Florida Panther Signings (thus far)

[jazz]

there are rumors the panthers are interested in mogilny and/or bondra (lord knows who else), but what do you think about their signings up to this point in time? remember, we have a young and talented team desperately in need of veteran leadership, toughness, grit, and (most importantly) faceoff wins.

sean hill - d
martin gelinas - lw
alexander karpovtsev - d
joe nieuwendyk - c
gary roberts - lw
chris gratton - c
eric cairns - d
jamie mclennan - g

draft pick:

kenndal mcardle - lw (http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospect/kenndal_mcardle)

[Capt]

i think that florida is going to be a competitive team this year

what's the latest total for their salary? i think they got a good deal on roberts and nieuwendyk

[jazz]

hmm, i really don't know at this point, capt. but i do know that we have enough left to pick up another winger (which we desperately need for the RW) and we got excellent deals on the players we picked up. shit, we got gratton for 900K.

which would you prefer? bondra or mogilny? my first choice would be mogilny just cause i like the guy, but he's had hip surgery and hasn't been the same for the last few years. plus, he doesn't like getting his nose dirty. bondra isn't young himself, but he provides excellent speed and experience.

[Trizzak]

Mogilny will come cheaper than Bondra.

You might also be interested in Anson Carter. He's a RW, big, and quite talented.

And since he's black, you could make the line:

Mcardle - Nieuwendyk - Carter and call it The Oreo Line

I :shame: myself on that one.

[Trizzak]

and I'm voting for Above Average.

It would have been excellent, but the Luongo arbitration thing is horrible and bumps the rating down a bit.

I might reconsider if they get that top winger you're talking about.

[Capt]

....Anson Carter. He's a RW, big, and quite talented....

although its not technically in the same sentance, its still wrong for the word talented to be that close to anson carters name

[jazz]

i've considered anson too, but you can't have too many brothers on the same team now...

:theman:

[jazz]

i highlighted the most important point of this article and it's a shame luongo can't see this for himself.


RUSSO: Signing Luongo more than penny-wise

The Panthers are in a quandary.

Roberto Luongo's heart, the one that bleeds "Panthers," is bruised.

Luongo says he's hurt, and you don't want your star goaltender, the man who is the only face of your franchise, the man who will determine how far you will go, to be hurt.

"I just can't believe they're taking me to arbitration," Luongo said. "It's the last thing I thought would happen. They wanted to sign me for five years and I was so happy. Then they were only trying to sign me for two. Now one? To think they're taking me to arbitration, it's the route I expected the least."

The Panthers feel they've been more than fair with Luongo. They offered him a three-year deal averaging $3.75 million a season, more than double the $1.8 million they had to qualify him at.

They offered Luongo $1.25 million more than the three-year package just signed by Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff, who led the Flames to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004 after posting a 1.69 goals-against average during the regular season, the lowest mark in the modern era.

But here's the thing. Luongo and his agent, Gilles Lupien, know that when he becomes an unrestricted free agent after two seasons, somebody with a whole lot of cap room is going to swoop in and sign him near or at the salary-cap max, currently at $7.8 million a season.

On a two-year deal, Luongo's camp is seeking $4 million a year. But on a longer-term deal, one that would take some of Luongo's free agency years, he's seeking a contract that approaches that cap number.

The Panthers, trying to be fiscally responsible because they don't want to be strangled so much by Luongo's contract that they can't afford to re-sign their own potential stars or approach top free agents, are not willing to pay that now.

But here's the problem if the Panthers don't lock up Luongo for more than two years: "I told [GM Mike Keenan], `If Roberto signs for two years, in three years he's going to get the maximum and he's going to choose his team,'" Lupien said.

Lupien calls the Panthers' approach "a lack of respect," but there's got to be a middle ground.

Luongo is the identity of the Panthers. He's the reason free agents like Joe Nieuwendyk and Gary Roberts came here. He's the reason free agents will come here in the future. He's the reason many believe that someday the Panthers will win a Stanley Cup.

If you haven't been to Office Depot Center since the last time the Panthers suited up in April 2004, Luongo's face is everywhere -- on pillars, on elevators.

Even without a contract, Luongo spent recent weeks in South Florida promoting the team. He had breakfast with three dozen former season-ticket holders in hopes of trying to persuade them to come back.

Luongo cares. He wants the Panthers to once again be a difficult ticket to find in South Florida. But he thinks the Panthers need to show him commitment.

The Panthers would love to sign Luongo to a five-year deal. They want to keep him as the face of the franchise.

But they want him to be reasonable, too. If Luongo wants to win a Cup here, he can't expect $7.8 million a season or he'll be playing behind a bunch of chumps, having to stop 40 shots a night.

The Panthers need to somehow get through to Luongo because this can't go to arbitration. If it does, Luongo will leave in two years -- guaranteed.

The only thing created in arbitration is animosity. The Panthers will point out every negative to win their case. They'll point out he's never had a winning record. They'll point out he's never won a playoff game.

Of course, neither is his fault. He's the reflection of the product on the ice. But it will be said, and Luongo will be further fractured.

The fact his wife is from here, the fact he's building a house here, that'll all be out the window when he's playing for the Maple Leafs or Flyers or Rangers.

You know that saying, "Be careful what you wish for?" Panthers owner Alan Cohen should be saying that to himself this morning. Cohen got his salary cap, but the concession was dropping the free agency age.

So instead of having Luongo locked up for five more years until age 31, he's going to have to figure out a way to satisfy Luongo just to keep him past 28.

Roberts a good fit

Maybe the best part of the Panthers signing Roberts is I'll no longer have to scream that the Panthers need a "Gary Roberts-type forward," something I've written and uttered on radio a gazillion times.

Even at age 39, Roberts is still productive because he drives the net like few others in the NHL. He'll be the perfect mentor for the future 1-2 punch of Nathan Horton and Anthony Stewart.

Horton has always looked up to Roberts, while two years ago, when Panthers Director of Player Development Duane Sutter gave Stewart a list of power forwards to study all year, No. 1 on that list was ... Roberts, Toronto's inspirational leader.

Facing up to it

Maybe the best part of the Panthers signing Nieuwendyk and Chris Gratton is I'll no longer have to scream that the Panthers need a faceoff expert, something I've written and uttered on radio about 10 gazillion times.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Panthers have lost about 10 games a season simply because of their ineptness in the faceoff circle. Since the Panthers got rid of players like Mike Sillinger, Kevyn Adams and Len Barrie, the Panthers have consistently finished 29th or 30th in the NHL in faceoff percentage success.

That should no longer be the case. Late in games or key situations, whenever coach Jacques Martin needs a faceoff victory, Nieuwendyk or Gratton will be thrown over the boards.

Nieuwendyk, consistently above 58 percent, has finished fifth in the league in faceoff percentage the past two years, fourth, 10th and sixth in the three years before that and first in 1998-99.

Gratton finished 10th last year, fourth two years ago and is consistently in the top 30.

But it's the Nieuwendyk-Roberts tag-team acquisition from Toronto that should be most significant.

"The Panthers were looking for two guys who bring different things to the table," Roberts said. "Joe is an awesome faceoff guy and my strength is to get my linemates the puck and go to the net. I enjoy that job and I know it's where I have to go to score. Even at our age, I definitely feel we can still be impact players."

Sign here, please

Not including roster contenders like Stewart and Gregory Campbell, the Panthers currently have 14 players under contract at $14,599,998. They plan to spend $30 million, about $9 million less than the salary cap.

Free agents still to sign include Luongo, Olli Jokinen, Mike Van Ryn, Jay Bouwmeester, Juraj Kolnik, Christian Berglund and Vaclav Nedorost. Qualifying offers expire Monday.

[Capt]

you should get onto signing bouwmeester, i like him

[jazz]

he's one of my faves. he's a future chris pronger-type if he keeps working on his game.

[Capt]

i can't wait to see pronger in an oilers jersey :yay:

[jazz]

as long as he stays in the western conference and on a team that i like, i'm at peace with the prong. :joga2:

[Capt]

as long as he plays good then i'm ok with him

[jazz]

he should do fine.

[Trizzak]

I don't think he had a very good year in the AHL this year...

[Keith Moon]

- I would of voted Fair if you didn't have the superb offense that the Panthers have. The only player that I have doubts about is your goalie, Jamie Mclennan.

[dionysusolympus]

i'm indifferent. i choose to masterbate...

:monkey:

[MAGO]

Florida still has a hockey team???? :MAGO2:

[dionysusolympus]

Florida still has a hockey team???? :MAGO2:

it's actually the water polo team... :werd:

[MAGO]

MARCO!

[jazz]

- I would of voted Fair if you didn't have the superb offense that the Panthers have. The only player that I have doubts about is your goalie, Jamie Mclennan.
well, i know backup goalies are important, but he's just that. a backup.

[jazz]

MARCO!
hey MAGO, look!

:magodio2:

[dionysusolympus]

POLO!

[MAGO]

oh shit jazz is here!...everyone :hide: !!!!...I LOVE THE PANTHERS! :what:

[jazz]

you might as well love the panthers...you like the canes.

[Keith Moon]

well, i know backup goalies are important, but he's just that. a backup.


- Ohh...I thought he was your starting goalie.

[jazz]

LUONGO!

greg? i'm surprised. :shame:

[MAGO]

you might as well love the panthers...you like the canes.


well, the Panthers are in my top 5 favorite teams i want to win the SC when the rangers don't make it...which is every year :what:

[Keith Moon]

LUONGO!

greg? i'm surprised. :shame:


- :doh:...It'll take me a while to get in the hockey frame of mind.

[dionysusolympus]

- :doh:...It'll take me a while to get in the hockey frame of mind.

then try water polo... :what:

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/89/1544/1024/waterpolo3.jpg

[Keith Moon]

- :no:

[dionysusolympus]

- :no:

liar!

[jazz]

well, the Panthers are in my top 5 favorite teams i want to win the SC when the rangers don't make it...which is every year :what:
:up:

[jazz]

http://www.encircling.us/images/jpg/dotuspanthers.jpg

:bang:

[jazz]

pretty good news...

we signed our '04 draft pick rostislav olesz (http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospect.php?pid=3886)

i doubt he'll play for the team this year, but if by any chance he does excellent in camp, we'll have so many centermen on our team vying for a spot on the team, we wouldn't know what to do with them. lol.

the good thing is that most of them could be switched to either one of the wings. ...and they could be used for trade bait.