July 1
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"
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"