The Christmas that keeps on giving got even better with Erik Gudbranson signing his entry level contract Friday afternoon. The news was not surprising, as he was truly a man amongst boys at rookie camp last week.
There was much speculation, mostly in northern markets, that Gudbranson was unhappy and had no intention of signing with the Panthers. No one within the Panther organization or those who cover them were concerned about this "bad" relationship. In fact, no one knew where these grumblings were coming from as they knew it to be completely false. Both Gudbranson and Panthers brass have said the relationship has always been positive, productive, and professional.
Going back to last year's training camp, Gudbranson felt he had earned a spot on the team. He was told that was likely the case. But when contract negotiations broke down for a myriad of reasonable reasons, he was sent down.
At the time, Gudbranson was upset, and rightfully so. He was not upset to the point where he was unhappy with Tallon or the Panthers. His agent had a hand in the breakdown as well.
Hindsight shows it was the right decision for him and the team. There was no reason to burn a year of his entry deal on a team that was not going anywhere. Additionally, Gudbranson admits he had more to work on in his game, both physically and mentally.
Now that he is in the fold, the Panthers have quite the logjam on the blue line. Such a luxury is new territory for this organization, but one that will cause some interesting decisions before the start of the season. The Panthers have 9 games to decide whether Erik will be with them for the rest of the year and beyond. Tallon has the ability to send him down again before then if he feels it is needed. If he earns his spot as expected, there might be too many bodies. With Jovanovski's injury concerns, the depth might be just right.
Dan Spiegel...
Florida Panthers Writer
Twitter @DanSpiegel
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
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