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Can't Hang This On Dale Tallon

November 7, 2017, 3:45 PM ET [28 Comments]
Dan Spiegel
Florida Panthers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT


If Panthers' ownership could go back in time, they probably would.

Two seasons ago this team was on the brink of some VERY big things. If not for some of the worst officiating in recent memory, the Panthers would have moved on to at least the second round of the playoffs after their most successful season in franchise history.

Then things started changing, seemingly for no reason.

Equipment managers, training staff, and management positions were fired.

Erik Gudbranson was traded.

The higher ups within the organization openly said they were moving towards a more analytical model. These moves and the results thereafter created a massive speed bump on the journey towards the ultimate goal.

It didn't stop with Gudbranson.

A mediocre start with a severely banged up squad cost Gerard Gallant his head coaching job a year after being a Jack Adams finalist. Assistant GM Tom Rowe took over behind the bench in what would turn out to be a PR disaster as well as in the locker room.

When Tallon arrived in May of 2010 he said he had a five year blueprint. That is how long it would take to turn the ship around into being perennial contenders. Right on time, he was right. For the first time since the Panthers' miracle run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996, fans of this beleaguered franchise had hope like never before.

Until they didn't.

Gudbranson was a key moment in this swift fall from promise.

It is true Gudbranson will likely never live up to his 3rd overall selection in the 2010 NHL Draft. Statistically he wasn't anything special. BUT, he could bring the thunder. In many ways he was the heart and soul of the team. Many considered him to be a future captain and potentially a lifetime Panther.

Tallon reportedly signed off on the deal sending him to Vancouver for Jared McCann, but the wheels were already spinning in the direction of giving Tallon less control and the analytics department more.

An "old school" hockey guy like Tallon knows there are intangibles that players bring that aren't necessarily on the score sheet. Gudbranson was one of those players both on and off the ice. He had his best year as a professional during Florida's record-setting season under Gallant and Co.

Then in a blink of an eye, he was gone. Gallant, as well as fans were shocked and saddened at what seemed like a needless move, especially after all the success experienced that season.

At the time of the deal, most "experts" felt that Florida fleeced the Canucks in the deal. Time may prove that to be correct, but what Florida lost in grit is palpable.

Last year showed many things in terms of Florida flaws, but the main one was toughness. The Panthers got small. Other teams knew it. When push came to shove Florida did not have that Gudbranson-type starter to change the momentum of a game or pick the team up.

This is not to say Gudbranson would have saved a season destroyed by injuries and a knee-jerk coaching change. But at the time trading him was a systemic foreshadowing of what was to come.

This offseason there were layers of organizational reflection, acknowledgement of mistakes, and attempts to correct them.

The first was giving Tallon full power over the team again. The power he should have never lost was a breath of fresh air for those hoping this team would return to it's 2015-16 form as soon as possible.

But the Rowe damage is deep, and it will take a while to recover. As painful as it is for the ultra-dedicated diehards of this team to accept the needless dismantling of a team poised to do damage, at least the man responsible for getting them to that position in the first place is at the helm.

Even Florida's scouting department said they lost their identity last year in terms of being tougher to play against and addressed that in the draft.

Still, the past stings.

The second layer to correcting course was Tallon's multiple attempts to get Gudbranson back from Vancouver. Former Panther Jason Demers nixed Tallon's first attempt, instead agreeing later in the summer to go to Arizona for Jamie McGinn. The Coyotes have two wins and six points through 16 games. Good decision.

It has been reported that Tallon has kicked the tires with Vancouver additional times about Gudbranson in an effort to fix past wrongs. While nothing has materialized to this point, it wouldn't surprise many if Gudbranson became a possibility in the future.

But still, the past stings.

When Tallon arrived he had a plan. He delivered. His "demotion" of sorts after everything he accomplished will always be a head-scratcher.

He is as smart as he is likable. He's shrewd, yet also willing to take risks. He's succeeded way more than he's failed as a GM. If anyone can get this team back on track, it's him.

While this current team struggles to find its identity under new head coach Bob Boughner's staff, many feel it's a reinvention that wasn't needed. While watching the expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights succeed under Gallant, it's easy to wonder where the Panthers would be right now if he had never been let go.

Most of what has transpired over the last 18 months had nothing to do with Tallon. Thankfully, everything has to do with him now. That's good, because there is a lot of work to do to fix past wrongs. Because...

...the past stings.

Dan Spiegel
Florida Panthers Media
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