Florida Panthers

A dark horse pick for Florida if Gabriel Landeskog and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are off the board when they draft is Swede Mika Zibanejad.

The 6'1" (and a half!) center only had nine points in 26 games this year. But look past the stats. He was playing in the Swedish Elite League, where most players are in their late twenties and early thirties.

A true post-lockout power forward, Zibanejad has soft hands and understands the need to bang defenders in the offensive zone. "I try to play physical but that's only because I want the puck back. Sometimes you have to finish your checks on defensemen in order to tire them out."

"I watch Sidney Crosby for the work he does at center; I watch Alex Ovechkin for the way he scores goals and I watch Pat Kane for the way he stickhandles," he says from an NHL write-up on him.

Not a bad mix. I wouldn't expect him to be taken in the top three, but if the Panthers fall to No. 4 or 5, he may be their guy.

Here are some videos:

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Link to Panthers Draft Discussion in Forum

My favorite, Gabriel Landeskog (and rumored Florida Panther target), ranks second for North American skaters, Sean Couturier falls to sixth and Dougie Hamilton jumps into the top five as the draft's second best D.

*top 15 only*

In Europe, Adam Larsson remains top dog and will most likely go in the top three. Sweden is the dominant country, with Larsson, forward Mika Zibanejad and D Jonas Brodin as the top three skaters.

*top 15 only*

The Florida Panthers finished with the third-worst record in the NHL this year and most likely will have the third overall pick. With their deep, young core of defenseman, it is expected that they are going to take a forward.

With Nugent-Hopkins most likely going in the first two picks, the Panthers could take Swede Gabriel Landeskog of the OHL. Landeskog, according to scouts, may not be the best player in the draft, but is the most complete and NHL-ready player.

Nugent-Hopkins and Larsson are considered to be the best of the draft, although I wouldn't put Landeskog far behind them.

If Nugent-Hopkins falls to the Panthers, I would not be unhappy. This is a possibility as the Edmonton Oilers are stocked with young offensive talent, but lack any defensive talent. They could take Larsson first, and the Panthers could get second in the lottery.

However, the Panthers are attracted to Landeskog's leadership capabilities. They need their Mike Richards or Jonathan Toews. Nugent-Hopkins, while more talented offensively, does not have natural leadership qualities like Landeskog.

A key to drafting players is not always taking the best available player overall, but rather the best available player that matches your wants and needs. Hopefully, Landeskog turns out to be both for the Florida Panthers.

We will know more as June 24th approaches.

Join forum discussion here.

Original article @ www.zelepuckin.blogspot.com

http://zelepuckin.blogspot.com/2011/04/panthers-fire-coach-peter-deboer.html

At the end of a long year, one that ended with a 1-0 win against the Eastern Conference leading Washington Capitals, the Panthers have fired head coach Pete DeBoer.

Usually when a bottom team fires a coach, it's not entirely the coach's fault. For instance the other coach firing this weekend of Ottawa's Cory Clouston. Clouston's team was just as much to blame for their collapse this year as him. However it is always easier to get rid of the coach, than the team.

But I feel this is not the case in Sunrise this year. The Panthers were involved in 49 one-goal games. A lot of these games were winnable, but the third period system DeBoer had in place in close games did not cut it. DeBoer would have the Panthers sit back, almost scared of giving up a goal, rather than trying to get the tying goal, or get the extra goal to relieve the pressure.

The Panthers are a team that does not have the talent to hold off teams constant pressure for a whole period. Their defense is young, and while growing into their potential, can't handle it. But DeBoer, game after game, if it was close in the third would pull the troops back.

DeBoer's special teams were also atrocious. Not because of the talent (Florida can ice one strong PP unit and two good PK units) but, again, because of system. Too much running around on the penalty kill and not enough simplicity on the man advantage.

And then their was the line combinations. For the most part of the season, the offensive lines were confusing to say the least. Lines were not given enough time to form chemistry and when it looked like lines were starting to gel or have a good game or two, they would be broken up. DeBoer also would toss third or fourth line players onto the top six and have a top six guy in the bottom six.

At the end of the year, when it looks like the franchise is going to be turning over and making great strides in the right direction, it makes sense to bring in a new coach. One whose systems and decision making can guide a young team on the rise. I feel this is the right move for the Panthers.

What do you think?
Join zeleFORUMS and discuss it in the thread HERE

For more Panthers and Flyers talk come to www.zelepuckin.blogspot.com and visit their forums for the Panthers and Flyers at http://zelepuckin.46.forumer.com (make sure you do not use "www." as it will lead you to an error message)

zelePUCKin Hockey Blog and their zeleFORUMS are a place for Panthers and Flyers fans to become a part of the conversation!

Let's be honest, we Panthers fans are treated like dirt online. We get zero respect when it comes to blogs and forums.  

For the most part, these big forums are made for the fans of the big market teams. The original six and the like. However, there are plenty of things to discuss in Sunrise.

But forum sites I have visited and tried to discuss the Panthers on are deserted, vacant. Why? Because no one on these forums care about our team and neither do the forum operators.

Well, not anymore.

zelePUCKin has opened up a forum that's main focus is the Florida Panthers. We do have a forum for the Flyers, but the main reason this forum is created, and the forum we want to get going, is the Panthers.

We only have a few members now, but with your help Panthers Nation we can become the best damn Panthers forum out there!

So please check us out, sign up and post a thread or reply to one! Tell your fellow Panthers fans to do the same.

We, at zelePUCKin, really do believe that the Florida Panthers have the potential to be a great franchise mainly because we know the fans are great. 

The forum is http://zelepuckin.46.forumer.com 

Please check us out and join the conversation!

Go Panthers!

For more Panthers and Flyers talk come to www.zelepuckin.blogspot.com and visit their forums for the Panthers and Flyers at http://zelepuckin.46.forumer.com ( make sure you do not use "www." as it will lead you to an error message)

zelePUCKin Hockey Blog and their zeleFORUMS are a place for Panthers and Flyers fans to become a part of the conversation!

Original article posted at zelePUCKin http://zelepuckin.blogspot.com/2011/03/florida-panthers-why-you-should-root.html

For more Panthers and Flyers talk come to www.zelepuckin.blogspot.com and visit their forums for the Panthers and Flyers at http://zelepuckin.46.forumer.com ( make sure you do not use "www." as it will lead you to an error message)

zelePUCKin Hockey Blog and their zeleFORUMS are a place for Panthers and Flyers fans to become a part of the conversation!

It wasn't until I reached college that I actively followed more than my hometown Flyers. Since I have been watching more and more hockey everyday, I have felt incomplete with only one team to cheer on to victory. Who do I root for when they aren't playing? So I started to expand my horizons in hopes of finding a second team- another team to live and die by.

And with the prodding from fellow zelePUCKin writer, Matthew O'Brien, I have found that team: The Florida Panthers.


Start From Scratch
Unless you have been living under a rock lately, you have noticed the abundance of turnover in Sunrise, Florida over the last year or so. It started with a new GM, Dale Tallon. You would better know him as the GM that brought the Cup back to Chicago. Tallon has brought with him a core of scouts and more importantly a system, to rebuild the Florida Panthers. This past deadline, Tallon opted to trade away many veteran players for future cap space and draft picks.

Since I am a new fan, it is truly something to be starting with the team. This team isn't established–they by no means are a Detroit Red Wings or New York Rangers–and that makes being a fan so much better. As a fan, I get to grow with the team. It gives you more of a sense of belonging and importance than I have found with other franchises I have tried to follow.

As a new fan, you are part of the rebuild and that is very exciting.

Cap Space
If you are like me, than you already have hockey Christmas (aka July 1st) circled on your calendars, where teams unwrap Free Agent presents. We all want our team to get the biggest and the most presents. With the Florida Panthers, that is very plausible this off season.

According to capgeek.com the Panthers have $43 million dollars of unassigned cap space for next year. With all of this room, it is hard to see the Panthers not making a splash come July. As a fan, it is these splashes that draw us in, get us excited about the team and make us ready for next year.

We want action, we want deals, we want fresh faces of players and all that goes with the Panthers. The Florida Panthers have set themselves up for just that.

Young Players and Talented Prospects
Since Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Pat Kane, Taylor Hall and others have had an instant impact throughout the league, the NHL knows young players. They are now the face of the league and no team is complete without such a player.

The Panthers have young players and promising prospects that would make most hockey fans happy. Not only that, but their influx of draft picks this year will only grow the prospect pool. The Panthers are lucky enough to most likely have a top five pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, where a Gabriel Landeskog, a possible franchise player, could be available.

Hockeysfuture.com has the Panther's prospects rated as fourth best in the league.
The Cats have the top goalie prospect in Jacob Markstrom, who's ready to compete for the starters role this coming training camp. Markstrom has elite–read: Roberto Luongo–type of natural talent. He was able to debut in the NHL this year but, unfortunately, an injury caused him to put his NHL dreams on the sidelines for the rest of the year.

Florida also has a formidable young D corps that is only rivaled by the Kings and Predators. Boasting Keaton Ellerby, Dmitry Kulikov and Erik Gudbranson, the Panthers truly have the makings of a scary blueline.

On offense, they are loaded as well. They have emerging speedster Evgeni Dadonov and recently acquired Niclas Bergfors to go along with prospects Quinton Howden, Nick Bjugstad and Drew Shore. While none of these players are superstar material, they still present a deep pool of good-to-great potential forwards. Also, Tallon is expected to pick up that superstar quality forward in the top five of the draft this year.

Add these guys to the young guys on the team, like David Booth, Shawn Matthias, Mike Santorelli, Jack Skille, Jason Garrison, Alexander Sulzer and Tyler Plante and you are looking at one of the youngest teams in the NHL. Their young age gives the fans a team that will develop before their eyes and promises great excitement.

For more Panthers and Flyers talk come to www.zelepuckin.blogspot.com and visit their forums for the Panthers and Flyers at http://zelepuckin.46.forumer.com ( make sure you do not use "www." as it will lead you to an error message)

zelePUCKin Hockey Blog and their zeleFORUMS are a place for Panthers and Flyers fans to become a part of the conversation!

Close Games
Fans want close games, games that are exciting from start to finish. Well in Sunrise, Fla, they are common. FLA has been in 48 one goal games. 48! Which means that over half of this past season's games have come down to the bitter end.

Underdogs
Here in America, we love the underdog story. We cheer for Rudy as he takes the field for Notre Dame. It's just in our nature to believe in the American Dream–that anyone can have success, even the little guys.

There is no more of an underdog in the NHL than the Florida Panthers. They have gone the last 10 seasons without making the playoffs. Not only that, but they have been at the bottom of the league for the majority of those 10 seasons.

This is good for fans looking for another team to call their own for two reasons. The first is that we will have the knowledge that we are not bandwagon fans. We despise the fans that climb aboard when the team is doing well and say they are "true fans." It irks something deep inside of our competitive nature.
Well, you would not be accused of such mortal sin as "joining the bandwagon" if you root for the Panthers. Instead, you will be the fan yelling at the other fans trying to jump on the Panthers bandwagon in a few years, when they are in contention for the Stanley Cup.

The second reason is that as an underdog team, their success means more, and therefore, being a fan of the Panthers is more rewarding. Don't get me wrong, fans of good teams still receive bliss from a Cup win or division win or playoff berth. But imagine the bliss you would feel if your underdog team, that grew up in front of your eyes, beat the odds. That is why we love sports and Remember the Titans.

...And the Best Reason
Let's be honest, at the end of the day it all comes down to one thing...Ice Girls.

The only thing hotter than the Florida climate is the Panther's ice team.

Readers, take my suggestion. If you are looking for a team to follow that will be exciting, young and a team of the future–look no further than the underdog Florida Panthers. You won't be disappointed.

For more Panthers and Flyers talk come to www.zelepuckin.blogspot.com and visit their forums for the Panthers and Flyers at http://zelepuckin.46.forumer.com ( make sure you do not use "www." as it will lead you to an error message)

zelePUCKin Hockey Blog and their zeleFORUMS are a place for Panthers and Flyers fans to become a part of the conversation!

Ten points out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference and with only four wins in their last 15 games, the Florida Panthers are once again destined to miss the NHL playoffs.

If they do, they'll be making history.

Having failed to make the postseason since the 1999-2000 NHL season, the Panthers are primed to become the first team in NHL history to miss the playoffs in 10 consecutive seasons.

Deplorable, even for one of the NHL's worst franchises.

Once the poster boy of expansion teams thanks to a surprise trip to the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals, the Florida Panthers have seen their success rapidly fade away.

The club made the 1996-1997 playoffs, but were ousted four games to one by the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals.

Missing the playoffs in each of the next two seasons, the Panthers—led by 58 goal scorer Pavel Bure and a 37-year-old Mike Vernon—returned to the playoffs, only to be swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils.

Enter playoff drought.

Since 2000-2001, the Panthers have had seven coaches, eight general managers and seven top 10 draft choices. Yet, the club never finished higher than third in the South East division and finished with a losing record five times.

Savvy moves to acquire center Olli Jokinen and goaltender Roberto Luongo—both of whom became superstars in Florida—weren't enough for the club to crawl back into playoff contention. Neither player was supported by an adequate level of talent during their time with the Panthers, and both eventually moved on to more competitive teams.

The inability to hang on to quality players has been a theme over the past decade, as the club has parted with players such as Pavel Bure, Viktor Kozlov, Dan Boyle, Sean Burke and Ray Whitney.

In the last two years, the Panthers were forced to trade away former third overall draft choices Jay Bouwmeester and Nathan Horton in fear of losing them to free agency.

The 2008-2009 season was a glimmer of hope for Panthers fans, as the club won 41 games. But a tie breaker with the Montreal Canadiens saw the Habs grab eighth place in the east, while the Panthers finished ninth.

As the Panthers cruise into NHL infamy, there's one more question that must be pondered: when will they return to the playoffs?

With no star talent on the current roster and a vigorous stench of losing stained on the franchise, the future of the Florida Panthers is bleak.

Rumors have become reality.

According to TSN.ca, the Florida Panthers have dealt veteran defenseman Bryan McCabe to the New York Rangers in exchange for Tim Kennedy and a third-round pick, confirming the recent rumors.

The 35-year-old has posted five goals and 17 assists in 48 games this season for 22 points. He has recorded a plus-three rating as well.

McCabe is in the final year of a contract with a cap hit of $5.75 million. He will be joining the Rangers squad as an offensive presence on the back who can provide leadership and defensive responsibility.

Kennedy recorded 10 goals and 16 assists in 78 games last season as a part of the Buffalo Sabres, but is yet to dress for a game this season. He is set to become a restricted free agent at year's end, seeing his $550,000 contract expire.

His impact will likely be minimal due to his contract expiry date.

One thing McCabe is often recognized for is his shot. His slapshot from the point is one of the NHL's most lethal.

He showcased this talent best in the 2005-06 season, when he recorded 19 goals and 48 assists for 68 points as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 1,116 career NHL games, McCabe has tallied 143 goals, 379 assists and an impressive plus-36 rating.

The Rangers will be the 6'2", 223-pound blueliner's sixth NHL team.

In a somewhat expected/not expected move, the Chicago Blackhawks have traded former seventh overall pick, Jack Skille, to the Florida Panthers, along with AHL forward Hugh Jessiman and prospect F David Pacan.

What is a bit surprising however, is what Florida GM Dave Tallon gave up in exchange for Skille, who is perceived as a draft bust, and two minor league forwards who likely will not see much time in the NHL in their careers.

The Blackhawks were able to get forward Michael Frolik, a young player who has shown offensive ability, and perhaps with the right line-mates (such as Jonathan Toews or Patrick Kane) can get more scoring chances. They were also able to get prospect goaltender Alexander Salak from the Panthers.

Salak is playing in the Swedish Elite League this season, and he is doing rather well over there, leading the league in save percentage (.925), posting six shutouts, and a 2.04 GAA in 41 games for Farjestad. He has already had success at the AHL level as well, posting a 29-14 record and a .910 save percentage and being named to the AHL All-Star Game last season, with Florida's AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans.

In short, the Blackhawks were able to get a top-notch goaltending prospect, as well as a young forward with plenty of potential in Frolik, who looks like he could excel in the right situation. That ideal situation might be right in Chicago, as we can expect to see Frolik playing with better talent than he was with in Florida.

This can only be a positive factor. Plus, the Hawks have players who can score, which will take a lot of pressure off the young kid, who will be expected to produce, but not to shoulder a heavy burden as a he was taxed with during his time with the Panthers.

What does Florida get out of this deal? Well, Dale Tallon drafted Jack Skille seventh overall in 2005, and several eyebrows were raised with this off-the-board pick, and well, the eyebrows remain raised.

There is obviously something about Skille's potential that Tallon sees that we don't, but until Skille develops some form of consistency on the NHL level, we will rightfully remain skeptical of this draft choice. Tallon now has the chance, since being fired from Chicago's front office, to show everyone what type of player Jack Skille can be on the offensively anemic Florida Panthers.

You can be sure that Skille will get far more ice time in Florida than he did on the Hawks, and perhaps that's all Skille needed these last few seasons. For now, the jury is still out on him. This season, Skille has 17 points (7 G, 10 A) in 49 games for Chicago.

Jessiman, who was also a draft bust (12th overall, 2003 draft) has just 3 goals and 2 assists in 25 games for Chicago's AHL affiliate in Rockford this season. He has never played in the National Hockey League.

Pacan is an intriguing prospect. He was a sixth round pick of the Blackhawks in 2009, but has put up modest offensive numbers for Niagara of the OHL this season (14 G, 29 A, 43 P). His impact in the NHL obviously remains to be seen.

My take: Regardless of Tallon's motives for this trade, and there are many possibilities (cap space, being re-united with Skille, etc), The Blackhawks won this trade in a landslide, barring Jack Skille turning into an absolute stud. Frolik will thrive in Chicago, with less pressure and better talent surrounding him, despite the fact that his ice time may drop. However, if he succeeds offensively, and I believe he will, he will be rewarded with more ice time.