Florida Panthers

Rumor had it that Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo could be headed to the Florida Panthers. He has expressed interest in a move to Florida, but did the Panthers just axe that? 

The Florida Panthers picked up the No. 16 goaltending prospect in the 2012 draft class, according to the NHL Central Scouting, Michael Houser.

"His play over the last three seasons can't be ignored," NHL Central Scouting's Al Jensen told NHL.com. "He has the potential to have a very good pro career."

Houser, of the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights, signed an entry-level deal with the Panthers on Monday. The 20-year-old goaltender is 6'1 and has turned some heads in the Canadian leagues.

The Wexford, Pa native won the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL's most outstanding player in 2011-12 by recording a 2.47 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.

Houser played in 62 of London's 68 games last season and recorded six shutouts en route to tying the OHL's record for wins in a season (46).

Those are pretty good numbers for a guy who has gone undrafted the last three seasons.  

This further boosts the Panthers goaltending depth, which includes veteran Jose Theodore and prospects Jacob Markstrom and Andrey Makarov.

But what about Luongo?

This signing could mean a few things for the Panthers. They could still bring in Luongo and use Houser as his backup, sending Theodore out.

The Panthers could also acquire Luongo and use Theodore as one of the most potent tandems in hockey while letting their potential goalies of the future in Houser and Markstrom develop in the minors.

Or the Panthers are dropping out of the Luongo debate and will use Theodore as the starter with Houser and Markstrom as his backups.

Regardless of who the Panthers put in net, you have to cheer for Houser. A successful NHL career would be quite the underdog story.  

Roberto Luongo wants to play with the Florida Panthers again, but the Panthers absolutely cannot bring him back to Florida.

According to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Post-Dispatch, Luongo would only want to be traded to Florida.

Only place Luongo is willing to be traded, as of today, is back to the Florida #Panthers.

— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) June 25, 2012

While bringing in an elite goaltender like Luongo is always a good thing, it might not be in this case.

Brian Burke has said that the asking price is going to be huge (per The Globe and Mail).

"From my perspective, the prices that are being asked have to be reasonable," Burke said. "If you can get a goaltender who makes you better, and it costs you 15 first-round picks, would you do it? No.

"So somewhere between 15 first-round picks and something that makes sense, we're not there yet. I'm not going to overpay to upgrade at that position. I'm not happy with what's being asked. From my perspective, rather than strip your organization to fill one positional need, we'll go with what we have."

After winning the Southeast division this season and earning the team's first playoff berth in over a decade, the Panthers are finally getting to the place that they want to be. However, making a trade like this could jeopardize it.

The Panthers have an incredible prospect who can play goalie in Jacob Markstrom, who is close to being a solid starter in the NHL, and trading for Luongo would pose a conflict.

You can only play one goalie at a time, making it absolutely insane to give up an arm and a leg to get a second goaltender.

What's worse about acquiring Luongo is that Florida would also have to take his contract.

Luongo is signed until he is 40 years old, with a $5.33 million salary cap hit until 2022. This is easily one of the worst contracts in the NHL today, and there is no need for the Panthers to take this on when they already have a goaltender with a promising future.

There is simply no sense in trading for Luongo, and doing so could sabotage a franchise with a bright future ahead of it.

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Position: D

Height/Weight: 6'1", 178 lbs

Shoots: Left

DOB: 2/27/1994

Youth Team: Lac Saint-Louis Lions

Current Team: Dubuque (USHL)

It isn't often that a Canadian player chooses to forgo playing juniors at a high level in favor of the USHL, but that was the case with defenseman Michael Matheson. He was expected to be the top pick in the 2010 QMJHL draft, but Matheson chose instead to play for Dubuque in the USHL, where he has developed nicely thus far.

Matheson's success at Dubuque will lead him to Boston College next season, when he promises to be a key player for the Eagles.

Perhaps playing in juniors would have helped Matheson's draft stock a bit, but you have to admire him for going off the beaten path and deciding that an education was more important to him than the level of competition he plays against. That alone likely increased interest in him in a lot of ways.

With all of that said, though, Matheson's hockey skills shouldn't be ignored in the least.

Matheson had a very impressive first season with Dubuque, as he racked up 27 points in 53 regular-season games, as well as five more in five playoff games, including four goals.

Matheson was able to outclass many of his opponents in the USHL thanks to his superior skating ability. There are few players in the draft who can do as much as Matheson from a skating perspective. He uses it to his advantage when rushing the puck up ice, but it is also a major plus for him defensively.

Matheson has no issue getting back during scramble situations because he is so fast and effortless on the ice. He also has a penchant for using his feet to get out of sticky situations in the defensive zone.

The main concern with Matheson, though, is his size and physicality. He has bulked up a bit recently and stands 6'1" and 178 lbs, but if he doesn't continue to grow, then he is likely to be manhandled by bigger, stronger forwards at the next level.

Skating can get Matheson a long way in the USHL and perhaps even at Boston College, but he won't be able to fall back on it as much in the NHL, since almost every player is a great skater. He needs to develop a better all-around defensive game, and if he is able to do that, then he has a real chance to succeed in the NHL a few years from now.

Last year at this time the hockey world expected, and received, the ultimate team makeover from Panthers' general manager, Dale Tallon.  Between the late-season dismantling and the off-season shopping and trading spree, the team which opened the 2011-12 season bore little resemblance to the prior year's squad.

Trades during the season brought in more experience, partly to compensate for the devastating injury toll this year.  There was a point during which seven starting forwards were on IR. At playoff time the team which represented itself well against the New Jersey Devils had very few personnel left from the team which missed the playoffs the prior year, for the tenth consecutive time.

Herein is where the problem lies. Tallon now has a surplus of talent, with several high draft choices just about ready to make it to the big club. Cap room and roster space is needed. This doesn't fare well for some free agent veterans. During late season and the playoffs, coach Kevin Dineen welcomed the competitiveness on the team for playing time but now important decisions will be necessary.

The keys to this year's success revolved around Tallon's acquisitions. Kris Versteeg and Tomas Fleischmann had career years. Brian Campbell played all 82 games and was responsible for bringing an anemic power play from dead last to number seven in the NHL. Third year man Jason Garrison emerged as an offensive threat while partnered with Campbell. As a UFA, he will be looking for a big payday.

The biggest surprise was, perhaps, the comeback year for goalie Jose Theodore. In-season deals made Panthers of experienced vets like John Madden, Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm and role players such as faceoff specialist Jarred Smithson, shootout specialist Wojtek Wolski and enforcer Krys Barch. While Samuelsson proved invaluable for his experience and offensive skills, the others had mixed success.

The roster is already bloated and with prospects like sharpshooter Jonathan Huberdeau who had a banner year in juniors and goalie Jacob Markstrom who toiled primarily in the AHL and is about ready for the NHL, Tallon and his designated negotiator, Assistant GM Mike Santos will have some tough decisions to make.

The priorities are RFA's Kris Versteeg and Jason Garrison while at the same time leaving cap space for Huberdeau, Markstrom and possibly Quinton Howden who had another solid year in the WHL.  Emerging defenseman Dmitry Kulikov is also a valuable RFA and the Cats' brain trust would likely want to tie him up long term. This means that a Samuelsson re-signing, while important, may not be achievable and he might find a deal elsewhere before Tallon can act.

UFA's Madden, Sturm, Barch and Scott Clemmensen are as good as gone due to the need for cap space. Backup goalie Clemmensen played well and would like to stay but with Markstrom in the wings this may be impossible. At most, he would get a short term deal and at age 35, he would likely seek a longer contract.

In Tallon's postseason wrap-up he told the media (via panthers.nhl.com), "I'm excited about our future. We're probably ahead of schedule…The blueprint is still there."  The blueprint, of course, has been the judicious use of the draft, free agency and key trades to blend both youth and experience into a winning team. With a stockpile of draft picks, Tallon was able to make trades during last season without relinquishing any key talent.

Good times have returned to Florida. The dressing room attitude is positive and the fans have come back to Bank Atlantic Center in large numbers. Hockey had even returned to the front of the sports pages, albeit briefly.

Long-time Panther Stephen Weiss probably summed up the feelings of the team best, the day of their final meetings and locker cleanout.  While their season ended bittersweet, Weiss shared what most of the team's followers were thinking. Via Alain Poupart of panthers.nhl.com:

"We've got some bright years ahead. We've got some kids coming up that are pretty darn good players. It'll be a fun summer training and [we'll] try to do it all over again next year."

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

Looking at the recent rise of the Florida Panthers, many would agree that the arrival of Dale Tallon is one of the main reasons the team is in the position it is in today. After he methodically put together a Cup winning team in Chicago in 2010, he didn’t take long proving that he can put together a winning team no matter where he hangs his hat.

Here are five key things that the Panthers need to do to advance to the next round:

Rely on the Experience of Those Who Have Been There

Many of the players the Blackhawks let go found a new home with the Panthers. The team needs to take advantage of the experience of players like Kris Versteeg, Brian Campbell, Tomas Kopecky and John Madden who were all key components of the 2010 Stanley Cup Champion team. Memories of this victory are still fresh in their minds and they need to share what they learned with the rest of the team to give them the mindset needed to compete at this level.

Take Advantage of Being on Home Ice

This almost goes without saying but is always worth mentioning. Often times players gets so lost in what is happening on the ice or the direction from the coaching staff that they forget about the 18,000 people who are screaming their heads off. The fans are what make the excitement and players need to be reminded what it was like for them as kids cheering for their favorite team. Panther fans also need to understand their important role and not let the scoreboard dictate their level of enthusiasm if the Panthers get behind. 

Score First

In a Game 7 scenario, the mental game is just as important as the on-ice game. Since this is a "winner-takes-all" setting, getting that coveted first goal is a huge advantage and will certainly impact the psyche of the NJ Devils. NBC Sports’ Liam McHugh has been sharing some quirky stats during this First Round via Twitter. Last night he shared this: “There were seven Game 7’s in last year’s playoffs. The team that scored the first goal won every single time.” Knowing how superstitious hockey players are, this stat should not be ignored.

Key Goal Scorers: Versteeg,  Bergenheim and Weiss

Looking at the playoff stats for these three players, these are the sticks you want making shots-on-goal. Kris Versteeg has three goals and two assists with a 15% scoring percentage. Sean Bergenheim also has three goals and two assists with a 20% scoring percentage and Stephen Weiss has two goals, two assists and an impressive 33% scoring percentage. 

Continue to Keep Penalty Minutes to a Minimum

Versteeg and Weiss lead the team with 6 PIMs each. Looking at some of the other series in this round, these players are a reflection of the kind of discipline these two teams have. While the Devils have not been stellar on the power play (only four thus far in the playoffs) this is a direct correlation to the few power play opportunities that the Panthers have given them. By maintaining control and keeping emotions in check, this might be the key that moves Florida into the next round of the 2012 NHL Playoffs. 

Former New Jersey Devils goaltender Scott Clemmensen will get a chance to improve on his perfect record against his old NHL club when he starts Game 4 tonight in Newark for the Florida Panthers.

"I'll be ready. Thirty four years old and (making) my first start in the playoffs," Clemmensen said to The Star-Ledger. "I've felt very much a part of this team all year long. I've played pretty much regularly all year long."

The Iowa native and Boston College product will be making his first career Stanley Cup postseason start after backstopping Florida to a come-from-behind 4-3 victory in Game 3 on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center. He relieved Jose Theodore just over six minutes into the contest, with the host Devils up, 3-0.

Clemmensen then stopped all 19 shots he faced to pick up his first-ever NHL playoff win, although a potential tying goal by New Jersey late in the second period was disallowed due to goalie interference by a Devils player. The Panthers scored three times on the power play, giving them six power-play tallies in 10 attempts in the first three games of the series so far.

Clemmensen, who went 14-6-6 during the regular season for Florida, is now 5-0 lifetime against New Jersey, for whom he played from 2001 to 2007, and again during the 2008-09 campaign when he registered 25 wins and was named the Devils' Unsung Hero by his teammates.

Florida leads the best-of-seven series with New Jersey, two games to one. Game 5 will be played in Sunrise, FL on Saturday night.

"We want to win tonight's game and go home 3-1 back in Florida," added Clemmensen. If you can paint a perfect picture, that's obviously what it would be for us tonight. How it goes is up to us and up to fate a little bit."

Across the way tonight, he'll be facing former Devils teammate and mentor Martin Brodeur, who was pulled from Tuesday's game after stopping 9-of-12 Florida shots.

"I don't believe it will affect him too much," Clemmensen said of Brodeur, "with his mentality and his personality and obviously the experience he has. He's a guy that has weathered more than a few storms and knows how to bounce back. I don't have to speak for him."

He just wants to beat him, particularly tonight.

It took a long time—a decade, to be exact—but goaltender Scott Clemmensen finally has his first career Stanley Cup playoff victory. And it came against his old mentor—sort of.

Clemmensen came on in relief of Jose Theodore on Tuesday night, and stopped all 19 shots he faced to lift the visiting Florida Panthers to a  4-3 win over his old NHL team, the New Jersey Devils, at the Prudential Center in Newark. 

The Devils took a 3-0 lead just 6:16 into the contest, before Clemmensen came on to blank the host team the rest of the way for the win and a 2-1 series lead for the Panthers. It was his first NHL playoff game since 2006 when he relieved former Devils teammate Martin Brodeur in a loss to Carolina, and just his second NHL playoff appearance ever.

A shot by Devils defenseman Marek Zidlicky did go in off Clemmensen, 34, late in the second period last night, but officials ruled that the goalie had been interfered with by Devils forward Steve Bernier, and the tying goal was negated. Clemmensen is now 5-0 all time against New Jersey.

“For whatever reason, I’ve had success against these guys," said Clemmensen afterwards to The Star-Ledger. "I don’t want that comment to turn around and bite me here. For whatever the reason, obviously, this building I’m comfortable with. I know some of the shooters, some of the tendencies.”

Brodeur, whom Clemmensen backed up from 2001-2007 and in 2008-09, was pulled from the contest early in the second period after stopping nine of 12 shots. Johan Hedberg surrendered the game-winning goal later to Brian Campbell, the Panthers' third power-play goal of the night, and their third from a defenseman.

Drafted in the eighth round by New Jersey in 1997, Clemmensen played four years at Boston College, winning 99 games and recording 13 shutouts. He posted a record of 30-7-2 as a senior at BC in 2000-01 and backstopped the Eagles to their first national championship since 1949 with a 3-2 overtime win over North Dakota in the NCAA title game in Albany, where he later played for the Devils' minor-league affiliate, the Albany River Rats.

He turned pro in the fall of 2001, stopping a penalty shot by Peter Nedved in a preseason game against the New York Rangers at the Meadowlands, but he had to wait until 2003-04 to earn his first NHL victory.

Clemmensen, a 6'3", 205-pound native of Des Moines, Iowa, is now in his 10th NHL season. Besides the Panthers and Devils, he has also played with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and owns a career regular-season NHL record of 64-45-20 with a 2.64 goals-against average and seven shutouts. His best NHL season came in 2008-09 with New Jersey when he went 25-13-1 in 40 outings with a 2.39 GAA and two shutouts. He also helped the Devils qualify for the postseason as Brodeur was sidelined long term with a biceps injury.

Clemmensen went 14-6-6 with a 2.57 GAA and one whitewash with Florida in 2011-12, including a 3-1 win at New Jersey on Feb. 11.

Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is tomorrow night in Newark, although Panthers head coach Kevin Dineen hasn't yet said if Clemmensen will get the start.

Not many understand how long it's been since the Florida Panthers have won a playoff game.

April 17, 1997 is the exact date.

Since then, the Florida (Miami) Marlins won two World Series Championships, the University of Miami Hurricanes won a National Title and the Miami Heat won the NBA Championship in 2006.

Quite frankly, the Florida Panthers have been the laughing stock of the NHL. How could a team go so long without a win in a system that allows over half of the teams in the league to make the playoffs?

Here we are almost 15 years to the date, and the Florida Panthers have won a playoff game. The series between the Devils and Panthers are now tied 1-1, but this win means a bit more to Panthers fans than you think.

Back in 1996, many remember the "Year of the Rat," with a team that included Brian Skrudland, Scott Mellanby, Rob Niedermayer, and fan-favorite John Vanbiesbrouck. Even after getting swept in the Stanley Cup Finals by the Colorado Avalanche that year, Panthers fans were beyond proud of what they accomplished.

Florida isn't just a place filled with beaches and sand with no access to a hockey rink. There are many youth hockey leagues that participate equally with many northern youth programs.

GM Dale Tallon has done a tremendous job in turning this organization around.

Coach Kevin Dineen did a fantastic job in just his first year of coaching the club while finding away to manage many newcomers to the Panthers such as Kris Versteeg, Tomas Fleischmann, Brian Campbell and Jose Theodore and achieve what they set out to do from the beginning—win.

The Florida Panthers' 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils may seem like a typical playoff win. It tied the series as the two teams travel back to New Jersey for Game 3.

For Panthers fans, this was 15 years in the making.

After showering the Bank Atlantic Center with toy rats following their win last night, it's evident that playoff fever is back in South Florida.