Until then...

Bye, Bye Bouwmeester!

Everyone knew this day was coming, we just weren't sure how exactly it would go down. Jay Bouwmeester (or more specifically, his rights) were traded to the Calgary Flames early this morning in exchange for the Flames 3rd round pick (67th overall) and free agent defenceman Jordan Leopold.

When the Panthers failed to, or chose not to trade Bo in March, everyone knew the reality. The Cats were hoping Bouwmeester would push them forward into the postseason before packing his bags for free agency. The playoff push came up short, and that sinking feeling that we would not only miss the playoffs, but lose Bouwmeester for nothing started creeping in. The only hope was to trade his rights at the draft. Because let's face it, something is better than nothing. Now J. Bo gets reunited with Olli Jokinen and will create quite the pairing with Dion Phaneuf (they were #1-#2 in ice time last season). I can only imagine that the BAC faithful will be nothing but polite to Olli and Jay if\when they return to south Florida with the Flames next season...

Jordan Leopold will become a free agent on July 1st, so there is no guarantee that he will be a Panther next season. However, one would assume Florida knew this risk and had talks with Leopold to gain some insight into his frame of mind before pulling the string on the deal. He's a solid defenceman in his own right, and could fit in well with the Panthers, should he decide to sign. A top 4 of Brian McCabe, Bryan Allen, Keith Ballard, and Leopold is not too shabby. Throw in Karlis Skrastins and Steve Eminger, and it's a solid top 6. If Keaton Ellerby, Jason Garrison, or Dmitri Kulikov mature in time... Bouwmeester might not be missed too badly.
_________________________________________________________

Not to be overlooked, the draft continues on. The Panthers chose center Drew Shore with their 2nd round pick (44th overall). Filling a need in center, Shore was ranked as a late 1st-early 2nd rounder by most analysts. He has "potential" written all over him, but will need a few years to grow into an NHLer. He is expected to play for the University of Denver in the fall.

With their earlier acquired 3rd round (67th overall) pick, the Cats selected Josh Birkholz. The gritty winger has no problems playing a physical game, but will also spend the next year or two in the college ranks. He has commited to the University of Minnesota.

The Panthers don't pick again until the 5th round (#135).

Good News Morning!

I wake up to find that Jay Bouwmeester has been traded to Calgary for Jordon Leopold and a 3rd round draft pick. Something is definitely better than nothing! More coming as it unfolds...

Meet the Newest Panther

Here's a few links to some scouting sites regarding Dmitri Kulikov;

The Hockey Writers

My NHL Draft

Russian Prospects.com

Basically, Kulikov looks like a solid puck-moving defenceman who can provide an offensive threat. Depending on what happens over the next few days, Kulikov could have a chance to crack the Panthers roster as soon as next season. With only 3 defencemen from last season signed (Bryan Allen, Brian McCabe, and Keith Ballard), the Panthers added some much needed depth to their blue line. With Keaton Ellerby and Jason Garrison hoping to get a chance with the big club, Kulikov could push them for ice time. And there's nothing wrong with a little competition pushing the youngsters to be just a little better...

It's the 2009 NHL Entry Draft!

10:14 pm - Looks like the Panthers are done for tonight. I must say I'm pretty happy to have Kulikov fall into the Panthers' lap. A top 10 talent and hopefully will turn into a top 4 blue liner for the Cats in the not-too-distant future. Bouwmeester is a Panther for at least one more night, hopefully Sexton can work some kind of magic to get something in return for J. Bo, but that might be hoping for too much. Until tomorrow...

_________________________________________________


9:08 pm - ...and the Panthers pick Dmitri Kulikov! (after some impressive French by Randy Sexton) Kulikov was a top 10 talent that fell into the Panthers' lap. Quick enough to launch an offensive attack, he's a solid pick up for the Cats, who added some much needed depth to the blue line. A question TSN brought up about his contract status with the Russian KHL, but hopefully that is much ado about nothing and Kulikov is contributing to the Panthers sooner rather than later.

_________________________________________________


9:05 pm - Panthers are on the clock. John Moore is available and the logical pick...

_________________________________________________


9:01 pm - TSN's Darren Dregger blogs that the Canadiens and Panthers were conversing, although it doesn't look like Florida is trading their pick. Montreal holds the 18th pick in the 1st round, just fy. And no news on Bouwmeester... yet...

_________________________________________________


8:56 pm - Garth Snow pulls the first surprise of the draft, trading picks 16, 77, and 182 to Minnesota for the 12th pick, which is used to take Calvin de Haan, who was a bit further down the ranking sheet of most of those who are in the know. Was Snow really worried someone was going to pick up de Haan before the 16th pick? Oh well... Panthers are on deck, waiting for the Sabres now...

__________________________________________________

8:35 pm - The Oilers finish up the top 10 by picking Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson. Few surprises in the first hour or so of the draft. 2 of my preview's 6 guys to watch for the Panthers have been drafted. John Moore would be my prediction right now, with 3 more picks to come before the Panthers hit the podium.

1. John Tavares (NYI)
2. Victor Hedman (TBL)
3. Matt Duchene (COL)
4. Evander Kane (ATL)
5. Brayden Schenn (LAK)
6. Oliver Ekman-Larsson (PHX)
7. Nazem Kadri (TOR)
8. Scott Glennie (DAL)
9. Jared Cowen (OTT)
10. Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson (EDM)

_______________________________________________________


8:08 pm - no love for Brian Burke or the Leafs in Montreal... big surprise... take Kadri, the first of my 6 to watch! 5 left on my list, hopefully Florida is able to snag one of them sometime tonight. Still no word on J Bo.

_____________________________________________________________

7:46 pm - Pretty quiet through the first 5 picks. Pronger got traded to the Flyers, so take Philly off the Bouwmeester list. George Richards latest update is intriguing though... "Just heard a rumor that Jay has been dealt...haven't been able to confirm and have no other details...am working on it..."

Hmmmm.... stay tuned... Coyotes are up next with pick #6...

An Hour To Go...

...and all quiet in Montreal. It looks as though Jay Bouwmeester might not be willing to sign a deal before July 1st after all, so any draft day dealing rumors are moot.

The question is; if he wants to play in Calgary, or Vancouver, or Toronto... and said team is offering a deal today, would Jay still wait? Obviously, he has earned the right to become an unrestricted free agent and can sign where he wants, when he wants. But if the team he wants is asking for him today, what difference will a few days make? Unless he just wants to see how high he can drive the price...?

Hopefully the Panthers can manipulate the situation so they can get SOMETHING in return, but they knew that this was the risk when they failed to trade him in March. Or rather, Jacques Martin knew the risk... but it's not his problem anymore, is it. Such is life in Pantherland. Stay tuned...


UPDATE 6:41 - Heading home from work now... hopefully I don't miss anything and get home before the 14th pick...

First Rumor of the Day...

Well we all know that Jay Bouwmeester is coveted by all, but reportedly 5 teams have shown interest (Flames, Canucks, Flyers, Oilers, Maple Leafs, reportedly...). Well, just read a rumor that the Flames may have acted first.

Jay Bouwmeester's rights to Calgary in exchange for Mike Cammilleri's rights and a mid-round pick. But I wouldn't be too excited about that yet, I have little to zero faith in the source, but still... it doesn't hurt to dream, right? That's what blogs are for anyways. Unsubstantiated rumors and wish lists. Stay tuned...

UPDATE 4:03 - Apparently there might have been some more substance to that earlier rumor than I gave credit to. George Richards from the Miami Herald's latest blog cites another source saying Bo to Calgary. The San Jose Sharks are apparently another team entering the Bouwmeester mix. Read his whole post here...

Draft Day!

The NHL Draft is tonight, and dealings are expected to be going on all day today. I'll be doing my best to stay caught up during my work day and update here as news happens. Most notably, of course, is the Jay Bouwmeester situation. Up to 5 teams are rumored to be in talks with the Panthers regarding J. Bo, including the Flyers, Canucks, and Oilers.

As of now, the Panthers have the 14th pick in tonight's first round, which gets underway around 7:00 on Versus.

Stay tuned...

Draft Preview!

The 2009 NHL draft is now just 2 short days away, and the Florida Panthers will be looking for not just a new addition to their slowly improving farm system, but maybe, just maybe, find that coal mine that will become a diamond before our eyes. (OK, I know I probably stretched that one, too bad)

The Panthers currently, and I stress currently, hold the 14th, 44th, 135th, and 165th picks. Their 3rd, 4th, and 7th round picks have all been traded away prior. Now what picks Florida will actually make remains to be seen, as there is that Bouwmeester character still on Florida's roster. The likelihood is that he, or rather "negotiating rights," will be traded away before Friday, and draft pick or picks might be coming back, but until that happens, we'll just focus on what we know.

Florida's "needs" are not hard to figure out. They need a top line scorer and depth on the blueline. I don't pretend to have any inside sources or inside information, so this is just a look at who might be available by the time the 14th pick rolls around (because let's be honest, will you still be watching by pick 44?)

DEFENSEMEN

Should the Panthers look to add a defender, Jared Cowen might warrant a look. While he has top 10 talent, a knee injury in February cut his last season short, and added some questions as to the durability of the 18 year old. Should he still be available at #14, the Panthers would have to take a long look. He stands an impressive 6'5", 218 lbs, so physicality shouldn't be a problem. This could be a guy worth moving up for.

Another defender who could slip out of the top 10 and into the Panthers' lap is Swedish-born David Rundbland. Think mini Jay Bo (and by mini, I mean only 6'2", 200 lbs). While he's a bit smaller than Cowen, Rundbland is a more fluid skater and more offensive minded. Given a year in Rochester (perhaps filling in for the could-be promoted Keaton Ellerby?), his defensive play should mature and he could be a steal at #14.

And then there's the USHL defenseman of the year, John Moore. A bit slighter frame than Rundbland and Cowen, Moore looks like he might need the most time to develop out of these 3. His skating is his strongest attribute, but at only 190 lbs, he might be a few years away from being able to handle the bigger, stronger, faster NHL forwards.

FORWARDS

If the Cats are hoping to find a pure scorer in the uncertainty of the draft, a good candidate for the #14 pick might be London, Ontario native Nazem Kadri. He's listed as a center, which is obviously a shortage in Pantherland. A couple of seasons in Rochester to allow him to fill out might be all that's needed for Kadri to become an elite playmaker in the NHL. Lightning quickness and great vision are reasons to watch him come draft day.

The antithesis of Kadri might be Carter Ashton. While Kadri stands at a dainty 5'11", 175 lbs, Ashton is a brute at 6'4", 212 lbs. He might not be as flashy a scorer, but his strength and grind is more than enough for him to be a bona fide scorer in the NHL, once his talent catches up with his body.

A final forward to look at is Jeremy Morin. He is a pure scorer with an attitude. He was the top threat for the US U18 Development team and if he decides to become a complete player, he would be a nice pickup. Questions about his defensive ability are his biggest downside, but he could easily round out into a top line scorer.

Of course, there are certainly other options that are available or could come available depending on what happens in the next 48 hours. For a full list of draft prospects, please visit our friend and fellow Hockey Writer Chris Ralph's extensive preview. If the Panthers are able to snag one of these six, it'd be a nice step in getting this team back into the postseason. Stay tuned...

And the Breaking News Is...

A trade! The Panthers have sent prospect Stefan Meyer to Phoenix in exchange for Steve Reinprecht, who has signed a 3 year deal.

Here's the good, albeit brieff stuff on the newest Panther; he is a center, which was a clear need for Florida last season. He has a Stanley Cup ring, and experience is never a bad thing to have. He will be another veteran presence in a still young locker room.

Now, for my Negative Nancy, my Panther Pessimism, to come out. He's never eclipsed the 20 goal mark. He has just 1, 50+ point season, and that came in '02-'03. He's played in fewer then 70 games in 7 of his 10 seasons. He has 2nd\3rd liner written all over him.

Yes, it is clear we needed a center. But that doesn't mean just go find a guy with "C" in the position column and call him up. Character guys can only get you so far, as we saw last year. While Stefan Meyer doesn't appear to be anything more then a career AHL'er and probably isn't a prospect that will pan out, it just feels like a lateral move. No financial terms were released, as usual, but you have to think a veteran guy like Reinprecht is going to use up a small chunk of the salary cap, a chunk that could have been used elsewhere on a guy who can actually provide a bona fide scoring threat. To look on the bright side, though, he is a good character guy, a true center who will probably let Horton back to his natural wing position, and hopefully Reinprecht will be able to contribute in other areas. Faceoffs, leadership, PK, etc...

It's also interesting to think that this move was made by an "interim GM" of sorts. I'm sure Randy Sexton is doing what he can to prove that he not only wants the full time gig, but deserves it. Giving up a guy who probably wouldn't make it out of Florida's farm system for a player of Reinprecht's caliber is a good move, no matter which way you shake the stick. Was it the best move? Will it make the product on the ice better? Only time will tell...

Breaking News?

According to the Florida Panther's official site, facebook, and twitter page, "breaking news" is coming, hopefully within the hour. What could be so big that it has to be announced in 3 different venues? A new GM? A Jay Bouwmeester deal? Some overhyped, new marketing ploy? My guess is on the latter, but who knows. Bill Torrey gave an interview the other day and said the GM search would probably take them past the draft, so it'd be quite a surprise if they found their GM already. I can't imagine any progress being made with J-Bo that isn't all over the rumor pages. Sooo in the end, this is probably just some trumped up ad campaign, but stay tuned.

2009 NHL Draft Preview

A quick reference to my other online home. One of the Hockey Writers is doing an outstanding, in depth preview of the upcoming NHL entry draft, and I encourage you all to head over and check it out by clicking here.

And as always, be sure to head over to THW for Florida Panthers articles that you won't find here! Well, you'll find bits and pieces of them here, but I gotta save the good stuff for the big site.