Florida Panthers

I can't quite remember who said it because it was so long ago, but I believe it was an Original Six coach who, while lamenting his team's poor performance because of an inordinate amount of injuries. said, "When my regulars get back, some of these guys will be sent so far away that even The Hockey News won't be able to find them."

You couldn't blame Florida Panthers coach Kevin Dineen if he uttered similar thoughts.

What should have been a most promising season, based on last year's improvement and the addition of rookie sensation Jonathan Huberdeau, turned out to be a disaster from before day one. In a fine example of Murphy's Law, everything that could go wrong did go wrong en route to the Cats finishing dead last in the NHL.

When Dineen spoke to the press on locker clean-out day, he cited the frequent unpreparedness and lack of conditioning among some of his players when the shortened season began, hinting that a number of his players were admonished to come to the next training camp in better shape. In reviewing the team's weaknesses, he lamented, "We were porous at times and too easy to play against."

According to the website mangameslost.com, there were a whopping 271 official man games lost to injury (most in the NHL) based upon team reports. At no time during the season did the team have all of the prior season's returning defenders on the ice in the same game. 

Captain Ed Jovanovski played all of six games. Dmitry Kulikov, Mike Weaver and promising youngster Erik Gudbranson all lost extended time. Gudbranson's preseason injury was not even hockey related.  

Up front, last year's top line was decimated.  Although Tomas Fleischmann had a relatively good year, his former linemates, Stephen Weiss and Kris Versteeg, had lost seasons. In addition, Sean Bergenheim didn't play a single game due to a sports hernia sustained while playing in Europe during the lockout. Only Fleischmann, Brian Campbell, Jonathan Huberdeau and Shawn Matthias played the full 48-game slate.

Things were so bad that they often bordered on comical.

Take the case of NHL hopeful Eric Selleck, who was brought up for one game as an injury replacement. He succeeded in instigating a fight in the last five minutes of the game with his team up 3-0. The end result was a concussion for Selleck after a TKO by Carolina's Kevin Westgarth, a suspension, an automatic $10,000 fine for Dineen because Selleck left the bench and for goalie Jacob Markstrom, the loss of a shutout on the ensuing power play.

To add to the irony, since Selleck was injured in an NHL game, the only one of his career at the time, the Panthers were forced to keep him on the roster during his recuperation, paying him an NHL salary. A similar situation happened with Michael Caruso, a promising defender who was an early-season injury replacement. He suffered a broken arm in the second game of the season and remained on the varsity roster drawing big league pay until he was healthy enough to return to San Antonio (AHL) at the end of March.

On the positive side, with the number two pick in this June's draft, either Seth Jones, Nathan MacKinnon or Jonathan Drouin would look mighty good in a Panthers' uniform.

Opportunities Were Plentiful

Of the 30 players who wore Panthers red this year, 14 had played in the AHL at some time during the season, and eight players made their NHL debuts. The injuries provided audition opportunities for youngsters.

Undrafted rookie Drew Shore managed to become a regular. He showed signs of brilliance before slowing up with a wrist injury, which required offseason surgery. Quinton Howden displayed a lot of speed and hustle but didn't register a point in his 18 games. Nick Bjugstad signed a contract after his college season was over but managed only one goal in 11 games.

In short, there was a steady group of commuters between San Antonio (AHL) and South Florida.

One of the more impressive call-ups was 6'4" 21-year-old defenseman Alex Petrovic, who joined the Cats for the final six games of the season. Petrovic was a second-round draft pick in 2010, the year general manager Dale Tallon was able to stockpile a generous supply of draft picks. He might have been called up earlier had he not been injured in San Antonio.

He probably expressed the sentiments of all eight who made their debuts. "The first couple of games felt a little surreal out there but now that I've got my feet under me and know the guys, I just want to go out there and play hockey. When your chance comes, you've got to just go out and seize the moment."

In an unheralded mid-March transaction, Tallon may have plugged a gaping hole. By acquiring Buffalo farmhand and frequent healthy scratch T.J. Brennan for a third-round 2013 draft pick (acquired from Los Angeles for Keaton Ellerby), he might have solved the problem of a replacement for Jason Garrison to partner on the power play with playmaking D-man Brian Campbell. Like Garrison, Brennan has a booming shot that draws people to him, thus giving Campbell more time and space for his own very effective shot.

Brennan managed nine points in 19 games with the Cats.

Brennan was grateful for the opportunity. "In Buffalo, they were just going in a different direction. Having played for Kevin before (Portland of the AHL), he knows my style of play. I appreciate the opportunity."

Big Offseason Decisions 

Tallon will be faced with several dilemmas in the offseason.

Stephen Weiss, the face of team and a 10-year veteran, struggled early on this year and then abruptly ended his season by opting for long-deferred wrist surgery. As a UFA, it is conceivable that the popular Weiss has played his last game as a Panther. Tallon must decide whether he can afford the risk of re-signing him, given his difficulties. Maybe a short-term deal will be in the works, which could be extended based upon performance.

The goaltending situation is more perplexing. Jose Theodore had season-ending knee surgery in March. The veteran netminder, who had a good season prior but was shaky much of this year before the injury, is now a UFA. My guess is that Tallon will not re-sign him, with Jacob Markstrom emerging as the No. 1 netminder and a year left on backup Scott Clemmensen's contract.

While Markstrom has been brilliant at times, he has also been erratic. His GAA is fair, but then again, he had a largely AHL roster in front of him. He's done his apprenticeship in the minors, so Tallon and his brain trust must decide if they need insurance via a free agent or trade, given the possibility that Theodore will not be back.

Both Weiss and Theodore have stated publicly that they would like to return, but Tallon has been noncommittal. Talking to the media at his postseason briefing, Tallon said, "There's a business to this and we're going to do what's best for our franchise long term." 

Not a great endorsement. Tallon must also decide on whether or not to attempt to extend RFAs Peter Mueller, Shawn Matthias and Jack Skille, all of whom are noted for their hard work. Mueller had a great comeback season after suffering from concussion issues, and Matthias, given the ice time, had a career year.

Perhaps the biggest decision will be what to do with that No. 2 draft pick. With Nathan MacKinnon, Seth Jones and  Jonathan Drouin the top three available, the Cats are guaranteed a potential future star. On the surface it would seem that MacKinnon, a center, would be the top choice, but with young centers Huberdeau and Bjugstad likely here for the long haul, it may make more sense to go for a potential top defender like Jones, if he isn't selected by Colorado with its No. 1 pick.

Room for Optimism

It's hard to find bright spots for a team that finished dead last in the NHL in points, goals against, goal differential and penalty-killing efficiency. They were only one tally above last in goals for, but on the positive side, the power play was a healthy No. 6, so there is room for optimism.

This year's first-round draft pick, no matter who the Cats choose, will be significant to the long-term future of the team, along with the multitude of draft selections already in the organization. 

At Tallon's press briefing he said, "There are a lot of failures in this business before you have success." He went on to cite the upcoming draft and a few more "pieces to the puzzle" and concluded with, "Our future is bright."

Alan Greenberg is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand. 

When the Florida Panthers managed to finish atop the Southeast Division last season, and then take the New Jersey Devils to double overtime in the seven-game first-playoff round, Panthers followers were saying that Dale Tallon's long-term rebuilding plan was ahead of schedule. Maybe so. Tallon made a few seemingly ingenious moves by stockpiling draft choices and selective veteran acquisitions.

As credible as the first-place finish had seemed—in reality, they barely qualified for the playoffs—it might have hurt them by dropping them to No. 23 in the 2012 draft. In the previous two years, the low finishes gave the Cats the No. 3 pick each year, which landed them Erik Gudbranson in 2010 and Jonathan Huberdeau in 2011. These two have already established that they are ready for the NHL, with a formidable group behind them still in juniors or college.

Unfortunately, with the disastrous start to the shortened season, the hopes built up last season have been deflated. It's been the perfect ice storm. After 20 games, the Panthers are No. 27 in NHL points and, among other dubious stats, have given up the most goals and have the highest negative differential of goals for and against.

The youngsters have impressed, but the veterans, most of whom represent Tallon and assistant general manager Mike Santos' acquisitions since Tallon came aboard, have been having a hard time. Injuries and slumps have turned this short season into a nightmare.

Long-time Panther Stephen Weiss had been the face of the team during the transition to the Tallon era. Last season he centered a top line which sizzled the first half of the year and fizzled in the second half. Weiss was split from Kris Versteeg and Tomas Fleischmann intermittently later in the season when their productivity fell. Versteeg had offseason hip surgery, which would have prevented him from starting the season based on the original schedule. The lockout gave him some more recovery time, but on the eve of opening night he suffered a groin injury, followed by a chest injury when Alex Ovechkin clobbered him. He has missed seven of the first 20 games and is now day-to-day.

To compound the situation, Scottie Upshall, who missed the bulk of last season, has played only seven games due to an ankle injury. Veteran Ed Jovanovski, who was recently named team captain, performed well last season but has had nothing but problems this year due to a knee injury. Jovanovski, who received a plush four-year deal when Tallon had to reach the cap floor, has only played five games this season.

Then, there is the strange case of Sean Bergenheim, who the Panthers have been mum about. Purportedly, he was injured playing in Europe during the lockout and is now a non-roster suspended player. The rumor is that he is done for the year, if not permanently, in Florida.

Tallon's premier acquisition, Brian Campbell, has played some stellar games this year but, defensively, is deep in minus territory. His new partner, Filip Kuba, was brought in as a replacement for Jason Garrison but has not provided the same offensive spark. On the bright side, Campbell has been shooting more and has six goals.

Another of Tallon's risky acquisitions, Fleischmann (Flash), led the team in scoring last season while playing the full compliment of games after overcoming serious health issues. "Flash" has been shifted a few times by coach Kevin Dineen but has been the one steady force through the team's slump. Finally, Marcel Goc, Jack Skille and Tomas Kopecky, all Tallon acquisitions, play their reliable and gritty two-way game, but none are gamebreakers.

In goal, Tallon acquisition Jose Theodore has been struggling this year, as is his backup Scott Clemmensen. After two consecutive games in which Dineen saw the need to pull a goaltender, he told a post-game media gathering, "I have two quality veterans who know the game and how to step it up. That's not happening for us right now." Heir apparent Jacob Markstrom played well in his two-game trial, which was probably designed to shake up the two regular goalies.

To round out the series of personnel disasters, the two players acquired in the David Booth trade last season, Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm, are gone with nothing in return. Alex Kovalev was awarded a one-year contract based on a strong camp but, after opening night, he has fizzled and has been a frequent healthy scratch.

The latest in the chain of misfortune is defenseman Mike Weaver, who was injured in Thursday's shootout loss to Buffalo. He has been a steady force on defense and has been able to compensate for freewheeling Dmitry Kulikov's defensive lapses. According to Dineen, at the same post-game briefing, "Mike Weaver's got a lower body injury which will take quite a while."

The situation has gone from bad to worse.

Now for the good news.

The future is bright. Markstrom has a bright future, but is not being rushed to action. Huberdeau is among the team leaders in goals and scoring. He has all the moves of a potential superstar.

Gudbranson is an intimidating presence on the blue line, as he proved in last year's playoffs and is mature beyond his 21 years.

Young Drew Shore, an undrafted college prospect playing in the AHL, got a break due to all of the injuries and has sparkled on a line with Huberdeau and Peter Mueller. Shore is third of all rookies in shots on goal, behind Huberdeau and Ottawa's Jakob Silfverberg. Mueller, who has been plagued by concussion issues, played well in a partial season at Colorado last year but when the Avs didn't make him an offer, Tallon took a chance and has been rewarded for it.

The Cats are well-stocked with Tallon draft picks maturing in college and juniors.

Nobody will ever accuse anyone playing for Dineen of not hustling or of avoiding those dirty areas. The glaring weaknesses have been in goal and four-on-four situations (four losses—no wins in five-minute overtimes).

As the shortened season moves on, Tallon will have some more critical decisions to make. Does he stick with his remaining veterans or does the rebuilding go back to square one?  My guess is that unless the Panthers rally for a playoff berth there will be many new faces next season.

Florida Panthers rookie Jonathan Huberdeau dominated the Philadelphia Flyers in a 5-2 victory on Thursday night that helped proved why the 19-year-old forward is leading the race for the Calder Trophy in 2013.

St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko and Tampa Bay Lightning winger Cory Conacher have also been impressive this season, and both are worthy of being finalists for the Calder, but Huberdeau is the favorite to win the award right now.

Huberdeau earned four points (two goals, two assists) and a plus-three rating against the Flyers. He also made a spectacular move (video below) to beat Philadelphia goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov on the first penalty shot of his young career. It was the first four-point game by a rookie this season.

The Panthers forward ranks second in scoring among all NHL rookies with 13 points, first in goals (eight), fifth in shots (34) and fifth in power-play points (three). Huberdeau is also the only rookie leading his team in goals and points.

More importantly, Huberdeau is playing a lead role on a team that needs someone to step up and contribute offensively on a consistent basis.

Florida ranks 24th in goals scored and only five players on the team have scored more than seven points through 16 games.

Thanks to Huberdeau's great start to the season, the Panthers are only four points away from the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference after a terrible 1-5 start.

Although he's not known for his defensive play, Huberdeau is tied for the team lead with a plus-three rating and also has six takeaways to go with 10 hits.

The young forward's improvement defensively this season is a very encouraging sign for the Panthers and it proves that Huberdeau has the ability to become an elite NHL center in the near future.

There was a lot of pressure on the former No. 3 overall (2011) pick to play like a star right away and become a face of the franchise early in his career, and thus far, Huberdeau has lived up to expectations.

His impressive performance at both ends of the ice at even strength and on the power play is not getting the attention it deserves, primarily because he plays in a non-traditional hockey market, and that will motivate Huberdeau to play at an even higher level for the rest of the year.

Huberdeau has been more responsible for his team's success than any other rookie in the NHL this season.

With 10 points in his last 10 games, the Panthers star is well on his way to leading all rookies in scoring and securing an invitation to the 2013 NHL Awards as a Calder Trophy finalist.

Nicholas Goss' Calder Trophy Rankings (As of February 22)

1. Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA): 16GP, 8G, 5A
2. Cory Conacher (TBL): 16GP, 6G, 9A
3. Vladimir Tarasenko (STL): 17GP, 6G, 6A
4. Alex Galchenyuk (MTL): 17GP, 2G, 8A
5. Dougie Hamilton (BOS: 14GP, 1G, 7A

Nicholas Goss is an NHL Lead Writer at Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter. He was a credentialed reporter at the 2011 Stanley Cup Final and 2012 NHL playoffs.

He’s an Olympic Gold medalist. He took the Canucks to their first Stanley Cup final since 1994. He’s a finalist for the Hart Trophy and the league’s MVP award, and he is the franchise’s all-time leader in shutouts and wins. 

But Vancouver doesn’t want goaltender Roberto Luongo anymore, and the veteran netminder wants out of the Pacific Northwest.

Luongo has been on the trading block since last summer. Backup Corey Schneider outperformed Luongo in the regular season and playoffs, where the top-seeded Canucks were upset by the upstart Los Angeles Kings.

Schneider is now Vancouver’s starter, and last summer TSN reported Luongo said he would waive his no-trade clause if asked to be moved.

“It’s going to be what’s best for the team,” Luongo said. “Whatever scenario that is, I’m okay with it—whether that involves me being here is not is okay.”

While Canucks GM Mike Gillis has been patient in his search for a new home for Luongo, and the goalie recently told RDS he would be willing to stay in Vancouver for the lockout-shortened season but not for the long term, it may be in both the team and player’s best interests to divorce now.

While the months of trade rumors have brought numerous reputed suitors, one team makes perfect sense for Luongo: his old team of five seasons, the Florida Panthers. 

Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News notes that the Panthers have been rumored to be in the running for Luongo since June of 2012.

Some may argue that with current starter Jose Theodore in the net, the Panthers are set at the goaltending position. After all, Theodore is a former Hart Trophy winner who propelled Florida to its first playoff season since 2000 last year.

But by acquiring Luongo, Florida would be making a significant statement. Theodore is the type of goaltender who gets you to the playoffs. Luongo is the type of goaltender who will get you to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Luongo has a career goals-against average of 2.52 and a save percentage of .919, while Theodore checks in with stats of 2.66 and .910, respectively. Luongo is also more durable than Theodore—the latter has not played 60 games in a season since the 2003-04 campaign.

Additionally, Luongo wants to make this move. The goaltender maintains an offseason residence with his wife and two children in the South Florida area. In a September interview with the Miami Sun-Sentinel, Luongo said the Panthers were his “preferred location.”

The Panthers took a step forward with their playoff appearance last season. The next logical move would be to bring home Luongo.

The lockout has to be a bittersweet pill for Dale Tallon and the Florida Panthers. On one hand, they were planning to celebrate and build upon last season's success by raising the Southeast Division banner on opening night.

The team is to be commended for their 22-point, regular-season improvement and for taking the New Jersey Devils Cup finalists to a match with seven double overtimes in the first round.

But on the other hand, their success was in a weak division, and the reality is that they didn't qualify for the playoffs until the penultimate game. They clinched first place in the Division on the final day.

Had the current season started on time, there would have been numerous question marks. The Cats had two key power-play members in Mikael Samuelsson and breakout D-man Jason Garrison, which they lost to free agency. Samuelsson couldn't wait for Tallon to determine if he had cap space, so he opted a return to Detroit where he earned a Stanley Cup ring in 2008.

Garrison had the perfect opportunity to test free agency, and he received an offer he couldn't refuse from his hometown Canucks. For his sake, let's hope his success in Florida last year wasn't solely due to being partnered with puck handler extraordinaire Brian Campbell.

Lost in the departure of Samuelsson and the lack of an offer to UFA Marco Sturm is the reality that there is now zero to show for last season's trade of David Booth to Vancouver.

The loss of Garrison particularly stung, but Tallon chose to accept it and move on. "It's part of the business. You don't get many kicks at the can of free agency."

The other uncertainties concerned injuries.

Kris Versteeg—who had his best season and was rewarded with a multi-year contract extension—had offseason hip surgery and would not have been ready for the season opener.

Young defenseman Erik Gudbranson, who had developed a lot of maturity by late in the season, injured his shoulder during an informal pre-training camp workout (an injury not reported until the story was broken by Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel). He had surgery and will be out for around four months.

Given the unavailability of Versteeg and Gudbranson, a delayed start to the season may be a blessing.  Also on the uncertain side are Tomas Fleischmann's recovery from a broken hand during the playoffs and emerging RFA defenseman Dmitry Kulikov remaining unsigned.

All of the negatives threaten to derail the momentum, but back to the positive side: Florida has one of the best group of prospects around, thanks to Tallon's stockpiling draft picks.

Jonathan Huberdeau, who can become the team's best breakout scorer since Pavel Bure, was a lock to make the team. He's back in juniors for the duration of the lockout. Over the next several seasons, there will be an influx of young blood to be added to the 28 draft picks from Tallon's first two seasons.

Back to the present and the realities of the lockout.

Some of the Panthers continue to practice on their own, renting ice at the team's training facility but sans any coaches or use of the team's facilities or equipment. They use the same dressing rooms as the peewee players.

Panthers' player-rep Mike Weaver has been candid with the media on the prospects of a quick settlement. Unlike prior CBA negotiations, the players are more trusting of Donald Fehr than they were of former leaders, and they are unified behind him.

The difference between the last CBA and this CBA is us being educated. Don has done a great job of that. Having Don and the lawyers we hired in the last two years has made us more informed. I think that shows in the proposal we gave them. It fixes the problems that the owners were saying hurt them over previous years.

Of course, there are two sides to every story, but Weaver reiterated that the union was not being unreasonable.

We want a partnership. We want what's fair to both sides.  Bettman said last time it was a partnership but it wasn't. Our proposal really does say that…to partner with the high net worth teams and we want to help the teams that are not there yet.

He went on to opine that perhaps the owners are not as unified as the players and some acted contrary to the message they are sending by entering huge long term contracts with players. "They sign these guys to huge contracts, maybe hoping they will get them rolled back..."

After all was said and done, Weaver said of his far more unified membership, "We've been preparing for this for two years."

Florida had increased it's fan base with last year's success (attendance was up to 86% of capacity), and this break in momentum can wipe out all of the gains and a very effective offseason marketing campaign. The team has already announced layoffs of office personnel.

According to NHL.com, ESPN recently upped Cats' ranking to the 33rd top sports franchise nationwide (up from number 111), second only to the Miami Heat in South Florida and surpassing the Dolphins.

Stay tuned.

Alan Greenberg is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

This past week, Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo expressed his desire to return to the Florida Panthers in a report by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

While there is an obvious complication in the form of an organizational goaltending logjam, the Panthers could still accommodate Luongo if they involved a third party in a swap with the Canucks.

The Panthers presently have veteran Jose Theodore clutching the No. 1 job with seasoned backup Scott Clemmensen behind him, followed by a rising star in Jacob Markstrom still fostering his game in the AHL. Markstrom was among his league's top 10 in both goals-against average and save percentage in 2011-12. He will likely require no more than one more year in the minors.

Vancouver similarly has Cory Schneider all but overdue to claim the starting job and AHLer Eddie Lack raring for a new challenge.

Naturally, a direct Luongo-Theodore swap would do no favors for the Canucks. Nor would the plebeian Panthers be wise to relinquish a quality skater just to satisfy a former castaway’s wish.

But if Theodore could be dangled for a team seeking reformation in the crease and could nudge a forward from that team to Vancouver, the Luongo-to-Florida proposition would gain instantaneous viability.

Granted, there are not many NHL organizations that have neither a goaltending gridlock similar to the Panthers nor an appreciable incumbent starter.

The Chicago Blackhawks are the most logical exception to that norm. The Washington Capitals—one of Theodore’s former teams—also comes to mind, but it appears they would just as soon go forward with the youthful tandem of Braden Holtby and Michael Neuvirth rather than return one half to the minors.

In Chicago, the 35-year-old Theodore—in lieu of risen-and-fallen journeyman Ray Emery—could either offer more qualitative competition with the 27-year-old Corey Crawford or supplant him as the starter altogether.

Furthermore, while Theodore has a no-trade clause on his short deal with Florida, the Blackhawks are a logical choice to persuade him to waive that. He would be going to a more certifiably competitive team and would be reunited with head coach Joel Quenneville, whom he played for with the Colorado Avalanche from late in 2005-06 to the conclusion of the 2007-08 season.

The Canucks, in turn, could seek anything from a depth forward to a draft pick from Chicago. They have already reportedly been seeking to shore up their bottom six with a free agent along the lines of Jason Arnott, but they need not consider themselves satisfied whether they ultimately land him or not (via the Vancouver Sun).

Even if only one of them is available, anybody on Chicago’s chart between Bryan Bickell, Dave Bolland, Marcus Kruger, Andrew Shaw or Viktor Stalberg would be worth pursuing.

If the Hawks rigidly hold on to each established player, then Vancouver can at least request a draft pick or future considerations. More importantly, the Canucks can be happy to be rid of the perennial postseason disappointment who plainly stated in July via The Globe and Mail that he is ready to “move on.”

Rumors about a trade involving Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo's return to the Florida Panthers have swirled all summer, and the Panthers would be smart to pull the trigger on a deal before the current collective bargaining agreement expires.

The Florida player who will likely be sent west if a trade gets done is Jose Theodore. George Richards of the Miami Herald spoke with Theodore and subsequently reported the following: 

Theodore did say, as I have as well, that with the labor uncertainty neither the Panthers nor Canucks are in any hurry to do anything just yet. Not saying a deal will get done -- but I'm not saying it can't, either.

The NHL’s CBA will expire on September 15, and there will be a lockout if a new one is not in place by this date, as noted by SportsIllustrated.com.

The negotiations thus far have suggested that there will be a massive reduction in the salary cap. Sports Illustrated’s Allan Muir notes that if the current CBA continued into the 2012-13 season, the salary cap would be $70.2 million. However, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports via Twitter that under the most recent proposal, that number would drop to $58 million.

Proposed Salary Caps: all projected and fixed: 2012/13 - $58M 2013/14 -$60M. 2014/15-$62M. 2015/16-$64.2M. 2016/17 - $67.6M 2017/18 - $71.1M

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) August 29, 2012

It is understandable for teams to be wary about making any movement with so much uncertainty over this part of the negotiations. However, if there is a drop in the salary cap, a ton of player movement will follow as teams adjust to the new figure.

If this happens, the Panthers risk losing out on Luongo. The Canucks seem keen to make Cory Schneider their starting goalie, but will likely want to receive a backup for him in any deal involving Luongo.

This is why Theodore is an important asset for the Panthers. However, Richards notes that the 35-year-old has a no-trade clause in his contract and this could cause a complication in a potential trade.

Complications take time to work out and if every other team in hockey is making moves, another team in need of a four-time All-Star in between the pipes could end up with Luongo.

The Panthers would be smart to get ahead of the curve and get a deal done before September 15. 

Even with the Thursday signing of forward Peter Mueller, the Florida Panthers have a whopping $21,659,667 worth of cap space.

If the touted Jonathan Huberdeau makes the team in 2012-13, they will still have as much as $18,465,500 at their disposal.

They will also, theoretically, have one spot left to fill among their top six to supplement the likes of Tomas Fleischmann, Kris Versteeg and Stephen Weiss. They have all of the financial means to plug that void and arguably need to do so to ensure they stay in playoff contention after finally ending a league-worst 12-year drought without a tournament passport.

With all of those factors in play, they might as well seek to flex a little gamesmanship within the Southeast Division and snatch Washington Capitals free agent Alexander Semin, whose last cap hit was $6.7 million.

The Semin forecast is about as foggy as they come. There are reports that he may return to his native Russia for a handsome, $10 million yearly salary in the KHL.

Meanwhile, a Thursday report in the Detroit News by Ted Kulfan holds that such bigwigs as the Red Wings, Rangers and Penguins are passing over Semin due to his “history of moodiness and questionable work ethic.”

Even so, if he can be convinced to stay in North America, the Panthers can use some of their ample cap space to reel in a potentially instant solution to their shortage of forward depth. In the same vein, being more of a No. 1 leaned-on scorer rather than perpetually trailing Alex Ovechkin in scoring and the spotlight could give Semin a more consistent sense of purpose.

Certainly, with the likes of Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Marion Gaborik, Brad Richards, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the conclusion of the aforementioned Detroit News report makes sense.

Florida, on the other hand, is gaping with a big-fish opportunity for Semin.

Granted, he has dipped since a career-high 40-goal, 84-point campaign in 2009-10, posting only 54 points in each of the last two seasons. But that is still more than what any non-first-liner has produced for Florida in recent memory, and a change of scenery could be key to rekindling his stick.

When he is confident and committed, Semin is an invaluable elite producer, which would solve much of the offensive famine that has consistently had the Panthers finishing among the NHL’s bottom five in goals per game.

Given his familiarity with the division and with as many as six dates per year with his old mates in Washington, not many teams have the same potential as Florida to reap rewards from the priciest free agent left on the market.

For all the reservations one might have about Semin, which are hardly unjustified given his history of inconsistency and underachievement, Panthers general manager Dale Tallon just proved he is not one to hold back based on risk versus reward.

The injury-riddled Mueller has yet to match his rookie output of 22 goals and 54 points in 2007-08. Over the last three seasons, he has mustered 101 games, 20 goals and 53 points.

However, this is not to say the 24-year-old Mueller cannot ultimately find new heights for himself and his new team. Tallon himself demonstrated no shortage of confidence in Thursday’s press release, saying “Peter is a young and talented forward who is a former first-round draft choice...He is a skilled player with an offensive upside who will help our power play.”

Regardless of what Mueller can and does provide, the Panthers still need more up front to retain their Southeast Division crown, let alone their playoff viability.

The Carolina Hurricanes have traded for Jordan Staal. The Winnipeg Jets have sought more depth in the form of ex-Panther Olli Jokinen and Alexei Ponikarovsky. The Tampa Bay Lightning have revamped their defense with the likes of Matt Carle.

The Capitals, winners of the previous four Southeast crowns before Florida supplanted them in 2011-12, will not necessarily retract, either. But the Panthers have an opportunity to repress their rivals and keep pace with their other divisional cohabitants in the offseason scavenger hunt.

With Mueller making a U-turn back in the right direction, a smoothly burgeoning Huberdeau and an established NHL acquisition like Semin, Florida should instantly have a sound top six.