December 31
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Leave it to Kris Versteeg to keep it loose in the Panthers dressing room today when he snuck behind defenseman Mike Weaver and nailed him with a shaving-cream pie to celebrate the invaluable defenseman's two-year contract extension. At 5-10 (in skates) Weaver may be one of the shorter defensemen in the NHL, yet his extra-long stick and excellent positioning has made him a key member of the Panthers seven-man defensive rotation, particularly on the penalty-kill unit where he excels. With offensive-minded defensemen such as Brian Campbell, Jason Garrison, Dmitry Kulikov and a budding Erik Gudbranson, Weaver isn't asked to deliver bombs from the point. He knows his role yet he has chipped in"
November 22
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The roar in the BankAtlantic Center as the final buzzer sounded was only surpassed by the raucous cheering emanating from the Panthers' dressing room after downing the New Jersey Devils and their former coach, Pete DeBoer, 4-3 Monday night. DeBoer made no bones about it. He fervently wanted his first trip back to Sunrise as an opposing coach since being fired last spring to be a winning one. Sorry about that, Pete. The three-goal comeback was one of the most monumental in franchise history. One of DeBoer's favorite Panthers, Stephen Weiss, engineered Florida's first two-game winning streak at home since Jan. 11-15, when they had a three-game run that also included the Devils."
November 8
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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acob Markstrom's time will come. Dale Tallon still is expecting big things from the 21-year-old. It's just that those big things won't be coming from the big kid in the short term in the Florida Panthers' goal. As expected, the Panthers sent the 6-foot-6 goaltending prodigy to their San Antonio Rampage affiliate in the American Hockey League on Monday in order to clear a roster spot for returning backup Scott Clemmensen. For Tallon, not even Markstrom's stellar play in reserve of veteran Jose Theodore was enough to alter the team's long-term vision of Markstrom as a franchise face of the future."
October 28
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The dispute between DirecTV and Fox over programming fees has taken on the heavy-handed rhetoric of a labor strike with South Florida sports fans and millions of satellite TV viewers nationwide caught in the crossfire. DirecTV has threatened to drop several prominent Fox cable networks and 19 regional sports channels if an agreement isn't reached by Nov. 1, affecting most of its 19.5 million viewers. In South Florida, that includes Fox Sports Florida and Sun Sports, which broadcast Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now!, Heat, Panthers and Rays games as well as coverage of the state's major college teams."
October 23
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon wanted to send a strong message to his players that getting shut out in back-to-back games by conference opponents wasn't acceptable. Tallon grimly drove his point home just before the opening faceoff of Saturday's game against the Islanders, trading longtime Panthers left wing David Booth to the Vancouver Canucks for a couple of NHL warhorses in Marco Sturm and Mikael Samuelsson. The message was received loud and clear as the Panthers dominated nearly every statistical category in smothering the Islanders 4-2 at BankAtlantic Center to snap a two-game losing streak as they embark on their first Canadian trip of the season. And it could be without"
October 12
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Panthers signed forward Jonathan Huberdeau, the third pick of the 2011 entry draft pick, to a three-year entry-level contract Monday. However, Huberdeau, 18, who had an outstanding rookie camp and preseason, isn't eligible to play for the Panthers until his junior season with the Saint John Sea Dogs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is over, or if an emergency situation arises. The Sea Dogs season ends on March 17. However, Huberdeau led them to the Memorial Cup title that didn't end until May 29. An NHL spokesman said the only way that Huberdeau could come up earlier in the regular season is if the Panthers sustain injuries to three forwards. In that case, Huberdeau would have"
October 7
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Panthers may not have picked their captain yet but they have picked their team ambassador in 12-year-old C.J. George. George, who was stricken with lymphoma blood cancer when he was 9 but is in full remission, gave a stirring speech at the Panthers Ford Face-Off Gala Tuesday night at Pier 66 in which he helped raise several thousand dollars in the fight against pediatric cancer. Then prior to Thursday's final practice at Saveology.com IcePlex before the season opens Saturday night on Long Island, George gave the team an emotional pep talk."
October 2
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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For the second straight preseason, the Panthers' decision-makers are faced with signing their first-round draft pick or sending him back to junior hockey for further development. Last year, they couldn't come to terms with third overall pick Erik Gudbranson and he grudgingly returned to the Kingston Frontenacs, where he took out his frustrations on younger, smaller teens. Now it's Jonathan Huberdeau's turn. Like Gudbranson, Huberdeau, 18, has made the decision difficult by having an outstanding preseason in which he led the Panthers with three goals, all coming on the power play, which was ranked 30th last season. The Panthers have until 5 p.m. Tuesday to sign Huberdeau to his entry-level"
September 30
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The three-hour flight from Fort Lauderdale to Dallas was very rough for young goalie Tyler Plante, and it had more to do with the turbulent nature of professional sports than any atmospheric disturbances. While most of his teammates were making the one-day turnaround to play the Dallas Stars on Thursday night, Plante was waived before they took off. If he clears waivers on Friday, he will join the Panthers' AHL affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage, in nearby Austin, where they play the Texas Stars. After the game, the Panthers also sent center Tim Kennedy to join the Rampage. Plante, 24, was given a small window of opportunity to earn a backup role behind projected starter Jose Theodore"
September 30
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Panthers moved closer to finalizing their regular-season 23-man roster tonight before the last preseason game in Dallas because several players will go right to Austin to meet up with the San Antonio Rampage, who are visiting the Texas Stars of the AHL. One move made already was placing goalie Tyler Plante, 24, on waivers with the hope that he clears and is assigned to San Antonio. "It was a good battle to try to earn that roster spot. At the end of it, it was performance based," Dineen said. "It wasn't potential based for me. We're not here to sell the future. Guys who perform well on ice are going to earn their way into the lineup and that's the way the situation played out.""
September 29
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Panthers center Mike Santorelli, who enjoyed a breakthrough season last year with 20 goals, sustained a shoulder injury in the second period of Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to Dallas and will be out for at least 3-4 weeks. "He certainly won't be ready for the start of the season,'' Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said after Wednesday's practice at Saveology.com Iceplex. "It's at least a couple of weeks and we'll see where he goes from there. "He's obviously disappointed, but we're all optimistic he's going to be back.''"
September 28
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Jacob Markstrom has been constantly billed as the Panthers goaltender of the future, but after a solid start in Tuesday's wild 4-3 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars, he will most likely be their present choice to back up Jose Theodore when the season opens Oct. 8. At the morning skate, Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said with expected backup Scott Clemmensen out for about a month after knee surgery, the competition would be wide open between Markstrom, 21, and Tyler Plante, 24, who has paid his dues in the ECHL and AHL for the past three years. "It's a good opportunity for those guys to put there skills on display,'' Dineen said. "[There's been] a lot of talk about Jacob and the potential he"
September 23
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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It's not exactly the B-team that will take the ice for the Florida Panthers at St. Pete Times Forum for Friday's exhibition against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but much of the team's A-list will be saved for Saturday's rematch at BankAtlantic Center. Among those left off the travel roster are Stephen Weiss, David Booth, Ed Jovanovski, Brian Campbell and Jose Theodore. "You look at it, you say travel plays a part, there's always a respect level for the veterans," coach Kevin Dineen said after Thursday's practice. "There's a respect level for your fans, that they're itching to see your players back, they want to see your top guns in action at home. And there's the luxury, as a coach, there's"
September 12
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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A day before the Panthers rookies were slated to play their Tampa Bay Lightning counterparts in the first game of a five-day tournament, first-round pick Jonathan Huberdeau wondered if he would be in the starting lineup. After a packed house at Saveology.com Iceplex watched Huberdeau score a goal and create several other chances in Florida's 4-2 victory, he probably should be wondering if he will be in the starting lineup Oct. 8 when the Panthers open against the Islanders. Actually, the No. 3 overall pick of June's draft is pretty confident. "I came here with the idea to be prepared to make the team,'' Huberdeau said before swooping past the Lightning defense in the second period to"
September 9
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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While the Panthers underwent a radical makeover this offseason to address their immediate shortcomings, their future will be on display over the next five days during a three-team rookie tournament at Saveology.com Iceplex. Twenty-seven of the Panthers' top rookies and prospects will take physicals Friday, then compete against their young counterparts on the Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning for spots on next week's 60-player training camp roster. "If a young kid earns a spot, he earns a spot, where in the past these kids were given a spot because we weren't so deep,'' said Panthers assistant GM Mike Santos. "But we all know when you look around the league it's very difficult for"
July 26
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Panthers signed defenseman Michael Caruso to one-year, two-way deal. Caruso, 23, a fourth-round pick from 2006, will be hard-pressed to make this year's team and will most likely play for the Rampage. Florida Panthers Executive Vice President & General Manager Dale Tallon announced today that the club has agreed to terms with D Michael Caruso on a one-year, two way contract."
July 15
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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After 13 months of protracted contract negotiatons the Panthers announced Friday that they signed defenseman Erik Gudbranson, last year's overall No. 3 draft pick, to a three-year entry level contract. Terms have not been released yet. "I'm introducing you to our newest Florida Panther, Erik Gudbranson,'' Panthers GM Dale Tallon said inside a video room in Saveology.com Iceplex following the conclusion of the team's three-day development camp. "Official, official, official, signed on the dotted line. We're really proud, obviously, he's our first pick of the new regime; it's been a great pick, he's a great kid and he represents all what we're all about here as far as character and skill and"
July 13
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Panthers continued their month-long roster facelift on Tuesday by signing defenseman Tyson Strachan to a two-way deal. The deal has been reported on TSN to be $750,000 if he makes the Panthers or $150,000 if he goes to the Rampage. Strachan was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the fifth round of the 2003 draft. He has six assists in 67 games in three seasons with the St. Louis Blues. He has a career plus-1 on-ice rating, but was minus-10 last year."
July 10
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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A day after introducing nine new players who are expected to bolster the Panthers chances of ending their playoff drought this season, they made three trades Saturday with an eye toward the future. The most recognizable player traded was fourth-line checker Kenndal McArdle, a Panthers' first-round pick in 2005, to Winnipeg for another underachieving first-rounder, center Angelo Esposito. McArdle, more known for his physical style than finesse, has one goal and two assists in 33 games over the last three seasons with Florida. The Panthers also dealt undersized, hard-nosed left wing Mike Duco to the Canucks for right wing Sergei Shirokov, who scored 22 goals for the Manitoba Moose of the AHL"
July 7
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Mike Santorelli, a long shot to make the Panthers last summer with two goals in 32 career NHL games, seemed destined for their former AHL affiliate in Rochester. Never happened. Santorelli, who deservedly beat out high-profile acquisition Michael Grabner — who went on to notch 34 goals for the Islanders — scored 20 goals in his first full NHL season, good enough to earn a two-year contract Wednesday afternoon. "My mindset going into last year's camp was to impress and focus on what I do best, but the goal is to make the team,'' Santorelli said from his home in Vancouver. There won't be as many job openings when the Panthers open training camp Sept. 17; 11 new players were added in the past"
July 1
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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It took about an hour after free agency began at noon Friday for Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon to strike. Tallon signed veteran goalie Jose Theodore to take the place of Tomas Vokoun, left wing Scottie Upshall to provide scoring on the top line, and former Panthers No. 1 pick Ed Jovanovski to mentor the younger defensemen. They added veteran 6-1 center Marcel Goc, a stellar faceoff artist, who has appeared in the playoffs in six of his seven years in the NHL. Jovanovski, 35, the overall top pick of the 1994 draft, will receive a reported $16.5 million over four years. He played his first three-and-a-half seasons in South Florida, scoring 29 goals with 54 assists. He was traded to"
June 30
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Getting a jump on the start of free agency, the Panthers locked up former Blackhawks center Tomas Kopecky to a four-year deal worth a reported $12 million Wednesday. After acquiring the negotiating rights to Kopecky on Monday for a future seventh-round pick, Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon needed to get the deal done before noon Friday or else the rugged Slovak would have become an unrestricted free agent. Tallon now turns his attention toward re-signing another Tomas – Vokoun, the Panthers' 34-year-old goalie, before he becomes a free agent. "We're in negotiations with him as we speak and are very hopeful,'' Tallon said. With just veteran backup goalie Scott Clemmensen on the roster"
June 29
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Florida Panthers have signed veteran center and two-time Stanley Cup winner Tomas Kopecky to a four-year contract. "Tomas is a proven winner who we are pleased to have signed," General Manager Dale Tallon said in a statement. "He is a hard working player who is tough to play against, and recorded career highs in both goals and assists last season. He is a versatile player, who can play any forward position, has good vision at both ends of the ice and will immediately make an impact in our line-up." Kopecky, 29, is the third member of the 2010 Cup-winning Chicago Blackhawks now on the Panthers. Tallon, regarded as the archiotect of that team, was fired the previous season in a"
June 28
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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General Manager Dale Tallon continues to use his Blackhawks connections to retool the Panthers' roster. Monday he traded a 2012 conditional seventh-round draft pick for the rights to sign right wing Tomas Kopecky. Kopecky, 29, earned Stanley Cup rings with the Red Wings in 2008 and the Blackhawks in 2010. The 6-3, 205-pounder has 25 goals and 38 assists in the past two seasons, and has 37 goals with 58 points and 201 penalty minutes in 338 career games. He's got seven points in 30 playoff games. Kopecky, drafted by the Red Wings in the second round (38th) in 2000, will be the second Blackhawk obtained by the Panthers since Friday, joining former teammate defenseman Brian Campbell. He will"
June 27
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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While the Panthers' front-office honchos flew home Sunday morning feeling content after adding 10 building blocks, there is still more work to do. With just 10 signed players on the active roster and the free-agency period starting Friday, the Panthers, who have about $26 million to shop for nine players, are trying to make some early-week trades with cash-strapped teams looking to shed payroll. In addition to their 10 teenage draft picks, the Panthers already made a huge move that should pay immediate dividends by persuading 32-year-old defenseman Brian Campbell to waive his no-trade clause with the Blackhawks on Friday night to join a franchise in flux. "This is a very important week for"
June 26
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Since the end of the season, Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon tried to be coy with the prying media regarding his draft wish list, saying he'd just as soon continue to bolster the defense and that size is still a virtue he covets. Even he couldn't keep a straight face after drafting seven forwards and three defensemen this weekend, including 5-foot-6 California-born center Rocco Grimaldi with the team's first second-round pick at No. 33. "Every tournament we saw him play this year in Europe or wherever, he was just dominant,'' Tallon said. "You always look at the size but you see a lot of great players in the NHL who are 5-6, 5-7. …We got plenty of size coming. "Our mantra going into"
June 24
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Just met with several of the projected top 10 draft picks at the Walker Art Center in downtown Minneapolis and came away thinking the Panthers can't go wrong with several of these kids, including forwards' Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jonathan Huberdeau, Gabriel Landeskog, Sean Couturier and Ryan Strome. Notice I left out the top three defenseman, Adam Larsson, Dougie Hamilton and Nathan Beaulieu. That's because no matter what smoke screens that GM Dale Tallon may put out there, there's no way he's picking a blue liner with the No. 3 pick. In fact, only Nugent-Hopkins, Huberdeau and Landeskog (who are all represented by the same agency) are meeting with Tallon, assistant GM Mike Santos and"
June 24
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Although his cell phone was buzzing all day with potential trade partners who covet the Florida Panthers' No. 3 draft pick, General Manager Dale Tallon felt neglected as he watched the Flyers unload stars such as Mike Richards and Jeff Carter to other needy teams. "I made a lot of dandy trades last night, but then I woke up,'' Tallon joked. "Cap-challenged teams have been talking to us but nothing's come to fruition yet. There's been a lot of pondering, a lot of positioning as far as what we might do, what we may trade or get back in return. … Things are starting to percolate.'' The Panthers have a whopping $46 million in cap space and 10 picks, including three in the first 47. That said,"
June 23
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Dale Tallon's first draft as GM of the Panthers last year was given grades of A+ from Bleacher Report and ESPN Insider at the time and a year later looks even better after stellar seasons from Quinton Howden, Alexander Petrovic and Zach Hyman. Player; Pos; Rd./Pick; Team; Stats; Erik Gudbranson; D; 1/3; Kingston-OHL; 34 points, 105 PIMs in 44 games; *Nick Bjugstad; C; 1/19; Univ. of Minnesota; 20 points in 29 games, 4 points in six games for U.S. bronze team at World Junior Championship; Quinton Howden: C; 1/25; Moose Jaw-WHL; 40 goals, 79 points in 60 games, 5 points for Canada's silver team at WJC; John McFarland; LW; 2/33; Sudbury/Saginaw-OHL; 25 goals, 38 points in 49 games; Alexander"
June 21
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Panthers General Manager Dale Tallon is a firm member of the "3-S" club when it comes to the NHL Entry Draft: size, speed and skill. However, last year Tallon added plenty of size in his 13-player draft haul, including 6-foot-4, still-filling-out defenseman Erik Gudbranson at No. 3, as well as seven other picks 6-2 or taller and at least 190 pounds. So if push comes to shove, Tallon just may lean toward the skill side when he crosses the stage to meet this year's No. 3 selection at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., Friday night. "Yes … we got lots of size coming, so we've just got to get the best players, that's at all positions,'' Tallon said via phone Monday afternoon. Two of"
June 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Panthers director of scouting Scott Luce has logged thousands of miles over the last year in search of prospects who could help transform the struggling franchise into a winner. While the Stanley Cup finals ended Wednesday night, Luce's time to shine comes this Friday and Saturday at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft in Minneapolis. "I'm a little worn down, but anxious to get to the big dance and have some success,'' Luce said. "It's a very deep draft that may lack star power, but has a lot of potential quality NHL players.''"