As the cuts come through and the Panthers prepare for a home and home against Dallas, a few question marks have arrived. Some are obvious, some are intriguing.

Scott Clemmensen had "minor" knee surgery yesterday, making the goaltending situation even more tenuous to start the year. As of now GM Dale Tallon and Panthers brass will decide between long-time prospect Tyler Plante or future star Jacob Markstrom as backup to Jose Theodore to begin the season. Clemmensen's return is set anywhere from 3 to 8 weeks, so Theordore's performance while he is out might make or break the Panthers out of the gate.

If there was any one thing that the Panthers were criticized for when free agency started was losing Vokoun to the Capitals. Even though that is entirely Vokoun's fault, nonetheless it was a blow to Florida's efficiency between the pipes. While there is no question the Panthers will be markedly better offensively, what cannot happen is that improvement being offset with terrible goaltending. Time will tell of Theodore can hold the fort, or if Tallon pulls off a deal to bolster those ranks.

Defensively it is interesting that Michael Kostka is still around, and I wonder if Coach Dineen sees something intriguing in him. He had a solid year in Rochester last year with 48 points, so his offensive upside might just get him the rotation. However, I have no idea where there is room for him unless Tallon trades one of his defensive pieces for goaltending help.

There are some very tough decisions to be made regarding the forwards, where Huberdeau, Matthias, Skille, Carter, Dadonov, Santorelli, and Kennedy are battling for the last few spots on the team. Odds are Kennedy makes it because of his strong camp, and Huberdeau has been outstanding. Final roster will be set after the final preseason game at Dallas Thursday night.

Here is the roster as it stands going into the final two games:

Forwards
#
20 Sean Bergenheim 5' 11" 200 Feb 8, 1984 27 Helsinki, FIN
10 David Booth 6' 1" 216 Nov 24, 1984 26 Detroit, MI, USA
22 Matt Bradley 6' 3" 201 Jun 13, 1978 33 Stittsville, ON, CAN
24 Ryan Carter 6' 2" 200 Aug 3, 1983 28 White Bear Lake, MN, USA
63 Evgeny Dadonov 5' 10" 178 Mar 12, 1989 22 Chelyabinsk, RUS
14 Tomas Fleischmann 6' 1" 192 May 16, 1984 27 Koprivnice, CZE
57 Marcel Goc 6' 1" 202 Aug 24, 1983 28 Calw, DEU
11 Jonathan Huberdeau 6' 1" 171 Jun 4, 1993 18 Saint-Jerome, QC, CAN
8 Tim Kennedy 5' 10" 173 Apr 30, 1986 25 Buffalo, NY, USA
82 Tomas Kopecky 6' 3" 203 Feb 5, 1982 29 Ilava, SVK
18 Shawn Matthias 6' 4" 216 Feb 19, 1988 23 Missisauga, ON, CAN
13 Mike Santorelli 6' 0" 190 Dec 14, 1985 25 Vancouver, BC, CAN
12 Jack Skille 6' 1" 215 May 19, 1987 24 Madison, WI, USA
19 Scottie Upshall 6' 0" 200 Oct 7, 1983 27 Fort Mcmurray, AB, CAN
32 Kris Versteeg 5' 10" 182 May 13, 1986 25 Lethbridge, AB, CAN
9 Stephen Weiss "A" 5' 11" 193 Apr 3, 1983 28 Toronto, ON, CAN
Defensemen
#
51 Brian Campbell 6' 0" 189 May 23, 1979 32 Strathroy, ON, CAN
4 Keaton Ellerby 6' 4" 220 Nov 5, 1988 22 Strathmore, AB, CAN
52 Jason Garrison 6' 2" 216 Nov 13, 1984 26 White Rock, BC, CAN
44 Erik Gudbranson 6' 4" 195 Jan 7, 1992 19 Ottawa, ON, CAN
55 Ed Jovanovski 6' 3" 221 Jun 26, 1976 35 Windsor, ON, CAN
41 Michael Kostka 6' 2" 210 Nov 28, 1985 25 Etobicoke, ON, CAN
7 Dmitry Kulikov 6' 1" 196 Oct 29, 1990 20 Lipetsk, RUS
43 Mike Weaver 5' 9" 186 May 2, 1978 33 Bramalea, ON, CAN
Goalies
#
30 Scott Clemmensen 6' 3" 203 Jul 23, 1977 34 Des Moines, IA, USA
25 Jacob Markstrom 6' 3" 178 Jan 31, 1990 21 Gavle, SWE
35 Tyler Plante 6' 3" 191 Apr 16, 1987 24 Milwaukee, WI, USA
60 Jose Theodore 5' 11" 185 Sep 13, 1976 35 Laval, QC, CAN

Twitter @DanSpiegel
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