Who you say? That would be Tyson Strachan, who was called up to the Panthers for 15 games last season to fill in for the injured Ed Jovanovski and Dmitri Kulikov, and then two games in the playoffs for an injured Keaton Ellerby.

To be called up in the playoffs is all one needs to know about GM Dale Tallon's faith in Strachan's abilities as a player. But that faith was already on display in February when Tallon signed him to a one-way deal for the 2012-2013 season, all but locking him in as a defensive starter for the Panthers this season, whenever that happens.

The 6'3", 215 lb. Strachan might not have the same Herculean physique as the departed Jason Garrison (and let's face it, no one in the NHL does), but he does have a similar slapshot and loves to get his nose dirty in the corners. Possibly even more than Garrison.

Strachan is no spring chicken at 27 years old, and has 84 games of NHL experience between the Blues and Panthers, including two playoff games against the Devils last season. He is certainly not a liability on either end of the ice at this point in his career and if given the proper role and ice time he could be every bit as effective as Garrison, if not more. It seems Tallon probably had the same thoughts in February.

In years past the loss of Garrison would be a devastating blow for an organization desperately trying to impersonate any product that resembled something worthy of the NHL. Now, not so much. Tallon has loaded Florida up with a blue line to be proud of, both on the big club and in San Antonio.

Alex Petrovic and Colby Robak are on the way, but for now Strachan is first in line as one of the many quality defensemen that are on the way to the Panthers in the near and distant future.

Time will tell if head coach Kevin Dineen will give Strachan time on the power play as he did with Garrison, but the thought of Brian Campbell setting him up for many one timers should have Panther fans feeling better about the future.

What do you think? Can Strachan fill Garrison's role?

Twitter @DanSpiegel

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