Peter DeBoer looking forward to the 2008/09 season

From George Richards of the Miami Herald:

"Ask my wife. I'm so excited about this job, I'm writing down line combinations in the middle of the night.''

The excitement is understandable. DeBoer, 40, has spent a lifetime working toward a job in the NHL.

He has spent the past seven seasons coaching the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. He led the Rangers to the pinnacle of Canadian junior hockey -- winning the Memorial Cup -- in 2003. Reluctant to bounce his young family from team to team and city to city, he turned down offers to be an NHL assistant coach and waited for a head coaching opportunity.

Read the entire article by Richards here.

DeBoer looks like a good candidate to try and turnaround the young Panthers. However, expectations shouldn't be high for this team, as they lack the necessary talent to make the playoffs this season.

Bouwmeester not on the trade block

From Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:

"As far as I know Bouwmeester is not the guy that Jacques Martin is offering up," said a league executive yesterday. "Bouwmeester is the guy they've got to build that team around. I haven't heard his name being offered around in a trade, not even once."

Read the entire article here.

Obviously the Panthers don't want to trade Bouwmeester, so it is no surprise that the Cats have not offered Bouwmeester up in a trade. But as Garrioch points out, the speedy defenseman can opt to sign a one-year deal through arbitration and then become an UFA after next season. Thus, the Panthers' only option may be to trade the defenseman if they cannot come to some sort of long-term agreement.

Stillman wants to change the culture of the Panthers dressing room

From George Richards of the Miami Herald:

''Hopefully, these guys have had enough of missing the playoffs, having people talk bad about the team, the organization,'' Stillman said. 'Hopefully, they're tired of hearing `Oh, he's never played in a playoff game.' You develop that mentality of hating to lose, but you have to learn to win.''

Read the entire article here.

Stillman may attempt to change the culture, but he can't change the skill level of this team. That is why the Panthers have little chance of making the post-season in 2008/09.

Panthers looking for improvement from Anthony Stewart

From Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

"Anthony seems to have a better understanding of where he's at and that he controls his own destiny," Martin said. "He realizes this is a key season for him. ...You hope the last three years he has learned and he'll come to camp and show us he's ready to play in the National Hockey League."

Read the entire article here.

Anthorny Stewart was supposed to be an important part of the Panthers' future when they drafted him in the first round of the 2003 draft. Unfortunately for both sides, the big forward has struggled with his confidence and consistency and has languished in the AHL.

Could Bouwmeester leave Florida after next season?

From George Richards of the Miami Herald:

The Panthers hold out hope Bouwmeester can be locked in for more than one season, although if the two sides do make it to arbitration, the longest contract Bouwmeester could be awarded is one year (for next season). That would leave the Panthers in a precarious situation. If Bouwmeester signs for only next season, he would become an unrestricted free agent after the 2008-09 season.

Florida's risk in keeping Bouwmeester through next season is seeing him walk away at the end of the year -- with nothing coming back in return. Bouwmeester is thought to be asking for a financial deal similar to one struck by Calgary's Dion Phaneuf last season. The Flames locked in their All-Star defenseman for an average of $6.5 million over the course of the six-year contract.

Read the entire article here.

Unless the Panthers break the bank for Bouwmeester, I would be surprised if he agreed to a long-term contract. The slick-skating defenseman seems to want out of South Florida and the appeal of unrestricted free agency a year from now is probably too much for him to pass up.

Bouwmeester files for arbitration

From Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

Panthers' defenseman Jay Bouwmeester has elected to take the team to salary arbitration, the NHL Players Association announced on Saturday.

The league's deadline for filing was 5 p.m. Hearings will be held July 20 to Aug. 4. Bouwmeester's agent, Bryon Baltimore, said his hearing date hasn't yet been determined.

Bouwmeester, a restricted free agent, was awarded a two-year, $4.35 million contract when the Panthers took him to arbitration in July 2006.

Read the entire article here.

Just because Bouwmeester has decided to file for arbitration, doesn't mean the Panthers can't sign him to a contract before the arbitration date. In fact, more often than not, teams sign there players after they have filed for arbitration but before the arbitration hearing is held.

That being said, this surely won't put an end to the whispers that Bouwmeester wouldn't mind getting out of Florida.

Update: Here is the list of all the players who filed for arbitration today.

Cory Stillman signs with Panthers

From TSN:

Florida signs UFA forward Cory Stillman to a 3 year deal worth $10.6-million.

Read the news here.

Why would the Panthers sign a veteran like Stillman? This team needs to completely rebuild from the ground up. They are a long way from competing for the Cup and a player like Stillman doesn't really make sense for them. Unless the goal is to get to the minimum cap level, I don't get this move.

Jokinen wasn't in high demand

From Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch:

It was surprising how little interest Olli Jokinen drew this weekend. The Panthers ended up trading him to the Coyotes for two defensemen and a second-round pick. Lots of clubs wanted nothing to do with a 90-point scorer. "Last guy on the ice for practice and first guy off it," is how it was put to me by one NHL exec. (No, not a Blue Jackets' exec.) Howson acknowledged he made a pitch to the Panthers, but wouldn't reveal his offer.

Read more tidbits from Portzline here.

Portzline does a good job of getting fans some inside information here. If Jokinen is indeed the last guy on and first guy off, then that, coupled with his lack of playoff experience, probably became a red-flag for many teams who initially coveted the big center.

Bouchard offered up by Wild in package for Jokinen

From Michael Russo of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

According to two sources, the Wild offered 5-foot-10 Pierre-Marc Bouchard, 24, the slick, playmaking right winger who has scored 179 points the past three seasons.

However, while Panthers scouts like Bouchard's ability and future, the Panthers' management wasn't interested for the same reason Minnesota offered him, Florida sources said.

Read the entire story here.

With many teams chasing after Jokinen, it will probably take more than a package centering around PMB to get it done.

Flames interested in Jokinen

From Jean Lefebvre of the Calgary Herald:

For years there's been speculation the Finnish centreman was Calgary-bound. The talk started long before Mike Keenan moved behind the Flames bench and certainly picked up steam afterwards, the veteran coach and Jokinen having enjoyed a solid relationship during their days together in South Florida.

Well, if it's ever going to happen, this coming week might be the time. The National Hockey League draft is on the docket next weekend in Ottawa and the annual gathering of team poobahs is often the scene of the first major transactions of the summer.

Read the entire article here.

The Flames will have some heavy competition for the services of Jokinen. I can see the Wild offering up a package including Pierre-Marc Bouchard, and a bunch of other teams will surely be in the fray. If the Flames do get their man, they are going to have to give up quite a fair number of assets; never mind, their cap situation. It should be an interesting summer for GM Darryl Sutter.

Panthers have coach, now they need players

From David J. Neal of the Miami Herald:

He needs at least four of six defensemen who handle the puck smoother than they would a greased frog. The Panthers have maybe three. He also needs at least three lines of forwards who can take a pass in stride with a decent idea of what they are going to do next. The Panthers have maybe two.

To that end, the Panthers need to get defenseman Jay Bouwmeester re-signed. This would the kind of team on which he would flourish, as he has shown in the World Championships and World Cups in which he has participated with other players of similar talent.

Also, the Panthers need to develop the skill guys among their draft picks better than they have. They haven't cornered the market on guys who can do everything with the puck but consistently score or at least set up a gimme goal, but if that commodity were oil, they would be ExxonMobil.

Maybe Martin found the right coach. We will know if he finds the right players.

Read the entire article here.

Basically Neal is calling for the Panthers to get better players. Which, of course, is far easier said than done. What team in the NHL doesn't want what Neal has asked for?

Alan Cohen explains price hike

From George Richards of the Miami Herald:

"I have not raised ticket prices and have made sure our games are affordable,'' Cohen said. "But when fans of the Rangers, Canadians, Maple Leafs, whatever, come down here and fill our building, we should get a little more for it. This is being done to protect our ticket holders, our fans. Our fans can call up right now and buy a Fathers' Day package and not pay the extra money. Our tickets are a great deal and people know this.''

Read the entire entry from On Frozen Blog here.

Give Richards credit, he gives Cohen the time and space to respond to his earlier entry. Cohen's explanation is actually not that bad. However, I still don't like to see any price increase for tickets to see the team. Regardless how many fans from out-of-town come to see the Original Six teams, the hike still applies to fans in the area who want to see a game with a good atmosphere inside the Panthers' arena. Tickets are already expensive enough to see NHL hockey, let's stop making up reasons to keep upping the price.

Panthers raise some single game ticket prices

From George Richards of the Miami Herald:

The big news is that the Panthers are raising single game prices. To a select number of games, the price hike is pretty substantial.

Like the price of premium gas, tickets to 'premium' hockey games in South Florida is skyrocketing. The Panthers plan to add $25 PER SEAT to games they deem 'high demand.' By my estimates, that is probably about five games a year. But, be sure, the Panthers will consider quite a few games 'high demand' whether they are or not.

Want to go to Opening Night but don't want to plunk down the big bucks and commit to a season ticket? Add $25 bucks to your ticket. Want to see the Rangers? The Canadiens? If the Canucks come down, wanna see Louie? Cough up the dough pal.

Read the entire entry from On Frozen Pond here.

Another miscalculation by another NHL franchise. This team can hardly draw any fans to their games and now they are going to raise tickets to the few games people actually want to pay to see. If I were a hockey fan in Florida (let me tell you, there aren't many), I would skip these games because of the price hike and hit the beach.

The NHL has enough problems selling the game in the southern US, they don't need to be adding to their problems with moves like this.

Could Olli Jokinen be on the move?

From Steve Gorten of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

Martin said Bouwmeester will not be traded. The same can't be said of center Olli Jokinen.

Martin said the captain's future is up in the air."We haven't made the playoffs here, so bottom line is we're looking to improve our hockey club," Martin said. "Is that with Olli back here or Olli not back here? I don't know at this point in time."

Read the entire article here.

Jokinen's name has been in and out of trade rumors for a couple of years. By reading closely, it appears Martin will be shopping Jokinen, or at least listening to trade offers. I believe Jokinen is a horse and a player that many teams will covet. Even though he hasn't made the playoffs since breaking into the NHL, I don't think that will make teams shy away from attempting to acquire him. The fact is, it is hard to come by big, strong centers who can control the play along the boards and generally don't get injured.

Panthers coaching search continues

From George Richards of the Miami Herald:

First off, the Panthers have asked for and been granted permission to speak to Paul Maurice (Toronto) and Perry Pearn (Rangers assistant). Martin has already had a conversation with Maurice, done when JM was at the team's development camp outside of Toronto.

"I've talked to Paul when I was there,'' he said. "I just had a meeting with him. It was a good meeting, but there are a couple more people I want to talk to.

"I don't have a timetable yet, but I'd like to pick up the pace in the coming week.''

We spoke a little bit about Andre Savard, with JM saying the two are friends. As far as him coming south to the Florida, I don't think it's going to be as coach. Jacques said Savard is very good in the scouting department and some reports I've seen imply that Savard wants to get back in the front office and back from behind the bench.

Read the entire entry from On Frozen Pond here.

I would like to see Martin give someone new a coaching try. A coach like Perry Pearn is someone who deserves to get a chance to run his own team. Fresh faces bring a new perspective and personality to the game and the NHL could use more of that.

Insurance risk is now on the public

Dave Christensen of the Miami Herald: "If a hurricane destroys the BankAtlantic Center, home of hockey's Florida Panthers, Broward taxpayers will be on the hook for any damage over $150 million because the arena is underinsured."

Here is the full article courtesy of the Miami Herald.

Just one thought: Why should the public be on the hook for damage to an arena they never attend?

NHL Morning Papers--Eastern Conference (Saturday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Eric Duhatschek takes a look at the difference between coaching in the regular season and in the playoffs.
• William Houston provides readers with all they need to know about television and the NHL playoffs.
• Cam Cole of the National Post wonders where the Canucks can go from here.

Here are the Atlantic Division morning papers:

• The Rangers would have liked to defeat the Islanders last night, however, the team still controls its own fate in the standings, writes Larry Brooks.
• The Flyers defeated their arch-rival Devils and, in turn, clinched a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. It was an extremely exciting night on the Philadelphia sports landscape, writes Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
• Shelly Anderson has an interesting story about Penguins strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar. Meanwhile, the Penguins could be getting rugged winger Gary Roberts back for the regular season finale on Sunday.
• Greg Logan of Newsday recaps why the Islanders had such a tough year in the standings.
• Devils coach Brent Sutter thinks the Devils currently "lack professionalism."

Here are the Southeast Division morning papers:

• The Hurricanes may have given away the Southeast Division title last night, writes Luke Decock. The writers surrounding the Hurricanes selected Eric Staal as the team's MVP this season.
• With just one point tonight against the Florida Panthers, the Capitals will walk away with the Southeast Division title.
• Kari Lehtonen says the Thrashers are not tanking it to improve their chances at getting a better selection in the upcoming draft. (Writer's note: Apparently he hasn't seen this team play the last three weeks)
• The Panthers are shooting to ruin the Capitals season tonight with a victory over Ovechkin and friends.
• The Lightning will play tonight's game against Atlanta without superstar Vincent Lecavalier.

Here are the Northeast Division morning papers:

• The Senators backed into a playoff spot last night, with a 2-1 home loss to the Bruins, writes Bruce Garrioch. Both Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher are out of the Senators line up for weeks.
• Forget a possible suspension for the Daniel Alfredsson hit, Mark Bell is going to jail after the season.
• Dave Stubbs profiles Mathieu Dandenault in this morning's Montreal Gazette. Dandenault's teammate Alexei Kovalev has his eyes on the Cup.
• Both Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek are having trouble accepting the Sabres' non-playoff season. In great news, the Sabres will welcome Teppo Numminen back to their line up for the season finale.
• Most people didn't predict this prior to the season, but the Bruins are heading to the playoffs after last night's win at Ottawa. Clinching a playoff spot last night allows for Marc Savard and Patrice Bergeron to gear towards a return.

The Western Conference morning papers are soon to follow...

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com

News You Can Use Late in the Day

1. Playoff positioning is extra tight in the East. Thats what she said?
2. The Flyers will be without Derian Hatcher and RJ Umberger for the season and the next two weeks, respectively.
3. Is Malkin better without Crosby?
4. Jim Kelley weighs in on the Pronger suspension.
5. Don't look now, but the Panthers are surging.
6. A preview of the CHL Playoffs, with a look at the favourites.
7. The weekly release from the USHL.
8. Minnesota Gophers Forward Tom Pohl has surgery to relieve bleeding on the brain.
9. ECHL'er Robin Gomez may face charges for sucker punching Chris Ferraro.
10. The Hockey News catches up with Fred O'Donnell.
11. Want to know more about a player you never heard of? Check this out.
12. The weekly Hot List from the Hockey News.
13. Meet the consensus #1 pick in the OHL Draft.
14. The Canadian Press pegs the Pacific Division as the race to watch.
15. The weekly Campbellnomics post.
16. A preview of the CIS Men's Hockey Championships.
17. A list of some of the more creative nicknames in the NHL.
18. A look at the internet hype created by NHL goalie equipment.
19. The Blue Jackets are having trouble staying healthy.
20. Someone made a documentary about the Whalers.
21. Detroit is abuzz with Babcock rumours.
22. Darren Eliot tabs Marty Brodeur as the best goalie ever.
23. Erik Ersberg is the latest puck stopper in the Kings Dial-a-Goalie system.
24. Mary Buckhelt gives her opinion on the tie game in the Michigan High School championship.
25. Joe Pelletier's Top 10 Defenders.

Cold Hard Rants presents Positive Thinking

For the past number of months I have been (sporadically) regaling my loyal reading audience with my rants, usually of the angry variety, as rantings are wont to be, as it relates to the NHL. Well, in an effort to prevent the pre-conceived notion from developing that I am nothing but a critic (and as we all know, it is easier to be a critic), this column will be nothing but positive things relating to the NHL. Perhaps it’s the beautiful lunar eclipse occurring outside, or maybe the cold weather has frozen me in a positive feeling, but whatever its reason, here is a list of positive things relating to the NHL:

1) I’m thankful to the NHL for putting teams in outposts like Atlanta, Carolina, Nashville, Miami and Tampa Bay. Without doing so, these cities would be woefully unprepared in case home freezers could no longer perform their complicated duties
2) I’m thankful to Gary Bettman for performing his job so woefully, as without his incompetence, hockey’s popularity would have increased and there would be even more hockey on TV thus preventing me from maximizing my usefulness
3) I’m thankful Bettman did everything in his power to remove a team from Winnipeg, thus ensuring I can not spend recklessly on Jets tickets and assorted paraphernalia
4) I’m thankful the CBC still employs Don Cherry. In society, when we are doing everything in our power to eliminate xenophobia, it’s refreshing that the CBC still employs someone not afraid to appeal to everyone’s base prejudices and pre-conceived notions of people
5) I’m thankful the NHL hasn’t clearly established rules for the shoot-out. It’s only been 3 years already. Controversy puts butts in the seats.
6) I’m thankful that hockey, a game best appreciated for it’s speed, has now slowed to a crawl thanks to all the stoppages for TV timeouts, radio timeouts, web-cast timeouts, and live-blog timeouts. It’s nice that the NHL is stretching games out over a longer time period so paying customers feel they are getting their money’s worth. Considerate, really.

So, as you can see there are many things to be thankful for as a hockey fan. And next time someone accuses me of being a jaded, bitter hockey fan this article will prove differently. What are some of the things in the NHL you are positive about/thankful for? Feel free to comment below, and broaden my horizons.

For Illegal Curve, I am Andrew M.

NHL Morning Papers (Wednesday Edition)

Here are the national morning papers:

• Downsizing goaltending equipment is once again a topic of concern at the GM meetings in Florida, writes Mark Spector of the National Post.
• Damien Cox of the Toronto Star says the NHL has declared war on goalie equipment.
• Kevin Allen of USA Today provides readers with trade facts with less than a week to go before the trading deadline.

Here are the Eastern Conference morning papers:

• Bobby Holik is not bothered by the trade rumors in Atlanta, writes Craig Custance.
• The Bruins blew a two-goal lead with less than two minutes remaining in the third period to Carolina, but came back to win 3-2 in a shootout, writes Fluto Shinwaza. Bruins defenseman Aaron Ward is hoping he doesn't get traded before Tuesday.
• Derek Roy will suit up tonight for the Sabres versus the Lightning. Apparently defenseman Brian Campbell is not close to signing a contract extension.
• The Hurricanes came back to earn one point, and extended their Southeast Division lead to three points in their 3-2 shootout loss to the Bruins.
• The Panthers blew a two-goal lead for the second straight game and lost 3-2 at Pittsburgh last night, writes Steve Gorten.
• There are comebacks, then there are COMEBACKS, and last night the Habs pulled off their greatest regular season comeback in team history by defeating the Rangers 6-5. Last night marked the twelfth straight game that Jaromir Jagr hasn't scored.
• "I think they took on some responsibility themselves," said coach Brent Sutter about the Devils recent winning surge. As a reward, coach Sutter gave the Devils a mini-break.
• Larry Brooks shows no mercy in his critique of the Rangers' blowing a five-goal lead. Last night's loss was the Rangers worst blown lead in team history.
• Andy Sutton will be out of the Islanders line-up for 4-6 weeks with a hamstring problem.
• John Paddock's hunch to play Ray Emery last night paid off as the Senators defeated the Flyers 3-2. Meanwhile, Senators winger Antoine Vermette says the trade rumors have bothered him a bit.
• Tim Panaccio of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the details behind the Jaroslav Modry trade. On the ice, the Flyers continued their struggles by losing their eighth game in a row.
• The Penguins pulled off a 3-2 victory last night, after being down 2-0 to the Panthers entering the third period. Both the Penguins and Panthers have been faced with a fair amount of injuries this season.
• Lightning defenseman Brad Lukowich has undergone surgery for a sports hernia.
• The Leafs defeated the Blue Jackets 3-1 last night but it didn't come without a cost, writes Paul Hunter.

I'm running late today, so I won't be able to post the Western Conference papers. The usual format will return tomorrow.

For Illegal Curve, I'm Richard Pollock.

Email any thoughts, ideas or suggestions to illegalcurve@gmail.com