Man...what a day! There's a great song by Pearl Jam titled
"Just Breathe." I pictured Panthers fans having to tell themselves to "just breathe" as they refreshed their feeds frantically - each time hoping for another good signing...
And they got them.
Tallon and the Cats front office delivered on their word of going all-in by bolstering up the roster with some pieces that were sorely needed.
"As a group we felt we needed to make some changes to our roster to get it deeper so we could make a good run for the playoffs. We addressed some needs…We have plenty of scoring ability, plenty of offense. We had to address compete, physicality and goals-against. Those were the concerns we had, and I think we did a good job of addressing those needs." -Dale Tallon per FloridaPanthers.com
Who They Got
Anton Stralman (32), D, Signed for 3 years for $16.5M
Cats fans are familiar with the former-Lightning defenseman. A responsible, veteran blueliner that should hopefully help out the young guys on the backend. He has committed less than 30 turnovers in each of his last three seasons and averages more than 20 minutes of ice time a night. Hopefully he'll be a stabilizing force on the blue line.
Tallon on Stralman:
“Anton is a veteran two-way defenseman who plays solid hockey and brings a wealth of experience and leadership to our lineup. His knowledge of the game and winning mentality will be a valuable asset for our young defensemen.”
Stralman by the Numbers per NHL.com:
"He has appeared in 749 career NHL regular season games for Tampa Bay (2014-15 to 2018-19), the New York Rangers (2011-12 to 2013-14), Columbus Blue Jackets (2009-10 to 2010-11) and Toronto Maple Leafs (2007-08 to 2008-09), producing 242 points (47-195-242) and a plus-72 rating. Stralman has played in 104 career playoff games and has reached the Stanley Cup Final twice (2014, 2015), producing 26 points (6-20-26)."
Brett Connolly (27), RW, Signed for 4 years at $3.5M per
Prior to signing with Florida, Connolly won a cup with Washington and scored 52 goals and 44 assists in 218 regular-season games with the Capitals. He's also coming off a career year of 22 goals and 24 assists. A solid move that provides even more scoring and depth up front.
Tallon on Connolly:
"Connolly's a very efficient player. He's averaged 18 goals the last three years with about 12 minutes of ice time per game. He can kill penalties. He can play on the power play. He can play a heavy game down low, and he's only 27 years old. That came into it as well. It's a good contract. I think it's a good fit for us."
Noel Acciari (27), F, Signed for 3 years at roughly $5M
Acciari will hopefully provide some physicality and sandpaper that the team has been in short supply of. He came in second for hits the past two years for the Bruins - registering a whopping 373 checks. He’s hard-nosed dude that can also kill penalties.
Tallon on Acciari:
"That's what we've been lacking. This guy's going to make people accountable, and make our own players accountable as well. He's a versatile player. He wins faceoffs and will take some of the burden away from [Barkov], taking D-zone faceoffs, killing penalties and playing that physical role. He gives our fourth line a little more spirit and passion."
Sergei Bobrovsky (30), G, Signed for 7 years at $10M per
Last but not least, long-rumored, two-time Vezina Trophy winner and everyone's favorite signing of the day...Sergei Bobrovsky.
From NHL.com:
"Fresh off a push to the postseason with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Bobrovsky owned an 37-24-1 record with a .913 save percentage, 2.58 goals against average and a league-leading, career-best nine shutouts last season. A two-time all-star, the 30-year-old owns a career record of 255-153-37 behind a .919 save percentage, 2.46 goals against average and 33 shutouts."
Bob is a great pickup - unreal boost for this squad, actually. While I'm super pumped to see him backstopping for the Cats, the deal def has me nervous...can't think of too many times massive contracts like this that pan out.
But, you know what, I'm going to just enjoy the signing for now. Having a guy as nasty as Bob in the blue paint rules! You can't argue with the results of a guy leading the NHL in wins over the last three seasons with 115. Woo!
Tallon on Bob:
"He gives you a chance to win every night. He's durable and a very good player. He's a student of the game. Nobody works harder. It'll be interesting to see guys like [captain Aleksander Barkov] and Bobrovsky working off the ice. It'll be a great example for our young players to follow."
Tallon on Knight’s future:
"He knows the plan. He's good with it. He's got time now to mature and develop at his pace. We've got high hopes for him. He's a brilliant goaltender."
What About the Others?
How do these signings effect the other UFAs (below) on the Cats roster? Will they resign any? For me, I'd like to see Sheahan resigned if possible. I love his game and what he brings to the center position on the lower lines.
Riley Sheahan (F)
Troy Brouwer (F)
Jamie McGinn (F)
Jean-Sebastien Dea (F)
Vincent Praplan (F)
Henrik Haapala (F)
Michael Downing (D)
Ludwig Bystrom (D)
Overall Frenzy Grade: A
It obviously seems cheesy for me to give such a high grade, but I really think they hit the "home run" Tallon was hoping for. All the guys they signed have playoff experience - with Connolly even winning a cup. Would have been an A+ for me, but I still have to take into consideration that Bob contract...HA!
I'm glad they didn't sign the Breadman. Incredible player, but so much money would have been tied up between him and Bob had they convinced him to sign. Honestly, kudos to Panarin for getting his chance to play for the Rags - something he's talked about/hinted at for years.
Missing out on Panarin allowed the Cats to use money and spread it out for depth and in areas they needed to address: defense, physicality/penalty-killing and added scoring.
The other reason for the high grade was due to the fulfillment of a promise and plan...
Tallon and FLA brass made a bold statement months ago and they actually followed it up. The first key move was bringing in Q. This gave the Panthers legitimacy, which no doubt helped start the domino effect that led to player interest in the organization. After that, it was just a matter of reeling in and signing the right guys - which they've done so far.
What's Next?
Now it's time to hit the ice and start putting it all together. The front office has opened up. The coaches are in place. The players are there (both current and future). The only thing that’s left to do is get on the same page and make it happen.
"I'd like to be given an automatic bid to the playoffs or into the finals, but that's a box we have to check for ourselves. It's been great so far. We've got work to do. We have to continue to keep improving every day. That's what we're all about." - Tallon
Go Panthers!
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