Panthers News

"The Panthers have signed their top draft pick from last year, defenseman Keaton Ellerby, to a three-year, entry level contract. Ellerby, 19, played 53 games last season for Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League after being traded from Kamloops for prospect Brady Calla 16 games into the season."

"When the Panthers traded for Wade Belak in February, he gave the team an element it had been missing for a while. After Monday, the Panthers won't be looking for an enforcer for some time. Belak, one of the game's tougher players, agreed to a two-year contract with the Panthers, signing a deal that keeps him in South Florida until the end of the 2009-10 season."

"It took the Panthers a long time to acquire an enforcer last season, so they made sure they wouldn't have to spend this summer trying to find a replacement for Wade Belak. The Panthers re-signed Belak and fellow forward Kamil Kreps to two-year deals Monday, also signing defenseman Luke Beaverson — their seventh pick in the 2004 draft — to an entry-level contract."

"Martin could select an NHL guy with years of experience such as a Pat Burns or, should they become available, San Jose's Ron Wilson or Vancouver's Alain Vigneault. Any of those three would put the team in the hands of a competent leader, letting Martin focus almost completely on his GM duties."

"No progress has been made in the Panthers' coaching search, and General Manager Jacques Martin said he isn't in a rush to fill the vacancy. In a phone interview, Martin noted he has yet to prepare a list of criteria for a coach or a list of candidates. He said Guy Charron and Mike Kitchen, assistant coaches under him last season, have expressed interest and will be considered. "

"The only man who has coached the Panthers to a victory in the playoffs is interested in returning to his old job. Doug MacLean, who guided them to the 1996 Stanley Cup Final in his first season with Florida, said Tuesday he would like to return to coaching and hopes to talk to General Manager Jacques Martin about the Panthers' vacancy."

"Panthers owner Alan Cohen was adamant Olli Jokinen would not be traded last season. Is he as sure now? ''I'm a big Olli fan. But supporting him unconditionally wasn't good for him, Jacques [ Martin], the team or our playoff aspirations.'' (The Jokinen camp won't be surprised if he's dealt.)"

"Jacques Martin still has things to iron out, but he said Tuesday he would return to the Florida Panthers as general manager... Randy Cunneyworth, the coach of the Panthers' minor-league affiliate in Rochester, N.Y., is looked at as a strong candidate for the job, although Martin said a number of candidates could come from teams still playing in the postseason."

"Jacques Martin said Tuesday he has decided to remain the Panthers' general manager and choose his successor as coach."

"Jacques Martin, who was fired as coach Friday, decided Tuesday that he'll remain with the franchise as general manager. Sort of."

"As another day ticked by Monday without a decision from Jacques Martin about his future, some NHL sources believed Martin was buying time while investigating the possibility of finding a coaching job outside Florida... It has been speculated that Waddell's first choice would be Peter Laviolette, if the Carolina coach is dismissed after failing to lead the Hurricanes to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons."

"Panthers majority owner Alan Cohen said Sunday he is hopeful that Jacques Martin will accept his offer to stay on as the team's general manager - and that if he does, the choice of the next coach "would be totally up to Jacques.""

"Sit down. Pass the Prozac. It's time to navigate some desolate territory. It's time to infuriate some of you, depress others and, quite possibly, drive everyone closer to the ledge. It's time to ask which South Florida pro team has the best chance to rebound the quickest into contention. And when."

"Former Panthers coach Doug MacLean, out of the league this season, said Saturday he's interested in the job, but a reunion would be surprising."

"Jacques Martin has not informed the Panthers whether he plans to remain with the organization as general manager, although the team expects an answer sometime next week."

"Jacques Martin is no longer the Panthers coach, but he has been given the option to remain as general manager, team owner Alan Cohen said Friday."

"In yet another strange turn of events for a franchise that has had more than its share of them, Panthers majority owner Alan Cohen in effect yanked both the coaching and general manager jobs away from Jacques Martin on Friday, then offered the GM role back to him. Cohen said a coach will be hired after Martin decides whether to accept the front-office job."

"Now the question is whether Cohen has gone far enough by stripping Martin of only one title, and giving him a few days to decide whether to keep the other, more important one. It's a question that Cohen should be considering quite carefully. "

" Pat Quinn... Last coached Toronto Maple Leafs 2005-06... Bob Hartley... Fired as Atlanta Thrashers coach six games into 2007-08 season"

"Jacques Martin will not return as coach of the Florida Panthers next season, although it appears he will continue in his role as general manager of the team, The Miami Herald has learned. On Thursday night, team owner Alan Cohen told a group of season ticket-holders meeting at BankAtlantic Center that Florida would not have a dual coach/general manager setup, as it has for the past two seasons."

"Three seasons of failure isn't all Martin's fault. He's a good, solid coach whose teams rarely seem to succeed to their talent. His Ottawa teams, despite being among the most talented in the league, regularly flopped in the playoffs. Some of that was Patrick Lalime's goaltending failures. The 2003 playoff loss to New Jersey, however, could be hung squarely on Martin's conservative approach."

"Mats Sundin won't keep the Maple Leafs waiting all summer before declaring his playing status for 2008-09... Traded Toronto enforcer Wade Belak, an unrestricted free agent this summer, would consider returning to the Leafs but wonders if the next general manager will be game."

"Jokinen has two more years left on his contract although more rumors have surfaced that he could be dealt this summer. Cohen has said on numerous occasions that will not happen ``as long as I'm the owner.''"

"Jacques Martin indicated Monday that he wouldn't oppose giving up one of his two titles as Panthers general manager and coach if majority owner Alan Cohen decides he wants that."

"Martin said he discussed acquiring star defenseman Brian Campbell from Buffalo with Sabres GM Darcy Regier at the trade deadline. Campbell, who was traded to San Jose instead, still can become an unrestricted free agent if unsigned by July 1... Colorado defenseman John-Michael Liles, who had six goals and 26 assists this season, also could become an unrestricted free agent."

"The Panthers were one of the league's best road teams this season, winning a franchise-record 20 games away from Sunrise, two better than the inaugural Cats of 1993-94. Florida won 12 road games in each of the previous three seasons."

"Bouwmeester led the NHL in ice time (27:28), had a career-high 15 goals and is perceived by many to be approaching stardom. It will be another year before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, but the team needs to avoid flirting with that possibility."

"Enforcer Wade Belak has made no secret of his enjoyment of living in South Florida, but it's not only the weather. Belak said he likes the dynamic the Panthers have and he would like to continue being a part of it. Belak, an unrestricted free agent this summer, said he wants to re-sign with the Panthers."

"The Panthers' second line of Stephen Weiss and wingers David Booth and Nathan Horton proved to be their best line all season and became such a fan favorite that a contest was held to give it a nickname: The Sunrise Express."

"Washington's 3-1 victory over the Panthers Saturday night gave the Capitals their third Southeast Division championship and first since 2001."

"One night after dealing the Hurricanes a devastating defeat, the Panthers failed to save Carolina's playoff hopes as they lost their season finale 3-1 to the Capitals. "

"With goals from Tomas Fleischmann, Sergei Fedorov and Alexander Semin, as well as another strong performance from Cristobal Huet, the Capitals beat the Florida Panthers, 3-1, to complete a historic comeback and clinch their first playoff berth in five years."

"Veteran center Sergei Fedorov scored late in the second period to break a 1-1 tie and lift the Capitals to a 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers to clinch the Southeast Division title and the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference."

"Gary Green of the NHL Network and longtime analyst Bill Clement believe the Panthers, who missed the playoffs for the seventh straight season, need changes everywhere from the coaching staff to management to the roster."

"Florida's unexpected victory over Carolina on Friday night not only helped Washington's playoff bid, but also helped a couple of teams."

"Believe it or not, the Panthers are playing a role in deciding the Southeast Division championship Saturday night in Washington. The Panthers' improbable 4-3 victory against Carolina on Friday night gives Washington the chance to claim the divisional title with a win Saturday against Florida. It also would knock Carolina out of the playoffs."

"Which is why after beating the Hurricanes 4-3 at RBC Center, a team that won't be going to the playoffs celebrated while the sound of Bryan Adams singing "those were the best days of our lives" blasted through the speakers in the dressing room."

"The Canes gave away a house, a car and the jerseys off their backs. They may have given away the division title as well with a 4-3 loss to the Panthers on Friday -- Florida's first win at the RBC Center since December 2002, in arguably the only game of the 16 since that really mattered."

"Instead -- despite an unlikely 46-17 shots advantage -- the Hurricanes lost a 4-3 heartbreaker to the Florida Panthers on Fan Appreciation Night. "

"The Florida Panthers have not won in their past 15 games here. If you believe in psychic power, they will finally beat the Hurricanes tonight at RBC Center. Mary Beth Wrenn, a professional psychic in Charlotte, N.C. since 1987, envisions it happening. "I do feel the spell will be broken," Wrenn said by telephone Thursday. "

"The Panthers don't have much going on right now, but can have a say in which team wins the Southeast Division. Florida ends its season with games Friday at Carolina and Saturday at Washington. Those two teams are tied for the division lead."

"It hasn't quite been a calendar year since Tomas Vokoun became a member of the Florida Panthers, but the goaltender likely makes his final start of the season for his ''new'' team Saturday night. To say it has been a bittersweet season for Vokoun would be a bit of an understatement... Vokoun, who helped lead Nashville into the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, looks at the bottom line and deems his first season with the Panthers ``disappointing.''"

"The Hurricanes, who have the seventh best home record in the NHL (24-12-4), have won 13 of their past 16 at home. ... Carolina has won 18 of the past 23 games against Florida (18-4-1)."

"Olli Jokinen was part of a playoff team once. Back in 1998, Jokinen's first season in the NHL, he played eight regular-season games for the Los Angeles Kings. They made the playoffs. He didn't play in the postseason, though. He still hasn't. And now with the Panthers guaranteed to miss the playoffs for the seventh straight season, Jokinen knows that when he does make it, if ever, he will have waited longer than anyone in NHL history."

"When Atlanta Thrashers' general manager Don Waddell went to the ice to speak with Jacques Martin on Tuesday morning, it wasn't just for friendly banter. Waddell, who works with the U.S. hockey team, wanted to talk to Martin about two of his players and whether they would be interested in playing for Team USA in the upcoming World Championships. According to Martin, winger David Booth and goalie Craig Anderson have agreed to play for coach John Tortorella on the U.S. team at the world championships May 2-18 in Canada. "

"Say what you will about the Florida Panthers, but it is hard to criticize their goaltending. Backup goalie Craig Anderson pitched another gem Tuesday, helping the Panthers end a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Thrashers at Philips Arena."

"But the crowd and team favorite is set to become a free agent, and with the way this season has gone for the Thrashers, nobody's job is secure. That's why, following Florida's 3-2 victory over the Thrashers, Hedberg's teammates were especially disappointed they couldn't get him a win in what is likely his last start of the season."

"Coach and general manager Jacques Martin suggested Tuesday that Chad Kilger might be considering retirement before ever playing for the Panthers. Kilger, acquired Feb. 26 for a third-round draft pick, has yet to report to the Panthers and has been suspended without pay since March 1."

"Noah Welch came into preseason camp in September determined to become one of the Panthers' top defenders. But a shoulder injury and surgery halted Welch's season after just four games."

"The Panthers signed free agent college forward Andrew Sweetland to an entry-level contract Monday. Sweetland, 21, played in 28 games for the University of Maine this past season, scoring eight goals with nine assists."