Panther fans watched in horror today as seemingly the entire Eastern Conference improved while GM Dale Tallon stood pat with his current roster. Reality says said Panther fans need to come off of the ledge.
Perhaps wholesale change is a good thing. The painful yet inevitable departure of Stephen Weiss stings in the short term, but with his departure consider the change to be complete.
The longest-tenured Panther is now Shawn Matthias, who has been very vocal this week about relishing the opportunity to take over the #1 center spot in Sunrise. Some people would roll their eyes at that. But even in a shortened season Matthias showed flashes of what was expected of him when drafted by Detroit in the 2nd round of the 2006 NHL Draft.
This effort is nominated for play of the year:
Stephen Weiss is not a $5 million per year player, and Tallon knows it. Detroit had some money to throw around, and they did. Good for them. Good for Weiss. Good luck to him.
The Panthers are in much better shape than you would believe hearing everyone moan and groan today. Yes the results this season were horrific, but that was almost entirely due to the surreal amount of long-term injuries suffered throughout the lineup. With time to heal over the summer and a proper training camp, it would be hard to believe such bad luck would visit this team again next season.
What is a savvy GM to do when the owner of the team says, "Hey, you know all that spending we've been doing over the last few years? Yeah...well...we're going to have to stop doing that." Tallon's hands are tied right now. End of story. Despite this unfortunate approach in terms of adding top flight talent on the first day of free agency, it is not all doom and gloom. In fact, an optimist would say this is a perfect opportunity for the youth to grow and shine.
I will be doing much more in depth roster stuff down the road, but let's just look at the centers, which most fans are uneasy about now that Weiss is gone. With Matthias, Barkov, Goc, Shore, and Bjugstad to choose from, it could be MUCH worse. Of course there isn't a ton of experience outside of Matthias and Goc, but that does not mean these other players won't flourish in new roles.
If anything, defense is more of a concern with Jovanovski in limbo with his bad hip and Kuba gone. There is likely to be some new youth on the back end, with Alex Petrovic, Colby Robak, and Michael Caruso battling for playing time. But either way, it should be an improvement in quickness over the slower old guys. Part of Tallon's blueprint is getting these young defensemen developed, and now is the time.
With Fillpula to Tampa, Ryan to Ottawa, Iginla to Boston, Weiss to Detroit, Alfredsson to Detroit, etc., it's easy to be in the dumps today as a Panther fan watching divisional opponents load up. As Tallon said, he will not overpay for players in July when he can get them for cheaper in August. Who will be available is the big question.
Yes there are some holes to fill on this roster, but with Versteeg, Bergenheim, Fleischmann, and a finally healthy Huberdeau helping these centers, things are not as bleak as they may appear.
Dan Spiegel...
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