As Florida ramps up their GM search, Elliott Friedman mentioned during a recent “Headlines” section of Hockey Night In Canada, that two more names have entered the arena:

- Bill Armstrong (Assistant GM for the Blues)
- Kevin Weekes (Former Panther and current NHL Network Analyst)

According to a recent (a href= https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/weekes-armstrong-list-candidates-panthers-gm-job/> Sportsnet article, Friedman was quoted saying that the Cats are also linked to:

“Chris Drury of the Rangers, Michael Futa, who’s a free agent, and Scott Mellanby of Montreal. It’s also expected for John Ferguson in Boston and Laurence Gilman in Toronto (to be contacted).”

And don’t forget rumored dark horse candidate, Ron Hextall.

Interesting to note that Friedman also included that Florida has done a number of interviews already this week - so it seems they’re really moving on this.

We can break down some of those names later as the “fat” gets trimmed in this search, but for the time being, I want to discuss a name we’re all familiar with:

- Scott Mellanby

I’m a big fan of Kevin Weekes, his knowledge and the job he does on the NHL Network, but he only had a cup of coffee in Florida. For the sake of this column, I’m focusing on Mr. Mellanby since he spent significant time in the leaping cat sweater.

I’ve seen mixed fan reactions to Mellanby, but I personally find the idea pretty interesting, here’s why...

The Panthers have been in purgatory for a long time now. Despite the new ownership’s overhaul and idea to usher in the next era of Florida Panthers hockey, the truth of the matter is, they’re stagnant. The additions of new players and the promise of a new product on the ice has fallen short yet again.

They now face a tough road ahead: finding a new GM that will move out/bring in the right pieces to build a winning culture - something that has been promised time and time again.

Do they bring in someone completely unattached from the organization and continue their pursuit of a new age, or do they go with someone who has some familiarity and ties to it?

While you hate to see teams live in the past, I actually think Florida could benefit from it right now.

Admittedly, I don’t know what kind of job he’s done the past six years in his assistant GM role with Montreal, but Mellanby was a fan favorite and served as a vital player for the Cats from 1993-2000.

Obviously not a good argument or basis for why someone should be a GM (it’s actually terrible), but I do think it carries some weight.

Mellanby was a part of something very special not only in Florida’s history, but in the NHL’s, too. What those early Panthers teams did was pretty incredible. In a way, they were sort of the Golden Knights of their era.

Now, you hate seeing guys make something like this their identity. The “Uncle Rico Syndrome,” where they can’t move on from past glory. Maybe some folks think Mellanby has done this at times, I don’t know.

Personally, I think it might benefit the new ownership to go back to the well a bit. I sometimes get the impression that they’re so bent on putting their stamp on the organization, and erasing the “dark ages,” that they forget about those really important years in the beginning.

Mellanby has a pretty strong background when it comes to hockey operations work. He spent three years with VAN as a special consultant to GM Mike Gillis, then two years as an assistant coach in STL, before being hired by MTL as the Director of Player Personnel in 2012, and eventually becoming the assistant GM in 2014 - where he’s been since.

It could be that he’s finally at a spot where he’s ready to take the next step.

And it could be at the right time for the Panthers.

From a fan perspective, Mellanby looks to have some solid credentials, and what puts him over the top (for me) is that he has experience/familiarity with this organization and it’s “golden years.” He knows what it took to have success back then, and he knows/understands the Panthers fans.

They’ve failed thus far to bring the Cats to the next step in their evolution. Why not bring in a guy that has connections to/could possibly instill some of that original formula and attitude into this team?

Regardless of who they bring in, I just really want to see a legitimate shake up. I might be so bold as to say no one should be safe?

While the current brass’ track record hasn’t been too hot, I’m curious to see what they end up doing...

Go Panthers!

Join the Discussion: » 21 Comments » Post New Comment

» GAME 21

» GAME 19

» GAME 18

» GAME 17

» GAME 16