SB Nation - Richard Zednik

League Leaders: Wraparounds

Hawerchuk — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:35 -0000

More photos » by Carlos Osorio - AP

6 months ago: Detroit Red Wings' Marian Hossa (81), of Slovakia, pushes the puck away from Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane (88) during an attempt at a wraparound in front of goalie Chris Osgood during the second period of Game 2 of the NHL hockey Western Conference finals in Detroit, Tuesday, May 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Browse more photos »

What can you say about wraparounds? You just don't see them very often anymore. As a distinct type of shot, they're by far the least common of those tracked by the NHL. And, as it turns out, they're not a particularly high-percentage play:

	ES	ES		PP	PP
	SOG	G	SPCT	SOG	G	SPCT
Total	3673	197	5.3	407	35	8.4
Home	1905	108	5.7	228	18	7.9
Away	1768	89	5.0	179	16	8.9

So who leads the league in these low-percentage shots? Again, there's somewhat of a bias at some rinks, so let's look at wraparounds on the road since the lockout:

	Wraparounds	Goals
Ryan Smyth	31	2
Eric Staal	25	4
Richard Zednik	23	0
Jason Blake	22	1
Rick Nash	22	1
Tim Taylor	21	0
Brett McLean	21	1
Thomas Vanek	20	0
Michal Handzus	19	1
Marian Hossa	18	0

Smyth is again the league leader, but he hasn't been particularly effective. If we include wraparounds credited to him by his home scorer and his itchy trigger finger, Smyth is just 5-for-89 (5.6%) since the lockout. Zednik is 0-for-40. Bottom line: the wraparound was a cute move in 1980; now everybody knows it's coming.

Poll

Wraparounds - waste of effort?

yes

11 votes

no

10 votes

they worked great for me when I was nine years old

14 votes

35 votes | Poll has closed

Fox Sports Florida's Panthers broadcasts earn local Emmy nominations

Whale4ever — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:06:20 -0000

The Panthers' cable broadcast team has been named as a Suncoast Emmy finalist for two programs aired during the past year:

RICHARD ZEDNIK FEATURE: Frank Forte, Mitch Rubenstein
PANTHERS VS. MAPLE LEAFS (no date provided, but I'm guessing the McCabe OT thriller in February): Mike Rubin, Steve Goldstein, Denis Potvin, John Valek, Craig Minervini, Rubenstein

Congrats to those involved; would be refreshing to see the two Cats nominations prevail over the typical glut of football/basketball drivel.

2009-10 NHL Season Preview: Florida Panthers

James Mirtle — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Steve Mitchell - AP

Browse more photos »

Who's in: Scott Clemmensen, Ville Koistinen, Jordan Leopold, Dennis Seidenberg, Steven Reinprecht
Who's out: Craig Anderson, Jay Bouwmeester, Nick Boynton, Jassen Cullimore, Steve Eminger, Brett McLean, Ville Peltonen, Karlis Skrastins, Richard Zednik

Outlook: Life After Jay begins this fall in Florida.

The Panthers swapped out the rights to Jay Bouwmeester to Calgary for a third-rounder and Jordan Leopold, who signed on for a reasonable one-year deal and joins what will likely be a significantly weaker blueline minus a host of serviceable bodies.

Left to man the fort on the backend will be Bryan McCabe, Keith Ballard, Leopold and Bryan Allen, a group that can't reasonably be expected to improve on the team's 17^th place finish in goals against last season. Also troubling on that front is the loss of steady backup Craig Anderson to Colorado via free agency, as his replacement Scott Clemmensen will see far more rubber in his starts than he did last season in New Jersey.

Adding to the exodus was the loss of GM Jacques Martin, who was wooed away to coach the Habs, and his replacement is still yet to be named as the team quietly went through an unsuccessful sale process over the summer.

Where there's reason for optimism is in the goal-scoring department, as Florida finished 17^th last season with one of the league's worst power plays, and there's enough burgeoning firepower here to make the Panthers one of the Eastern Conference's higher scoring teams in the coming seasons. More should be expected from Cory Stillman (who was on pace for 65 points last season), Nathan Horton, Michael Frolik, Rostislav Olesz and newcomer Steve Reinprecht — all relatively unheralded players who nonetheless will be able to hit the 50-point mark. Stephen Weiss and David Booth will go higher than that.

With another strong campaign from Tomas Vokoun in goal, the Panthers are probably, once again, a bubble team.

X-factor: Keith Ballard

For a more in-depth Panthers preview, visit The Litter Box
For more NHL analysis, check out the McKeen's Hockey Yearbook

Poll

Where will the Panthers finish in the Eastern Conference this season?

1

3 votes

2

0 votes

3

2 votes

4

2 votes

5

1 votes

6

6 votes

7

13 votes

8

20 votes

9

18 votes

10

34 votes

11

15 votes

12

27 votes

13

16 votes

14

15 votes

15

12 votes

184 votes | Poll has closed

SB Nation NHL Preview: 2009-10 Florida Panthers

Whale4ever — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 10:00:23 -0000

Cats fans will need their team to tighten up and become "one" as never before, if this is to be a regular fixture at the BankAtlantic Center in 2009-10. And paying the electric bills.

The Cats launched 2008-09 amid a flurry of uncertainty, for a myriad of valid reasons: longtime leading scorer Olli Jokinen dealt at the Entry Draft, GM Jacques Martin forced out of his coaching responsibilities, impending UFA-to-be Jay Bouwmeester re-signed...for one year, winger Richard Zednik attempting to return from hideous injury, the annual chorus of "where's the scoring going to come from?", Nathan Horton moved to center, zero-hour new head coach Peter DeBoer, and on and on.

Though players were initially pleased with the fresh air ushered in by DeBoer, the ingrown Martin Doctrine of "Defense First" made for a painful and difficult transition to an offensive/positionally-responsible strategy in the early going. Wade Belak's departure particularly irked fans, as did the rookie coach's insistance on "wasting" valuable first and second line time on that Michael Frolik kid...the one with 2g (4p) through the end of November.

December was the true birthplace of the club's acceptance of and submission to DeBoer's Terms of Service: 30 wins were to follow. A few maniacally bad stinkers as well, but the seed had been planted. And that Frolik guy finished with 21g-24a-45p. We're not doubting the rookie coach now.

Every hockey fan is aware of Florida's finish: 9th place in the East (93 pts), butted out of the postseason by a secondary tiebreaker vs Montreal. Nobody's crying over it - what could be done? - but a strong scent of "We want more - for real this year!" is wafting through the southeastern Everglades after coming Oh So Close to printing playoff tickets for the first time since 2000. Local media badly needs the opportunity to trot out something other than the tired "they missed it again" line.

No more Bouwmeester drama, Martin has moved on, the defense is as positionally sound as at any point over the past decade, Randy Sexton is providing steady if unexciting guidance from the front office, and young players are finally blooming. Onward...

FORGET ABOUT: Bouwmeester ~~thankfully~~ (trade/CGY), Ville Peltonen (UFA), Zednik (UFA), Nick Boynton (UFA), Steve Eminger (UFA), Jassen Cullimore (UFA), Karlis Skrastins (UFA), Brett McLean (Buyout), Anthony Stewart (UFA), Craig Anderson (UFA)

GET TO KNOW: Steven Reinprecht (UFA), Jordan Leopold (trade/UFA), Scott Clemmensen (UFA), Ville Koistinen (UFA), Dennis Seidenberg (UFA), Jeff Taffe (UFA)

BOYZ II MEN: (F) Michal Repik, Shawn Matthias, Kenndal McArdle, Evgeny Dadonov, Mike Duco. (D) Keaton Ellerby, Jason Garrison, Dmitry Kulikov, Michael Caruso. (G) Realistically no one (due to Vokoun/Clemmensen), but keep an eye on Alexander Salak

GOOD STUFF: Horton's permanently back on the wing, presumably with the 31 goals of David Booth, centered by leading scorer Stephen Weiss (61 pts). Anderson was capably replaced by ~~Newark Man of the Year~~ Clemmensen (a Sexton coup). The Boynton debacle is finis (solidifying DeBoer's position). Reinprecht is a proven commodity in his role. Potential rookie defensemen are on the cusp of cracking the lineup, in the midst of veterans in the mold of Martin Skoula and Christian Backman. An entire year away from Martin's stingy offensive philosophy is that much further behind them. Bryan Allen returns after a season in injury exile. GM JM is no longer a focal point of hatred for the fans.

QUESTIONABLE STUFF: Let's face it: Bouwmeester is indeed a loss. Boynton's signing with Anaheim reduces overall team toughness. Skrastins blocked a helluva lot of shots. Anderson was a known asset (but wanted a starting spot). Peltonen completed a sick third line with Gregory Campbell and Radek Dvorak, and killed penalties on par with anyone in the league. Rusty Olesz is on a seriously short leash. GM JM is no longer a focal point of hatred for the fans.

DEPTH STARS

Center: Weiss, Reinprecht, Campbell, Kamil Kreps
RW: Horton, Frolik, Dvorak, Repik
LW: Booth, Cory Stillman, Olesz, Nick Tarnasky
D: Keith Ballard, Bryan McCabe, Allen, Leopold, Seidenberg, Koistinen, Skoula/Backman, Garrison/Ellerby
G: Tomas Vokoun, Clemmensen, Tyler Plante/Salak

TIME WARP TO APRIL: No single organization in the Southeast held back - for better or worse - more than Florida eventually did over the summer. Everyone has improved. Optimists may claim the Panthers needed the least amount of tweaking, given the strides made in the second half of the 2008-09 season; a few solid "character" acquisitions here, a "complement" to this line there, a rookie hitting his stride at the right time. And a lot of hope for the burgeoning defensive bunch Sexton has assembled.

Gotta make a pick? It depends as much upon the successes and failures of the divisional four the Panthers are in competition with. Let's call it second in the SE, seventh in the Wales. The down days are over.

Poll

Where in the Eastern Conference standings do you think the Florida Panthers will finish in the 2009-2010 season?

1st

3 votes

2nd

2 votes

3rd

3 votes

4th

0 votes

5th

6 votes

6th

6 votes

7th

22 votes

8th

16 votes

9th

4 votes

10th

6 votes

11th

7 votes

12th

4 votes

13th

3 votes

14th

0 votes

15th

2 votes

84 votes | Poll has closed

Off the Post September 6

Conico do Mayo Miracle — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 09:19:48 -0000

The Sharks confirm what you already know - Dan Hinote will be at San Jose's training camp.
TSN speculates that the Maple Leafs are preparing for a move (Phil Kessel alert...) after Toronto reacquires their hot potato 2010 2nd round pick from Chicago in exchange for a 2011 3rd round pick and a 2011 2nd round pick that originally belonged to Calgary. If you can follow all that, you're ready to take on Brian Burke at a shell game.
Jeremy Roenick mouths off about the NHLPA situation, uses the word "chickenshit." Article here, full interview here.
Kyle McLaren tries to emigrate from the AHL as he's invited to the New York Rangers' training camp. No word whether Patrick Rissmiller was allowed on the same boat (rimshot).
The U.S. Department of Transportation avenges Phoenix Coyotes fans with a major "fuck you" to Canada. That'll teach you to ask for seven, bitches!

Doing his best Ray Bourque impersonation, longtime Dallas Stars d-man Philippe Boucher decides to hang up the skates, having hoisted the Cup for the first time on his final day.
The Anaheim Ducks get defenseman Steve Eminger from the... well shit, which of his three teams this past season had him last?
Richard Zednik's wife divorces him after a rocky marriage full of domestic abuse on his part. Suddenly that throat slash doesn't sound so bad after all...
Dan Cloutier gets a tryout with the Detroit Red Wings. Considering they're the ones behind this famous goal against, you'd think Detroit would be the last team to extend an offer to him. But then again, maybe they are.

Former Panther Richard Zednik's divorce finalized

Whale4ever — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:36:38 -0000

Zednik with now ex-wife Jessica Welch and Dr. Sonya Noor, prior to leaving Buffalo General Hospital in 2008.

It's a sad and unfortunate aspect of sports blogging when discussing the negative developments in an athlete's life, and this is no exception.

Yaroslavl Lokomotiv's Richard Zednik and Jessica Welch have now officially parted ways, according to Doreen Yaffa, a Boca Raton-based attorney, ending their four-year marriage. The couple have one child.

The standard exchange of lots of dollars will of course accompany the agreement.

Worse than news of the divorce, Welch has claimed...

Noting that Welch followed Zednik who joined the Florida Panthers in 2007 after playing for three years with the Montreal Canadiens, Yaffa said, "She gave up her film career to be his wife. However, it was a rocky marriage right from the start." In a petition for protection against domestic violence, Welch described numerous incidents of abuse by Zednik.

- PR-Inside.com

Ugly. I'm not going to launch a he said-she said war, and since I was not present, I really can't comment. But if her allegations are true, I can't say I'm too impressed with the guy. Whatever.

What can we say for the short time he was in Florida? He appeared to be a well-liked teammate, a skilled stickhandler, and the recipient of a horrible injury which rained worldwide attention on the organization. His comeback was of course particularly newsworthy, as were a couple of out-of-this-world goals scored in dramatic fashion.

Anything further? Is your opinion of the man any different now that he's moved on?

2009 NHL Free Agency / Teams by Cap Space / Unsigned UFA's and RFA's

Robert L — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 19:19:41 -0000

This is a listing of NHL teams by order of remaining cap space as of July 4. The Islanders top the list with approximately $23M left to spend. The Sharks have just under $2M remaining. The list is helpful in determining which team are closest to filling out their 2009-10 lineup. As one can see, there is much work to be done at both ends of the spectrum. The numbers figures are based on totals given by NHL Numbers.com.

1 - New York Islanders: $23.265 (18)

UFA: Andy Hilbert C 28, Dean McAmmond C 36, Mike Sillinger C 38, Thomas Pock D 27, Yann Danis G 28, Joey MacDonald G 29.

RFA: Nate Thompson C 24, Jeremy Colliton C 24, Jamie Fraser D 23, Jack Hillen D 23.

2 - Phoenix Coyotes: $21.972 (18)

UFA: Brian McGrattan R 27, Dmitri Kalinin D 29, Ken Klee D 38.

RFA: Nigel Dawes L 24, Joakim Lindstrom C 25, Enver Lisin R 23, Scottie Upshall R 25, Daniel Winnik C 24, Keith Yandle D 22.

3 - Atlanta Thrashers: $19.599 (15)

RFA: Eric Perrin C 33.

UFA: Kari Lehtonen G 25, Colby Armstrong R 26, Jim Slater C 26, Boris Valabik D 23.

4 - Nashville Predators: $17.913 (16)

UFA: Radek Bonk C 33, Scott Nichol C 34, Greg de Vries D 36.

RFA: Ryan Jones R 25, Antti Pihlstrom L 24,.

5 - New York Rangers: $16.436 (13)

UFA: Blair Betts C 29, Mark Bell L 28, Patrick Rissmiller C 30, Paul Mara D 29, Derek Morris D 30.

RFA: Christopher Higgins R 26, Ryan Callahan R 24, Brandon Dubinsky C 23, Lauri Korpikoski L 22, Nikolai Zherdev L 24, Corey Potter D 25.

6 - Anaheim Ducks: $14.295 (17)

UFA: Rob Niedermayer F 34, Todd Marchant C 33, Francois Beauchemin D 29, Bret Hedican D 38.

RFA: James Wisniewski D 25.

7 - Tampa Bay Lightning: $14.295 (17)

UFA: Matt Pettinger L 28, Wade Brookbank L 31, Jason Ward R 30, Marek Malik D 34, Josef Melichar D 30, Cory Murphy D 31, Noah Welch D 26.

RFA: Martins Karsums R 23, Radek Smolenak L 22, Matt Lashoff D 22, Matt Smaby D 24, Mike Lundin D 24, Karri Ramo G 22, Mike McKenna G 26.

8 - Columbus Blue Jackets: $13.313 (20)

UFA: Chris Gratton C 33, Manny Malhotra C 29, Michael Peca C 35, Jason Williams C 28, Christian Backman D 29.

RFA: Jiri Novotny C 25, Marc Methot D 24, Ole-Kristian Tollefsen D 25.

9 - Dallas Stars: $13.193 (19)

UFA: Sergei Zubov D 38, Brendan Morrison C 33, Joel Lundqvist C 27, Mark Parrish R 32, Landon Wilson R 34, Tobias Stephan G 25, Darryl Sydor D 37.

RFA: Mark Fistric D 23.

10 - St. Louis Blues: $12.295 (22)

UFA: Trent Whitfield C 32, Dan Hinote R 32, Jay McKee D 31, Manny Legace G 36.

RFA: Brandon Crombeen R 23, Chris Porter C 25, Steve Regier L 24, Roman Polak D 23, Jeff Woywitka D 25, Marek Schwarz G 23.

11 - New Jersey Devils: $12.129

UFA: Brendan Shanahan L 40, Kevin Weekes G 34, Niclas Havelid D NJ.

RFA: Travis Zajac C 24.

12 - Toronto Maple Leafs: $12.022 (20)

UFA: Brad May L 37, Bates Battaglia L 33, Andre Deveaux C 25, Boyd Devereaux C 31, Jeff Hamilton C 31, Kris Newbury C 27, Ben Ondrus R 27, Jay Harrison D 26, Jamie Heward D 38, Martin Gerber G 34, Olaf Kolzig G 39, Curtis Joseph G 42.

RFA: Jeremy Williams R 25, Justin Pogge G 23, Jaime Sifers D 26, Ryan Hollweg C 26.

13 - Chicago Blackhawks: $11.797

UFA: Aaron Johnson D 26.

RFA: Cam Barker D 23, Troy Brouwer R 23, Ben Eager L 25, Colin Fraser C 24, Kris Versteeg R 23.

14 - Colorado Avalanche: $11.654 (15)

UFA: Joe Sakic F 39, Ben Guite R 30, Brian Willsie R 31, Andrew Raycroft G 29.

RFA: Kyle Cumiskey D 22, David Jones R 24, Cody McCormick C 26.

15 - Montreal Canadiens: $10.454 (16)

UFA: Alexei Kovalev F 36, Saku Koivu C 34, Alex Tanguay L 29, Robert Lang C 38, Mathieu Schneider D 40, Tom Kostopoulos R 30, Mathieu Dandenault D 33, Patrice Brisebois D 38, Francis Bouillon D 33, Marc Denis G 31.

RFA: Tomas Plekanec C 26, Matt D'Agostini R 22, Guillaume Latendresse R 22, Kyle Chipchura C 23, Gregory Stewart L 23.

16 - Los Angeles Kings: $10.285 (21)

UFA: Derek Armstrong F 36, Denis Gauthier D 32, Kyle Calder L 30.

RFA: Jack Johnson D 22, Teddy Purcell R 23.

17 - Washington Capitals: $9.720 (15)

UFA: Viktor Kozlov C 34, Alexandre Giroux C 28, Bryan Helmer D 26, Brent Johnson G 32.

RFA: Jeff Schultz D 23, Shaone Morrisonn D 26, Milan Jurcina D 26, Eric Fehr R 23, Boyd Gordon R 25.

18 - Buffalo Sabres: $8.976 (16)

UFA: Matt Ellis L 24, Dominic Moore C 28, Andrew Peters L 29, Teppo Numminen D 40, Maxim Afinogeno F 29,

RFA: Andrej Sekera D 23, Drew Stafford R 23, Clarke MacArthur L 24, Patrick Kaleta R 23.

19 - Florida Panthers: $8.405 (18)

UFA: Ville Peltonen L 36, Richard Zednik L 33, Jassen Cullimore D 36, Nick Boynton D 30.

RFA: Anthony Stewart C 24, Steve Eminger D 25, Tanner Glass L 25.

20 - Carolina Hurricanes: $8.083 (18)

UFA: Ryan Bayda L 28, Dennis Seidenberg D 27.

RFA: Tuomo Ruutu C 26, Anton Babchuk D 25.

21 - Vancouver Canucks: $7.282 (18)

UFA: Mats Sundin C 38, Jason Krog C 33, Rob Davison D 29, Ossi Vaananen D 28, Curtis Sanford G 29, Michel Ouellet R 27.

RFA: Shane O' Brien D 25. Kyle Wellwood C 26, Jannik Hansen R 23.

22 - Minnesota Wild: $6.296 (20)

UFA: Stephane Veilleux L 27, Krys Kolanos C 27, Marc-Andre Bergeron D 28, Kurtis Foster D 27, Martin Skoula D 29.

RFA: Dan Fritsche C 23, Benoit Pouliot L 22, Kyle Brodziak C 25, Josh Harding G 25.

23 - Edmonton Oilers: $6.404 (20)

UFA: Ales Kotalik R 30, Dany Sabourin G 28.

RFA: Liam Reddox L 23, Gilbert Brule C 22, Ryan Potulny C 24, Rob Schremp C 22, Denis Grebeshkov D 25, Ladislav Smid D 23.

24 - Detroit Red Wings: $5.554 (16)

UFA: Darren McCarty R 37, Aaron Downey R 34, Chris Chelios D 47.

RFA: Jiri Hudler C 25, Ville Leino L 25.

25 - Boston Bruins: $5.340 (18)

UFA: Stephane Yelle F 35, P.J. Axelsson L 34, Manny Fernandez G 34.

RFA: Phil Kessel F 21, Matt Hunwick D 24.

26 - Ottawa Senators: $4.649 (22)

UFA: Mike Comrie C 28.

RFA: Brendan Bell D 26, Brian Elliott G 24.

27 - Pittsburgh Penguins: $3.137 (19)

UFA: Mike Zigomanis C 28, James Connor L 26, Miroslav Satan L 34, Petr Sykora R 32, Janne Pesonen L 27, Philippe Boucher D 36.

RFA: Paul Bissonnette R 24, Tim Wallace R 24, Ben Lovejoy D 25, John Curry G 25.

28 - Calgary Flames: $3.053 (19)

UFA: Todd Bertuzzi R 34, Andre Roy R 34, Rhett Warrener D 33.

RFA: Dustin Boyd C 22.

29 - Philadelphia Flyers: $2.125 (20)

UFA: Josh Gratton L 26, Boyd Kane L 31, Andrew Alberts D 28, Lasse Kukkonen D 27, Martin Biron G 31, Antero Niittymaki G 29.

RFA: Jared Ross C 26, Danny Syvret D 24.

30 - San Jose Sharks: $1.774 (16)

UFA: Claude Lemieux R 43, Jeremy Roenick C 39, Tom Cavanagh R 27, Alexei Semenov D 28, Mike Grier R 34, Marcel Goc C 25, Tomas Plihal L 26, Lukas Kaspar L 23.

RFA: Torrey Mitchell C 24, Thomas Greiss G 23, Brad Staubitz R 24.

Screw The Blues, Please

Rich of GASL — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:52:05 -0000

To this point I haven't minded that the Blues have made no other splash in the Free Agent market other than signing Ty "One On" Conklin. All Blues fans know the major pieces of the puzzle are working their way up through the organization (for a change), so we don't have to be real committed buyers, and that is a good thing. For starters, the Blues need not get into bidding wars for anybody. We are not desperate. Right now the Blues are the hot chick with the great body who isn't looking for Mr. Right and the long term relationship.

That being said, I sure wished the Blues would act like they want to get laid by Mr. Right Now.

All the signs point to this being a pretty weak market for free agents. All teams seem to be shy about running their budgets up to the cap, especially since they are not sure what it will look like next year. That is one reason why there was a flurry of activity as soon as the ball dropped on July 1. Teams knew what their wad was and they shot it. That is also why things have quieted considerably over the last 48 hours.

That is also why I think the Blues can afford to be a little more active. And I'd like them to sign a winger. (I'm thinking maybe a Ales Kotalik, Petr Sykora, or Alex Tanguay...if we wanted to be a skanky whore about it we could add Richard Zednik to that list.) Here is my reasoning:

Last season we lacked depth at wing. As a result we continually played natural centermen out of position (though some of that had to do with having rookie centermen I know). Adding another winger who can take some of the scoring pressure off the top line never hurts, and you have more insurance if we suffer another rash of injuries like last season.
The team is still carrying Janssen AND King. C'mon, the Blues have to be getting to a point where that situation is unhelpful.
I think we could afford to give this free agent a two year deal. This season is probably it for Tkachuk, and whoever we sign could fill that vet role after big Walt hangs up his skates (or at least fill part of that role.)
Adding a winger shouldn't really hurt upcoming players like Eller or Palushaj who can still fill in as needed without too much being demanded of them too soon. On the other hand it may mean we see less of Cam Paddock and Yan Stastny. (That's called a win-win.)

So, c'mon all you free agent wingers. Just look at this organization with her long legs and lascivious smile. You know she wants it.

Florida Panthers free agency : Wants and Needs for next season

Whale4ever — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 05:43:52 -0000

As we're all less than painfully aware, Wednesday is the start of unrestricted free agency in the NHL. Anyone who has followed top-tier hockey over the past few years has inevitably been bitten by the UFA bug. And if you haven't, you don't know what you're missing - online. A scan of the news websites the next day just doesn't begin to recall the drama as it plays out. Overhyped? Yep. Does the end result equal the skipped heartbeats and hours of work lost? Absolutely. And if only your "refresh" button could talk. Not to mention your computer's CPU...screaming from the precipice of hell to not open Any. More. Windows.

Pundits galore...from every media outlet. Bloggers come out of the shadows to strut their best stuff. In many ways, UFA Day rivals the Trade Deadline. Not in it's immediacy, simply that a semblance of hope (or not) for your particular team's season-to-come is being established in real-time.

Who can forget such adventures in mismanagement as two summers ago...which will probably remain the benchmark for managerial stupidity for years to come. How else to explain B-listers such as Briere, Smyth, Gomez, and Drury getting showered with A-list dollars for collective decades.

And now? Despite denials, they're all on the market, virtually untradeable. The halcyon days of pre-lockout salary madness had returned, in all their glory. Can't blame these guys for grabbing the coin. Not their fault. But the psycho inmates running the clubs who had offered up the farm are scrambling to undo the damage (in Colorado's case, it's a cleanup). And it ain't easy.

Lots more after the jump...

The Panthers - represented by Assistant GM Randy Sexton (give him the stinkin' job!!!) - will be going into Wednesday's action with a thoroughly researched list of candidates targeted for acquisition by the organization.

The last few years have seen the team sign what some have deemed - a few not unfairly - "spare parts": Radek Dvorak. Richard Zednik. ~~Crosby punching-bag~~ Brett McLean. Josef Stumpel. Roberts and Nieuwendyk. Eddie Belfour. Cory Stillman is unquestionably the highest-profile UFA signing in four years by Florida, and the Martin Administration never once marketed him as a savior, which is about as honest as fans could have expected.

The Cats made some tremendous progress in 2008-09, not the least of which was seriously closing in on the playoffs (losing out in a shameful-to-the-league tiebreaker with Montreal), gaining their most points (93) since Pavel Bure's time in Sunrise, and improving attendance, visibility, and respect. Not the least of which had a heckuva lot to do with coach Peter DeBoer (cue angelic hymns).

Now that the Bouwmeester elephant has been banished, what are the club's goals for Wednesday, and who do they take a run at to fulfill them? Let's look at where they are now.

As the roster stands for today, these players are signed through the upcoming season (note info is NOT updated since a week ago, but I have altered it for our purposes), by position (we'll discuss possible additions afterward):

CENTERS

Rostislav Olesz, Brett McLean, Stephen Weiss, Steve Reinprecht, Michael Frolik (not really a center, but whatever), Greg Campbell, Nick Tarnasky, Kamil Kreps, Anthony Stewart (RFA), Andy Sweetland (ROC), Shawn Matthias (ROC), Drew Larman (RFA-ROC). In a nutshell: logjam. Just not an appealing one.

Still to sign: None.

Need to score a center?: Yes...the indisputable Number One.

WINGERS

Nathan Horton, Cory Stillman, Kendall McArdle (ROC), Michal Repik (ROC), Tanner Glass (ROC), Dan Collins (ROC), Brady Calla (ROC). A little light on wingers at the NHL level, aren't we?

Still to sign: Radek Dvorak, Ville Peltonen, David Booth.

Need to score a winger?: Yes. Unless McArdle and Glass blow it all up at training camp, the club must secure at least one "scoring" winger. Repik is a lock for the team in any case. Booth will return.

DEFENSE

Bryan McCabe, Bryan Allen, Keith Ballard, Steve Eminger (RFA), Keaton Ellerby (ROC), Jason Garrison (ROC), Mike Caruso (ROC).

Still to sign: Karlis Skrastins, Jordan Leopold.

Need to score a defenseman?: Maybe. As it stands, we're staring at the following defense (if the presumed signings are made): McCabe, Allen, Ballard, Emmy, Skras, Leo, Ellerby. I'll go out on a limb and guess the Cats will pick up another D-man as insurance in case Ellerby isn't quite ready for prime-time.

GOAL

Tomas Vokoun, Tyler Plante (ROC), David Shantz (RFA-ROC), Chris Beckford-Tseu (ROC).

Still to sign: Craig Anderson.

Need to score a Goalie?: Oooooh yeah. A big area of concern - and the headaches must appear nightly for Sexton - Andy's proclaimed his desire to be a starter. No matter what the final outcome in the Vokoun-Anderson "battle", the Panthers will need a backup goaltender. In the system, only Beckford-Tseu has NHL experience. We'll be kind and deem it "limited". Shantz and Plante are strictly minor league, and will most likely remain as such. Forget the sensational Jacob Markstrom...he's a year away.

WHAT SHOULD THE PANTHERS DO ON WEDNESDAY?

Here's the drill: the Cats need a full-on Number One center, "scoring" winger, and backup goaltender. The defense is OK for the moment, though they will probably make a run at someone in that position; God Bless Jassen Cullimore, but his time is past. Options? Glad you asked...

CENTERS: WHO'S AVAILABLE?

While the likes of a Sundin, Sakic, or Koivu may be sexy and attractive, it's on a big-name basis only. Sakic (39 years-old) is Colorado-or-retirement home, Sundin (38) will go where his mind and financial advisor decide come January, and Koivu (an old 34) - for all his heroic goodness - is injury-riddled. A number of folks just below that range are either staring at hanging up the axe or stringing it along in the KHL. Or they are simply not number-ones.

Considering the Panthers' needs, names such as Mike Cammalleri ($3.6M in 2008-09) and Henrik Sedin ($3.58M) are the standouts, unless Todd Marchant is suddenly, miraculously in the "standout" category. Cammy is the only realistic option for Florida as far as number-ones go. Sedin will require a double-shot of salary cap insanity, given his brother - no slouch, but no cheapie either - must be included in any deal.

Panthers target: Mike Cammalleri. Presumably done with Calgary (whether he wishes to be or not; the Bouwmeester juggernaut will do him in), the best all-around center on the market should be a priority for Sexton. Previously played with current Panthers UFA Jordan Leopold.

WINGERS: WHO'S AVAILABLE?

A duo of Marians (Hossa and Gaborik), Alex Tanguay, Martin Havlat, and Daniel Sedin head up the list of top-line wingers going into 2009-10. Florida is balanced enough with multi-role wingers to adapt to whomever may be signed, so whether a lefty or righty, the point is moot so far.

Hossa will remain in Detroit long-term, Gabby's market value is decreased by his injury-plagued past, ditto Havlat (who will likely remain in Chicago). This leaves Tanguay and Sedin.

Unless Florida goes for absolute broke and bets the farm (and animals, and tractors, and barn mortgage) on the Sedin twins, Tanguay is the man.

Panthers target: Alex Tanguay. Long rumored to be the other side of a Jokinen deal while with Calgary, Tanguay has put up serious numbers over his career, though his recent stint in Montreal was a complete bust (then again...41 points in 50 games on a train-wreck?). Previously played with Steve Reinprecht.

GOALTENDING: WHO'S AVAILABLE?

Can't be clear enough about this: everything hinges upon Panther management's direction in regard to the starting goalie position. Vokoun's got two years left on a huge contract. Andy's a UFA and pining for a starter's role. Worlds are colliding.

If Vokoun is dealt: Anderson is re-signed and becomes the starter. If Andy leaves via free agency? T-Vo remains in the driver's seat. No matter what, the Cats need a backup.

Panthers target: Scott Clemmensen. I'm ignoring - completely - the Khabibulins, the Fernandez's, and the Gerbers of the world. Florida will require a backup. Plain and simple. Ty Conklin, Antero Niittymaki, and Martin Biron are all capable 'tenders, but among them the entire bunch, none made the impact that Clemmy thrust upon the hockey world with New Jersey when starter Martin Brodeur went down this season. At 25-13-1, the guy deserves better than the paltry $500,000 he received. Don't lose sleep: he'll get a lot more. This is one raise the Panthers must afford.

AROUND THE DIVISION

Florida's not the only club in the region with needs. A peek around the Southeast Division...

ATLANTA

What do they need? Everything. Seriously. Great coach. Great assistant GM. Great player who happens to be an average captain. Uber thin after that.

CAROLINA

What do they need? Defense. With Seidenberg, Melichar, and Tanabe all up for UFA dollars, the Canes will need an injection of talent at the blue line. Or bodies. Whatever fits into the salary structure.

TAMPA BAY

That's what makes writing about this division so awesome: Not only do we have the Thrashers (though behind Dudley they won't suck forever), but also the Lightning. Let's see: best defenseman, Cory Murphy, is a UFA. Seen ~~Stamkos~~ Hedman?

What do they need? Defense. The sad part is they're not even really losing anyone ~~other than Marek Malik~~.

WASHINGTON

What do they need? Forwards and toughness. With the loss of Sergei Fedorov (potentially) and Viktor Kozlov, the Caps need their kids in the system to step up. Donald Brashear's been patrolling the blueline for a while. His absence, if he chooses to sign elsewhere, will be keenly felt.

Whatever course Sexton's Cats decide to follow, it's gonna be an interesting few days. Be sure to check in on Wednesday for the UFA live blog from a Panthers perspective, starting at 11 am. I'll be doing the heavy lifting, so no worries.

Poll

Gonna skip work on Wednesday for UFA madness?

Yep...one of the best days of the year

25 votes

Nope...are you all insane?

17 votes

42 votes | Poll has closed

Florida Panthers and the Salary Cap heading into Draft Day/Free Agency

Whale4ever — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:31:05 -0000

Take a seat. You'll need it.

Now that the first trade of the offseason has gone down, thought it might be high time for a look at Florida's salary cap situation going into the Entry Draft/Free Agency period.

The 2009-10 "Cap" and "Floor" have not yet been released; these will be published next week. Going by NHLSCAP.com, we'll use current numbers:

The Upper Limit: $56,700,000 The Lower Limit: $40,700,000

While Randy Sexton and his Sunrise Warriors ponder their opportunities over the coming weeks, we'll take a peek at where the Cats are - on paper - and what it may mean for the direction of the club. Simply for informational purposes.

Warning: Lots Of Numbers alert! More after the Leap of faith...

Florida Panthers forwards under contract for 2009-10 (total cap hit: $20,753,333):

Horton, N. RW (4,000,000)
Stillman, C. LW (3,533,333)
Olesz, R. LW/C (3,125,000)
Weiss, S. C (3,100,000)
Reinprecht, S. C (2,050,000)
McLean, B. C (1,700,000)
Frolik, M. W/C (1,275,000)
Campbell, G. C (762,500)
Kreps, K. C (682,500)
Tarnasky, N. LW/C (525,000)

CENTERS

For a club so routinely deemed thin at center ice, fully seven of ten signed players are listed as centers (eight of ten if Horton's thrown into the mix; thankfully we're told he won't be).

Reinprecht is being hailed as a second-liner; does this imply Weiss is the number one? At 26 years old, it's well past time for him to Do It. His numbers were up across the board last year, but a leap to 85 from 61 points is where he needs to be. If the middle position is now set in stone, the burden is clearly on the the longtime Panther's shoulders.

Beyond Weiss and Reinprecht, Greg Campbell should remain a fixture on the third line, while Kamil Kreps and Rochester's Shawn Matthias can be expected to scrap for the fourth spot. My money's on Matty to have an impressive premier season.

Jonesed: McLean, Tarnasky, Stewart.

WINGS

Uber-Pantera David Booth's salad days are soon behind him. The $22,580 spent on each of his 31 goals in 2008-09 are going to be hellaciously more expensive in the coming year. Completely guessing, but would a five-year deal with an average cap hit of $4.8M and loads of incentives be unrealistic? Whatever the outcome, Booth is the future of the Florida Panthers, and will remain on the top two lines for a long time to come. Horton's enigmatic play is another matter, as is (35 year-old) Stillman's declining production. No matter, they'll be used and used a lot. Frolik? Good to go. Olesz? Who knows...he's criminally overpaid, but could he finally shake the demons and be that top-ten pick? Michal Repik is going to give someone in camp a scare. UFA Radek Dvorak will probably be retained for his defensive capabilities (younger than Peltonen) but only at far less than last year's $1.55M.

Jonesed: Zednik, Peltonen.

Florida Panthers defensemen under contract for 2009-10 (total cap hit: $12,850,000):

McCabe, B. (5,750,000)
Ballard, K. (4,200,000)
Allen, B. (2,900,000)

DEFENSE

Steve Eminger - who only got a cup of coffee with the club after the trade deadline - is an RFA, but there's no reason to suspect he will not be retained at or near the $1.2M he received in 2009. He was Tampa Bay's number one defenseman during his time in that city, and was a top four in Washington for several years before the ascension of Norris Trophy ~~snub~~ Mike Green.

As for the others under contract, we know them well, and what to expect from a better-than-average core. McCabe's the quarterback, Ballard the puck-mover, and Allen the stay-at-home. There will be trepidation going into camp with Allen, of course, having played the better part of only two games at the start of last season. He's a pro: he knows the drill.

Filling the other three spots could prove tricky maneuvering. I've been a fan of Karlis Skrastins since the day he arrived here 18 months ago, and he's been a steady force behind outgoing Jay Bouwmeester, but there's the quandary: did Skras' natural abilities complement Bouw, or was Jay just that much better, covering deficiencies we wouldn't otherwise see? I tend to side with Skrastins being a much more complete player than he's given credit for. He was the NHL's ironman, not too long ago, so you'll get what you pay for. Is he worth $2.4M as a fourth or fifth defenseman? There's the question.

Nick Boynton's situation with the club has been covered a hundred times. It's safe to assume - no matter what's been said publicly - that Coach DeBoer will not be welcoming him back in September. And there are close to three million rea$on$ why. Rapidly aging but rock-steady Jassen Cullimore - is a phenomenal bargain (less than $1M) as a sixth or seventh defenseman, but is this a spot which should be fought for by the likes of Keaton Ellerby and Jason Garrison? Perhaps Cullimore is the perfect partner for one. In any event the Cats will be looking for the services of at least one top-four D-man this summer.

Jonesed: The Beach

Florida Panthers goaltenders under contract for 2009-10 (total cap hit: $5,700,000):

Vokoun, T. (5,700,000)

GOALTENDERS

And now we come to the Panthers' personal "Bay of Pigs": goaltending. UFA Craig Anderson was undeniably the best performance-per-dollar player in the National Hockey League last season. At $550,000, his 15-7-5 and three shutouts were spectacular stats. He's due a very considerable raise, and has voiced his desire to become a starter. Somewhere. Two year deal for $3.5M? Who knows. What we do know is he will not be returning to Florida as a backup.

Veteran Tomas Vokoun remains one of the game's great netminders, but he slid down the strech and was unable to convey any sort of confidence among those playing in front of him; there were rumblings the team was just flat-out "better" with Andy in net. T-Vo lost several games which his club had already ostensibly "won" for him late in the season, though ended with 26-6-6 and six shutouts. That's not even close to a lost cause. But give Anderson 60+ starts and the team will be rolling the dice...the payoff may be grand, and far less expensive.

Florida will have a new secondary no matter what, though no one in the system is up to the task beyond Andy, unless a heroic jump in progress is made by either Tyler Plante or Chris Beckford-Tseu. Don't count on that happening. Not now, probably not ever. David Shantz is cooked as a UFA, so count him out. Only European super-rookie Jacob Markstrom is on the horizon, and that remains a year away.

Jonesed: Shantz, Plante

Total committed cap hit for 2009-10 (as of 06/20/09): $39,303,333

Restricted Free Agents (2008-09 cap hits)

Eminger, S. D (1,200,000)
Booth, D. LW (700,000)
Stewart, A. C (522,500)

Digging a bit deeper, here's the story from Rochester/Florida (ECHL):

Rochester Americans forwards under contract for 2009-10:

Sweetland, A. C (1,030,000)
McArdle, K. LW (850,000)
Repik, M. RW (845,833)
Matthias, S. C (821,667)
Collins, D. RW (628,333)
Calla, B. RW (603,333)
Duco, M. C (546,667)

Restricted Free Agents likely to be retained:

Glass, T. LW (570,000)
Larman, D. C (500,000)

So Panthers fans: only a few days left for some of these guys in Florida's system. Which should make the cut? Who shouldn't? And which players from around the league should be targeted by the club? Let's have your opinions on this always-traumatic time for fans, players, and management alike. Where do the Cats go organizationally?