I remember sitting in one of the board rooms on October 22, 2011 when GM Dale Tallon was discussing trading David Booth to Vancouver.
While it is our job as media to get quotes and report team news, you could feel the shock in the room.
At the time, David Booth was one of the most popular players on the team. In fact, he was one of the faces of the franchise.
But the once 30-goal scorer who had just signed a big 6-year, $25.5 million contract, was a shell of himself.
Why? Because of this:
At the time, Panther fans were angry with the trade. But in time it proved to be a positive move for the franchise. Marco Sturm and Mikael Samuelsson came back in return and were vital pieces to the Panthers' playoff berth in 2011-2012.
Booth's once promising career now has become injury-riddled and possibly on life support.
But Tallon is no stranger to hitting gold on veteran tryouts. Tim Thomas, Brad Boyes, and Tom Gilbert are a few of the players over the last few years that ended up making the roster after being given a tryout in Sunrise.
In my opinion, if Booth makes the team it would be an indictment of the "kids" not being ready. There are a lot of bodies in camp this year that can make the team, but there is something to be said for Booth's experience as well as being in familiar surroundings.
He was drafted 53rd overall by the Panthers in the 2004 NHL Draft. He made big strides each year, resulting in a 31 goal, 60 point campaign in 2008-2009. After signing the huge contract extension in the offseason, the Richards hit happened. That not only shook Booth as a player, but was devastating to a Panther team starving for any offense it could get.
To be fair, Booth did rebound the next season with a 23 goal, 40 point effort during the 2010-2011 season. But he was clearly still on the mend, and his -31 rating was a clear indication that contact and playing a gritty game was not something that made him comfortable. In all honesty I don't think anyone can blame him for that.
But a potential new chapter awaits a very popular player in South Florida. Many, many David Booth jerseys will be donned, at least for a few weeks, as eyes are on the veteran to see if he can impress Tallon and the coaches.
Will he beat out the likes of Rocco Grimaldi, Quinton Howden, and others for those last few prized roster spots? The odds are against it. But having a player like Booth in the fold will tell these young players they better earn their playing time because there is much more experienced players Tallon will rely on if they show their youthful mistakes too often.
Thanks for reading, and as always I look forward to your comments.
Dan Spiegel Florida Panthers Media