Matt Ross: The Off-Season

I would lock up Duclair if the price was right. I think he has his issues, but overall a very underrated player.

Grow up

What if Tampa didn't cheat the system? Imagine a scenario where Florida wins that series and is now in a position to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. They were pretty close this year and probably won't have that chance again for a long time.

Its all well and good until you lose to Tampa then the feelings truly come out (see D. Hamilton comments) Sure he back tracked a bit in the next sentence but obviously thats how he really feels.

If we are stuck with Bob which I imagine we are (and I too thought he played decent this year) now we have a butt-hurt situation where he wasnt even considered good enough for the backup position in game 6 when we had Driedger on the bench.

We need to stop giving out NMC imagine ridding Yandle anywhere because he had no control ah yes dare to dream

Duclair can walk he was OK at that price point but he will want more and you readers know based on my PAMBAGing all season that he was not putting up near enough goals to please me, especially early in the season playing with Barkov on the 1st line.

I really dont like the idea of the buyout on Bob if it costs 5.8 dead cap on a flat cap. Ouch

I would lock up Duclair if the price was right. I think he has his issues, but overall a very underrated player.
- hockeyaddict89

I really like his speed and ability to get the defense on their heels, but he had his struggles finishing a bit. I’m just not sure if he’s going to want a big pay raise or not, but like you said, if the price is right, it could be nice to bring him back.

Maybe they’re thinking of promoting a rookie, or going after someone else? Should be interesting.

What if Tampa didn't cheat the system? Imagine a scenario where Florida wins that series and is now in a position to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. They were pretty close this year and probably won't have that chance again for a long time.
- lemieux_66

With the right moves, I think they have a chance to stay in the running for the next few years.

Should be interesting to see what Zito does.

Its all well and good until you lose to Tampa then the feelings truly come out (see D. Hamilton comments) Sure he back tracked a bit in the next sentence but obviously thats how he really feels.

If we are stuck with Bob which I imagine we are (and I too thought he played decent this year) now we have a butt-hurt situation where he wasnt even considered good enough for the backup position in game 6 when we had Driedger on the bench.

We need to stop giving out NMC imagine ridding Yandle anywhere because he had no control ah yes dare to dream

Duclair can walk he was OK at that price point but he will want more and you readers know based on my PAMBAGing all season that he was not putting up near enough goals to please me, especially early in the season playing with Barkov on the 1st line.

I really dont like the idea of the buyout on Bob if it costs 5.8 dead cap on a flat cap. Ouch
- Shynes57

I’m still confused why Bob was saying in Game 2. But that’s old news.

What moves do you think get made this summer?

Its all well and good until you lose to Tampa then the feelings truly come out (see D. Hamilton comments) Sure he back tracked a bit in the next sentence but obviously thats how he really feels.

If we are stuck with Bob which I imagine we are (and I too thought he played decent this year) now we have a butt-hurt situation where he wasnt even considered good enough for the backup position in game 6 when we had Driedger on the bench.

We need to stop giving out NMC imagine ridding Yandle anywhere because he had no control ah yes dare to dream

Duclair can walk he was OK at that price point but he will want more and you readers know based on my PAMBAGing all season that he was not putting up near enough goals to please me, especially early in the season playing with Barkov on the 1st line.

I really dont like the idea of the buyout on Bob if it costs 5.8 dead cap on a flat cap. Ouch
- Shynes57

5.8 for the first 2 yr, then 6.8 for the next 3, according to CapFriendly. Then 1.8 for the following 5 years.

I don't think the Seattle idea is horrible, but it would require the adding of the pick that was mentioned and probably eating a good chunk of cap as well. Even then, is there any chance that Bob agrees to go? What are his taxes going to be in Seattle vs. Florida?

I think the goalie tandem for 21-22 is going to be Bob/Knight in one form or another. As you said, Driedger is likely gone. I am pretty sure that Bob/Knight can get us to the playoffs in a good position.

The question then becomes, is any Panther goalie strong enough to win in the playoffs? Bob, Driedger, and Knight all lost in the TB series. Can Bob/Knight catch fire, Carey Price style, and win some rounds next year, particularly if we don't hit TB in round 1? That, to me, is the question facing Zito. I see Bob's contract as a significant negative factor, but not the core issue.

The Panthers proved they could put a lot of goals past Vasilevskiy so the issue was keeping TB scoring down through improved defense, goaltending, and PK. So, can Zito move out Yandle and Stralman and add someone who can actually focus on defense? Luckily, Ekblad should be back and maybe in mid-season form by mid-season.

Yandle's streak is likely to be a major distraction and lightning rod for defensive issues if he plays next year. I think Zito has a practical deadline of offloading Yandle one way or another well before opening night.

"Another first round exit" sounds bad. However, it doesn't pass the eye test to me this year. This Panther team was, quite possibly, the best in Panther history. The trajectory is going the right way. We have the right coaching. The culture has significantly changed for the better. The team believes that they can win. They probably feel a bit robbed, so they will be motivated from day 1 next season.

The real issue was the tough draw of Tampa in round 1. For a better seeded team, the Panthers faced the "underdog" with the highest point total in the NHL, then to top it off the TB LTIR joined up in time for game 1. I think the Panthers would have done quite well against any other 3/4 seed in the playoffs.

I think the Panthers did better against TB than the Hurricanes and it looks true for the Islanders as well, based on last night. Those teams had the added benefit of watching a fully-loaded TBL play full series against the Panthers (and then Carolina). I think Kucherov surprised the Panthers in game 1.

So, I guess my point is we need to plug some holes, but I don't see the need for a blockbuster move. It would have been nice to beat TBL before they got rolling with the LTIR guys, but I think the Panthers are in good shape for next year.

Go Panthers!

I wonder if Yandle cares enough about his ironman streak to waive the no trade??? threaten the streak see if he folds up.

Not sure if I posted on another blog or not but one morning I was super bored and no one else was up so I ran the numbers using the actual playoff format and the Cats would have drawn Boston instead of Tbag. Would they have faired any better? No one knows. That was the problem with this season there was absolutely zero gauge on how teams stacked up vs the league. The funniest part when I ran the numbers using the actual divisions is that the Calgary Flames with their 55 points would have made the playoffs with the Pacific division being such absolute crap as the 3rd team in the division thus granting them automatic access.

I’m still confused why Bob was saying in Game 2. But that’s old news.

What moves do you think get made this summer?
- Matt Ross

Maybe I do not know enough about him and the sample size of my viewing might be too small but I'm feeling at the moment i would like them to bring in Oleksiak, a nice big body to move out some players in front

Here is my two cents for what it’s worth
Goalies: some how some way get rid of BOB. Let KNIGHT split the season and and take over as a number one goalie the following year

Forwards: extend BENNETT. Sign LIANE

Defense: sign JONES. Do something with YANDLE. Sign LARSON

The rest of the roster use as pawns along with draft picks to get it done.

Most importantly is defense, defense, defense

Bennett's pathetic

Easy way to solve the problem. Put Bobrovsky on LTIR for the season with a hang nail. Tampa did it, so can we.

Any word on the Alexsi Saarela situation?

Easy way to solve the problem. Put Bobrovsky on LTIR for the season with a hang nail. Tampa did it, so can we.
- edge1

Any word on the Alexsi Saarela situation?
- blkhwkfn

Nothing that I have heard, my man.