Season Preview from the First Secretary of Sport

[Jungle Cats]

You had it all, you still use shampoo - Cats add players in the off-season, as teams tend to do.

In a press conference Sunday morning, the Florida Panthers introduced three recent acquisitions to the media - Paul Kariya, Sheldon Souray and, uh... Blake Geoffrion.

Paul Kariya was acquired via trade with the New York Rangers, who recieved San Jose's 2nd round pick in 2013 in exchange for the shifty winger. In 1151 NHL games, Kariya has 452 goals and 675 assists.

Turning 38 this year, the five-time all-star played with four different teams last year, and assuming Kariya debuts with the Panthers in the fall, he'll be in his sixth uniform in two years. Through all of that turmoil, Kariya remained a consummate professional, putting up 48 points in 73 games - 21 in 39 as a Canadien, 2 in 2 games as an Islander, 7 in 11 with Tampa, and a strong finish to the season with 18 in 21 as a Ranger during the stretch.

Once considered one of the sport's most exciting scoring forwards, Kariya put together long stretches of brilliance in the late 90s as Captain of the (then) Anaheim Mighty Ducks, finishing top-five in league scoring four times. His post-Ducks career has been more checkered, and as he turned the corner into his thirties, injuries began to take their toll on his electrified offensive game, though he's still able to be a reliable point producer as he marches into the sunset.

Kariya could be seen as a replacement for Pavol Demitra, who remains a free agent after posting an astonishing 78 points last season, unexpectedly pressed into first line duty by injuries, though management is obviously hoping not to repeat last year's misfortunes. The signing should give the Cats two solid scoring lines with depth to spare, and provide a leadership aspect somewhat lacking at times on last year's squad.

Defenseman Sheldon Souray was signed as a free agent as soon as the NHL's silly season was underway. Again, although his prime years have passed, he should be a valuable asset on this young club looking to take the next step. The 37 year old Souray played all 82 games for the Canadiens last year, scoring 11 goals and adding 25 assists. Though a little longer in the tooth, he still possesses a booming slapshot, and is surprisingly reliable on the back end.

The Panthers also signed, for reasons now unclear, free agent grinder Blake Geoffrion. Unlike his famous grandfather, and his even more famous great-grandfather, the 24 year old Geoffrion has limited scoring talents, and is at best a 4th liner. We'd be remiss if we failed to mention that Geoffrion is a native Floridian, the second Sunshine Stater to sign with the Panthers, following after the venerable Dallas Eakins.

[Jungle Cats]

Get used to it, Hitler. A Florida Panthers Preview

Not to belabour a point, but yes, it was another long summer for the Panthers players. Golf, japery, training, navel-gazing, and refilling one's cup of optimism from the tap of 'the future, wouldn't that be nice?' ensued. Now, September beckons and the rink in Sunrise can be surfaced and sustained without expending the equivalent of Estonia's entire electrical grid in energy costs. Strap-in/up/on, here's our exclusive preview of the 2012-13 Florida Panthers.

Cats on Vacation

Several returning players had eventful summers and were so kind as to share the highlights with us. We skimmed.

- Jordan Leopold saw The Dark Knight Rises seven times, but never in 3D.
- Brock Nelson and Brandon Archibald solved a mystery involving ghosts, an abandoned amusement park, a confused old man and a van full of groovy drifters.
- Loui Eriksson had his identity stolen. Police are looking for Peter Worrell.
- Kenndal McArdle won six bucks off lottery scratchers.
- New acquisition Blake Geoffrion ate a burger in all fifty US states.
- Trevor Daley followed Geoffrion's blogging of said activity.
- Cody McLeod discovered that yes, in fact, gaze ye into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you.
- Michal Repik watched videos of a young woman talking about her life on youtube everyday. For 5 months.
- Paul Kariya spent some quality time with an elderly shut-in, learning a few important life lessons on the way to a lasting friendship.
- Nathan Oystrick had a minor hit in Thailand with his band's cover of "My Sharona."

Cats at work

Others didn't get up to much frivolity in the off-season. Connor Brickley spent the summer chopping wood at a cabin in the mountains with the word 'RELENTLESS' painted in red on each wall of the sleeping bunk. The coaching staff is both pleased and worried to hear it. Expectations for this season are ever-so-slightly higher than last year's goal of 'almost make the playoffs,' and a certain competitive spirit (not uncommon in professional sports) has begun to foment in the Arena. The Panthers opened their September training camp with more than 40 players on the roster, and the staff has allowed for several intrasquad games in-between pre-season matches to better thin the herd.

Forwards

One assumes Michael Frolík's spot is safe (no pressure. none), and at first glance, the competition is tight for a young player to break into the top twelve. Brickley and Nelson got some feet in some doors last season, and the top six looks set to include them. The addition of Paul Kariya and the return of a healthy Stephen Weiss and Mikael Granlund bolsters that group to semi-respectability, should the young guns find a rhythm.

The bottom six is where things get predictably messy. Jiri Hudler and Loui Eriksson are pushed to a muddier role than they're used to, but alongside Anton Gustafsson, they should be able to contribute auxilliary offense. Drew Show took big strides last season toward becoming a reliable penalty-killer, though his faceoffs still need work. Cody McLeod is less reliable but more spirited, and if the fans accept him after his despicable actions last season, he's a shoe-in to hold down the agitator role.

That leaves a variety of players in the mix for spot 12 and the pressbox. Michal Repík looks very much like an extra piece right now, and will be looking to stick in camp. Blake Geoffrion, a curious (and expensive) addition, is an able penalty-killer, but has plenty to prove in this group. Francis Wathier appeared in every game last season, but management is reportedly frustrated with his lack of development. He'll need to show another dimension if he's going to get playing time this season. Kenndal McArdle split time last year and is likely to be a frequent flyer when injuries hit, but he lacks jam for a 4th liner.

Defense

Sophomore Petter Granberg broke out to score 53 points last season, good for fourth among defensemen leaguewide. His plus-minus was less appealling, playing tough minutes on a weak and wounded team, and it's here where the talented Swede hopes to make progress in his third EHEC campaign. While Granberg is the unquestioned star on the blueline, Sheldon Souray and Wade Redden add a certain 'gravitas' and grey experience to the defensive group. Keith Ballard remains a solid but unspectacular (and overpaid) contributor, and his frequent pairing partner Trevor Daley is much the same. Jordan Leopold was a surprising returning player based on his on-ice performance, though the 32-year old is popular in the room and an all-around professional, so consider him 'glue,' and locked down on spot 7.

Brandon Archibald bashed some heads as a rookie, and might make himself more useful as a winger, but he's young and fun to watch. First round pick Griffin Reinhart isn't ready for action right out the gates, but he'll head to the AHL with high expectations. Colby Robak is a darkhorse to stick in camp, but he'll have to edge out Nathan Oystrick, among others.

Goaltending

Tomas Vokoun was waived and released without ceremony (GM Haslam was surprised to hear about it, oddly enough) at some point in the summer, and has proceeded to parts unknown. This makes this season's tandem Jacob Markstrom and John Gibson, almost by default. The exceedingly young goalies will reportedly platoon, so long as it's competitive. While a popular option with coaches and goalies giving polite interviews in praise of their teammate, a platoon situation ends in tears. Always. Richard Bachman remains at the ready should anything happen, accidentally or otherwise.

Intangibles




Predicted Top-5 Scorers (Provided by the VUKOTA-SNEPSTS-Lojackojammermeter)

Michael Frolík 31-54
Mikael Granlund 32-41
Stephen Weiss 40-30
Connor Brickley 31-32
Petter Granberg 14-43

Expectations

Eh.

[Jungle Cats]

I did refer to it as "our nausea"

National Hero is functional. Operating in one of two ways,
a long form binary, translated into a few inches,
hovering above the ice. Hot precipitate,
form of an ice-catapult, a marvel,
and so close this time.

A different kind of movement,
harkening back to contracts, negotiations
between lovers straddling each other’s median,
somewhere between the myth
and the morning routine.

Blam-headed and trundling, face buried
behind some other ‘oh shucks’ mask,
a poured latex thing. Find some love,
offers talk radio, one voice to another floaty toy
meandering diagonally and close to the surface.

The centre of everything fits inside any size,
his centre as wide as her whole body, he says
meaning, actually, the country and her past-time.
Inoculated from real-world consequence and gay jokes
the athletic god-head returns abruptly to the ice

ahead of fanfare, and good naturedly ruptures
some doubts, pours adrenaline into someone else’s veins,
television-communicable, astral. “Our” triumph hesitates
when a non-wielder and non-magic user goes saw-toothed
and this bear-skinned barbarian knocks his head off.

We are, surprise and collective gasp, asking what
is it, this fault line? A new zero, a sliding off position,
Io now lowering herself onto his hips,
wrapping her arms around his terminal shoulders
to raucous applause, a sizable demo share for this ballet,
this non-playoff game.

[Commish Bub(NYR)]

... and a certain competitive spirit (not uncommon in professional sports) has begun to foment in the Arena. ...

"foment" or "ferment"?

[Jungle Cats]

... and a certain competitive spirit (not uncommon in professional sports) has begun to foment in the Arena. ...

"foment" or "ferment"?

whatever it is, it's fragrant.

[Jungle Cats]

Panthers Quietly Stalking Hope

Sunrise, FL (ZP) - You take the good, you take the bad and there you have... a very small sample size of what the Florida Panthers are going to be like this season. After the month of October, the Panthers are 4-3-1, with 29 goals scored versus 23 conceded.

If you're the kind of concerned fan looking for progress, consider the following - the offense continues to be high powered, last year's 11th ranked offense is solidly in the top ten, and second in the Eastern Conference. The defense, last season's fur-lined four hundred pound cyst (28th), is in the top half of the league in the early going.

John "Head Lice Check" Gibson carries on the fine tradition of a sub-.900 save percentage, but he's given up nearly a goal less per game than Jacob "Coughs Into His Hand" Markstrom, who's had limited time to showcase himself so far, to the point that his match fitness is questionable. There's nothing spookier than having to give a start to a backup out of form.

Brock "Yeah, like I'd look at QoC and Corsi before signing a 30 year old guy who had his first breakout season to a huge contract. Pfft, Nerd." Nelson has been very solid in his first month as a regular starter, a team best +8 with 7 points, but it's Petter "Paul Ryan's Cold Dead Eyes" Granberg who's stolen the show for the Cats. The defensive stalwart has been silicon-carbide-solid at both ends of the ice (7 points, 3.8 HG/g, +13TA), and his inestimable value to the team means that sooner or later, he'll be out indefinitely with gout. (Lay off the fatty meats, Pete)

Paul "Let's blame weather patterns on the sinners" Kariya is perhaps shooting with an unreasonable 25% success rate, but even with an inevitable stagnation in production, he's so far a good fit with the team and brings the grizzled experience of a man who remembers more about getting destroyed by Gary Suter and Scott Stevens than he remembers basic multiplication and long division.

Michael "One Year Wonder' Frolík has our support.

Connor "Hasn't Seen Star Wars and is always a dick about it" Brickley has so far won more fights than he has scored goals, but this sets him up for an encounter with pugnacious peer Mirko Hoefflin on November 16th in Edmonton. Both players have 4 fighting majors on the season, and both have handily won all 4 of their bouts.

If the Panthers can keep this respectable 'win a few, lose a few, win a few more, lose a few less' parabolic wave up through November, they should continue to look like a playoff team. If they can't, well, hey, gold star.

[Jungle Cats]

In & Out Starring Kevin Kline

Sunrise, FL (ZP) - Yes, this publication is now lamentably using a reference to a low-quality gay panic movie to describe the Panthers season. It was a placeholder article title, but like so many other throwaway jokes, it stuck. It was late, it was time to go to print, and it was so late in fact that we forgot that this paper is now a digital-only edition and the idea of 'going to print' is as anachronistic as the notion that an effete man's sexuality is intrinsically linked to his slightly atypical gender presentation. Though Kevin Kline shines in the role, and Joan Cusack is a reliable supporting actress as ever.

Okay, the Panthers. Special Teams are a disaster. Though this is not news, with the Cats having struggled on the powerplay even when winning, it's especially glaring in the current run of poor form. This ongoing farce - 25th on the PP, 29th on the PK - hasn't yet prompted any radical action in the way the coaching staff runs practice, or even any minor experimentation with personnel changes. Perhaps DeBoer and his assistants are prolonging the agony out of morbid curiosity, to see how long the team can continue to float along the bottom of the playoff hopefuls while they squander each man advantage and surrender utterly with each man down.

I mean, why throw that yogurt out? What if it does something? Yeah, leave it.

All this does mean the Panthers are a very good even-strength team. That they lack the discipline to capitalize on this is unsurprising.

While Michael Frolík has so far failed to build on his break-out season from last year, Stephen Weiss has already scored twenty-three goals at the halfway mark, and the top line combination of Fro, Vice and Granlund have gelled very well aside from the mysterious powerplay struggles.

Captain Paul Kariya has fallen into a bit of a bad habit that we hope the youngsters take in stride - the thirty-eight year old winger, a two-time Lady Byng Trophy winner, leads the team in minor penalties with 31 in 41 games played. Never a physical player, the former speedster has seemed lost in the defensive zone, though Coach DeBoer acknowledged that his second line was playing a style more molded to centre Connor Brickley's game than Kariya's, and he admired the veteran's willingness to play the body, even if "he hasn't a fucking clue how to do so."

The difference between John Gibson and Jacob Markstrom continues to be night and day, so long as the reader agrees that night could be better and day is putting up numbers that José stupid Theodore would laugh at. At an AHL level, Richard 'Overdrive' Bachman was disappointed to learn his streak of 41 starts would come to an end, but management's neglect of the farm team ended for a brief moment this week, and while the clouds were parted, a backup goalie was discovered. Exiled winger Jiri Hudler continues to lead the Rampage, who are doing better than their parent club at the moment, following a conservative gameplan that sees the team fight closely contested games on most outings.

Rampage fans can take small solace in the fact that none of their roster seems in imminent danger of being called-up, though as always with a feeder club, that's not so comforting for the players themselves. Hudler carries his phone with him at all times, even after a controversial incident where it fell out of his pants and a game continued with two pucks until the black motorola split in two.

As far as the rest of the season goes, we speculate the Panthers still have a solid chance at righting the ship and staying in. Or out. Whichever is preferable in this already strained metaphor. In the playoffs. Out of the closet. Shining like the brightest diamond in the brightest sun.

[Virtual Jarmo]

Angels get their wings when you write a Team News post, Zaq.

[Commish Bub(NYR)]

Richard 'Overdrive' Bachman. Best nickname of 2013. Guaranteed.

[Jungle Cats]

Push!: Based on Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Sunrise, FL (ZP) - With just under a third of the season left to play, the Panthers have started to find a bit of a groove, with just one regulation loss in their last ten. There's no rational reason to think calling attention to that would have negative consequences, right? Right? To be clear, we are absolutely not gloating. Not even enjoying it. Not an ounce of hubris. Nope. Just sayin'.

Currently in sixth place, but well back of the division leading Capitals and the fourth place Hurricanes, the Cats are currently leading the pack of teams in the middle of the Eastern Conference. Morale is high, but nobody knows how quickly fortunes can change more than the players who've spent a few years with the Panthers. Stephen Weiss, who's played over 600 games with the team without ever seeing playoff action, is optimistic about the new players brought in via two recent trades, saying they've both fit in well with the locker-room culture.

Veteran centre Chris Drury - acquired from the Lightning for a 2nd round pick at the end of January - knows how to make big plays at crucial moments; the fourteen year pro has a reputation for stepping up his game in the playoffs. A Hobey baker winner with BU in 1998, NHL rookie of the year in 1999 and a Little League World Series Champion in 1989 (Pitching a complete game and driving in two runs against Chinese Taipei in a 5-2 upset!), Drury is expected to bring leadership into the room and contribute secondary scoring. With the 2001 Avalanche, it was Drury who picked up the load from the injured Peter Forsberg to help the Avs clinch their 2nd Stanley Cup. In his time as a co-captain of the Buffalo Sabres, he was a key contributor on several over-achieving teams. Now 36, Drury is on the downswing of his career, a career spent driving to the front of the net and sacrificing his body. With the opportunity to help the Panthers into the playoffs comes a opportunity for redemption, the large contract he signed as a free agent with the Rangers still hanging around his neck like an albatross in lieu of any post-season success.

The latest trade made by the Panthers carries a little more risk than adding a veteran centre - to acquire defenseman Paul Martin, Florida gave up grinder and energy forward Cody McLeod. The risk isn't great - popular as he was, 'The Highlander' was rarely more than a fourth liner and hasn't scored since the 11th of December. Of his four fights on the year, he came out on the losing end of all four, and though his physical presence is something much of the lineup lacks, the return of Martin should soothe the loss of the fan favourite (and suspension magnet.) Also sent to Steel City, winger Michal Repík, who's found himself out of a job with the addition of Drury. The departure of the Czech playmaker's $3 million caphit made the trade possible, his underwhelming stats and reputation as a giveaway machine made the trade desirable.

A smooth-skating playmaking defenseman with a simple defensive game, Martin appeared in all 56 Penguins games before the trade, utilized mainly as a 2nd pairing defender behind Chara and Girardi. Peter DeBoer and the coaching staff have him skating with Sheldon Souray on the Panthers' second unit, and he'll get a look on the powerplay as well as shorthanded while the team tests their options. Keith Ballard will lineup with Trevor Daley or Colby Robak as the third pairing, though whether this well-rounded group is an adequate counter to teams with stand-outs and specialists remains to be seen.

Panthers, at a glance

Spotlight On - Connor Brickley has 10 points in his last 8 games, and just one minor penalty in February - an especially impressive stat for the young roughneck, who last season averaged two and a half PIM a game.

Riding the Bus - Deserving of a larger story, the demotion of defender Jordan Leopold to San Antonio was a natural consequence of the Panthers adding another d-man to their improving group, but it seems the thirty-two year old was slightly shocked by the news, though refrained from further comment, clarifying that he understands the numbers game and he's been disappointed by his play this season.

Prospectus - Undersized pivot Joey Hishon has been an impressive playmaker in his freshman year as an AHLer, putting up 44 assists to go with 14 goals in 56 games with the Rampage. He's been a strong two-way player, though his physical game is still far behind where he needs to be to be an effective NHLer.

Awards? Nobody cares about Awards - After season-ending injuries to Mikael Granlund and Stephen Weiss, Michael Frolík was given free reign last year to go out and score as much as possible. Froyo topped his career-best by nearly 30 and put up 95 points on a Panthers team determined to entertain, if not necessarily to win. After that nearly-very-nearly-c'mon-really-Art Ross quality campaign, has "Dítě-Jágr" fallen back to earth? Coach DeBoer doesn't see it that way, noting the complete 180 in his +/- trends, and that he's still on track to put up around 80 points if he gets hot. Frolík agrees, saying "winning games feels better than padding stats."

Awards? Well, what if you win, though? - Twenty year old defenseman Petter Granberg knows better to count his chickens before there are eggs by counting the pre-existing chickens. Swedish idioms are peculiar. But in his third season, the versatile defender has been turning heads around the league. He's been near the leaders in blueline offense all year, he plays a smart, physical game, and he puts in a remarkably consistent effort nearly every night. The coaching staff sees him as the team's go-to guy in every situation, and singled out his progression as a huge factor in the improvement of the club's fortunes this season. A definite Norris contender, and perhaps even more tellingly - a Lady Byng darkhorse. The hard-hitting Granberg has been tagged with just seven minor penalties this season.

Trade Rumours - Well, not no more.

[Jungle Cats]

Talkin' 'bout talkin' 'bout playoffs
Pittsburgh, PE (ZP) - Though a late season slide coupled with the threat of the surging Tampa Bay Lightning made the last few weeks dangerously filled with dramatic potential, the Panthers were eventually successful in claiming the 8th and final playoff spot in the East. Yes, the Florida Panthers, the NHL's hilarious sideshow of baffoonery, are in the playoffs. For the time being.

Match-Up

Their opponents in the first round are the President's Trophy winning Pittsburgh Penguins, led by the tremendous Slovenian Anze Kopitar, Cody 'The Silver Salmon' Hodgson, and an actual, real-life ogre named Zdeno Chara. Buoyed by veteran Captain Jarome Iginla and netminder Marty Turco, the Penguins have a terribly effective team that finished the 2013 season with a goal differential of +66.

In the four regular season meetings between the two clubs, the Panthers were 1-3 and outscored 15-13.

Jan 4 FLA 2 @ PIT 4
March 19 FLA 3 @ PIT 5
Feb 26 PIT 5 @ FLA 4
Apr 13 PIT 1 @ FLA 4

The storyline of the series was altered tremendously in the last game of the season for both teams when, midway through the second period of the 4-1 Panthers victory, Penguins blueliner Ryan Whitney stuck out a knee to block the progress of Michael Frolík. Fro left the game, while to the jeers and whalesong of the confused fans at the Bank, Whitney was assessed a major but didn't leave the game. When assessed the following morning, Frolík was diagnosed with a severe ACL sprain, but nothing was torn or broken to a degree requiring surgery. An optomistic Fro suggested he'd be out just a few weeks, though obviously with the playoffs looming and the match-up with the Penguins favouring them quite heavily even before Frolík was ruled out, it's not unlikely his season is over.

Rookie Michael Curtis was recalled from San Antonio along with popular enforcer Francis Wathier to round out the playoff lineup. Curtis is expected to debut in game 1, Wathier may be deployed if the physically-overmatched Panthers want to add a little more grit to the lineup.

[CapsGM]

[Jungle Cats]

Sunset, FL (ZP) - I awoke in the desert surrounded by ducks, a shadow looming on the plains in the distance, the sky swollen and bruised with buffalo-headed clouds. The ducks said nothing, did not seem spooked my confusion, the frantic climb to my feet as I tried to get my bearings. A voice like a clarion announces that my table is ready. So, that part of the dream was real.

Okay, the playoffs did not go well. Pittsburgh rolled over the Panthers with all the concern given to worms choking in puddles of rain. So it goes. The Panthers have a few decisions to make this off-season. A great deal of salary was brought in to ice a competitive team that ultimately settled for sneaking into the playoffs and exiting, a la Antigonus (pursued by a bear.) Veterans will presumably be haggled down. Young and upcoming stars will nearly sink the ship, and cuts will come.

Paul 'the Hammer' Kariya
The dimunitive thirty-eight year old winger was named Captain of the Panthers shortly before the start of the season, and responded with a 35 goal effort, his best tally since the year 2000! and his total of 61 points was the 4th highest on the team, a respectable number for a player who spent the whole season on the 2nd line. Kariya's previous deal had him making 3,25 million, a fairly good value for the 7x all-star winger as he fades into twilight. Possible areas for concern are, as always, Kariya's health, particularly as he approaches 40, and this past season saw the Captain set a career high in PIM, an unsettling trend for the perennial Lady Byng candidate. Most of these penalties were stick infractions and minors taken by careless younger players, though perhaps Kariya's mind is going.

Chris 'Little League' Drury
Acquired on the cheap (relatively cheap) to provide veteran leadership, Chris came in and immediately went -17 in just 37 games while the Panthers plummeted from 'solidly-in' to 'down to the wire and hoping for a loss from Tampa.' Drury failed to score 20 goals for the first time since the lockout, and the thirty six year old center isn't going to be making 5,4 million on his next contract, in Florida or otherwise.

Paul 'The Member for LaSalle-Emard' Martin
Performed beyond expectations by scoring at a .5ppg rate after coming over from Pittsburgh, was as thoroughly dismantled by the Pens as anyone on the team in the 4 game wash-out. Martin looks like an easy target for a cap casualty through no fault of his own, though he likes the organization and was quickly popular in the lockerroom.

Stephen 'Miami' Weiss
After missing almost the entire 2011-12 season, the thirty year old center delivered career highs in goals (38) and points (77), leading the team in both categories. Now the longest tenured Cat in club history, it's rumoured management wants to structure a long term deal for the veteran, though Weiss hasn't quite become the team's 'Sakic' or taken the reins of leadership at any point in his 12 years with the organization. A raise is in order, any way.

Colby 'Jack' Robak
Pressed into duty as part of an exercise in psychological warfare against veteran defender Jordan Leopold, Colby Robak's rookie season was 'okay' at best and 'wildly inconsistent and dear god what are you doing' at worst. Does a twenty-two year old defender walk for nothing? Well, no, not usually.

Mikael 'El Gato Blanco' Granlund
Now we hit the real impending disaster awaiting the Panthers, as four of their 2010 draft class are up for renewal, and all four have performed admirably and are deserving a paycheque of considerable bounty. Granlund, taken 6th in the draft, has arrived as billed - the 21 year old Finn scored 30 goals and continues to improve in all aspects of his game. He'll never be a + Physical player, but he should continue to mature and fill-out. A star player, but hopefully not a greedy one.

Brandon 'Ars Poetica' Archibald
Archibald was drafted for the explicit purpose of hitting things with his body, and should they take exception to this, hitting these same things repeatedly with his fists. He's a natural talent in this role, and perhaps the most popular enforcer to wear a Panthers uniform since Peter Worrell, though Archie is at least reassuringly acquainted with the game his teammates play, and actually a fairly competent defensive player. Archibald is sure to remain a fixture, people have rioted for less.

Connor 'Bricks' Brickley
Once upon a time a controversial and risky pick, the gutsy forward was just shy of 60 points in his sophomore season, and continued to build a reputation as a willing and capable pugilist who can also play in any situation. A keystone type of player, Brickley deserves a contract that sends the message to the rest of the team that this is the kind of player that gets results, and results get you paid.

Petter 'Spruce Rock' Granberg


We'll have a draft preview, like, sometime.

[Commish Bub(NYR)]

Nice write-up, and thanks for the Peter Worrell reference. Somewhere, Andreas Lilja laughs (http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=1975106).

[Jungle Cats]

In this way our world was broken and glued.
But why did we bother shooing away the flies?
-- Dean Young

Sunrise, FL (ZP) - We have decided now, to give in. The media blackout of the Florida Panthers 2013-14 season must now conclude in failure, for we failed to articulate the outcomes desired by this embargo, and must hurriedly now re-begin to cover the local hockey club, should they attempt to do anything newsworthy, or at all, really. The sports beat returns, in other words, and only just in time to mention that the Panthers are now in possession of the rights to several young men who have sinned only in endeavoring to become professional hockey players, devoting their young lives to the pursuit of athletic greatness at presumed detriment to other aspects of their personal growth. This sacrifice has been rewarded with a little joke at their expense - make it happen in South Florida, boys.

The Panthers held on to seven picks in Philadelphia, and came up with the following:

6th - Hadyn Fleury, D - Red Deer

With Ekblad off the board to kick-off the afternoon, and Fleury the consensus "next-best-thing-but-not-really-close," this decision was likely complicated by the run of compelling forward prospects available - Brendan Perlini was the name at the top of the board - but in the end, the Panthers went with the Red Deer blueliner. Fleury has the prototypical skillset of bluechip WHL defender - size, a long stride, a quarterback mentality at the top of the zone, and a good head on his shoulders. Above average discipline and hockey sense certainly describe Fleury, who will likely grade out as a solid top-4 defender sooner rather than later. We'll say Brent Seabrook, as a comparison, because we lack for imagination.

36th - Marcus Pettersson, D - Skelleftea

Despite some loud protestations from the draft table and no less than six helpful suggestions that the player he was yelling about was off the board, the Panthers eventually settled on this lanky Swede, a speedy two-way defenseman who is reportedly sound positionally and good with his stick. What this suggests to us is that he's never been in the corners in his life and would would run and hide from Paul Kariya. Either way, he's good on the puck and an excellent playmaker, and could see NHL action as an offensive specialist, presuming he doesn't explode like a silverfish under a book on contact. An impoverished man's Petter Granberg, perhaps.

47th - Ben Thomas, D - Calgary

Eleven picks later, the Panthers again decided to add to their defensive prospect pool with a large-ish, skilled-ish player from the WHL. <REDACTED> Thomas enjoys Chinese Checkers. Thomas is a swell guy.

90th - Blake Clarke, LW - North Bay

A dynamic two-way winner with size, Clarke has some concerns on his work ethic, which were naturally rewarded with a draft day contract offer, for reasons that are unfathomable, given that this is the club that gave Nikolai Prokhorkin a 2 million per-annum deal without having met the kid.

96th - Rinat Valiev, D - Kootenay

помогите мне я в ловушке внутри компьютера, и я забыл все мои старые названия!

156th - Stanislav Horanský, C - Zilina

A washed up 20 year old. I mean, with respect to anything else this young man has to offer, whatever hopes and dreams and ambitions he may harbour... loves and labours... trials and virtues... but he's not going to be much of a hockey player.

186th - Thomas Ebbing - C, Michigan State

Slightly more ridiculous than the previous. Or less. It's not for us to know.

[Jungle Cats]

Do You Want Things To Get Better?

Sunrise, FL (ZP) - With the 2014-15 EHEC season on the horizon and winking with a come-hither glance over her supple, freckled shoulder, her long auburn hair aglow in the sunset, I... whoa. Alright, hold up. Start again.

Another one? Another one. To recap - The Panthers: still a team. Last season? Not very good. Previous to that? A playoff appearance. Presumed goal? Return to the playoffs. Outlook? Not so good. Reason why we soldier on with this nonsense? Ask again later.

To recap the recap - here goes nothing.

To recap the recap of the recap - oh, okay.

Basic underlying premise for this article? A preview of the 2014-15 Florida Panthers and the players that comprise the previous.

Keys to Success
- subheading: Petter Granberg - Man or Muppet?
-- sub-subheading - Just like a prayer you know I'll take you there

D Petter Granberg - Twenty two years old. Entering his fifth professional season, having averaged 10 goals and 47 assists over the last three campaigns. An excellent playmaker and a hard-hitter who rarely goes over the edge - averages 24 pim or a penalty every three games. Doesn't have the hardest shot from the point, and is still working on improving his conditioning, a feature of utmost importance given his role - a first-pairing defender that plays nearly 30 minutes a night. Granberg was the recipient of the Norris Trophy in 2013, and finished third in voting in 2014. It seems unlikely that the Swede has another gear above his current level, but in terms of expectations and results, Granberg represents a very steady constant, and the route back to the playoffs runs through the stalwart.

G John Gibson - There are, amid the many appalling koans in the professional hockey world, a few oft-echoed words about the importance of a good defense and solid net-minding in building a contending team. The Panthers do not have a particularly good defense. (They have a particularly good defenseman, above.) They do have a solid netminder in Gibby, the seventh overall pick in 2011. But despite passing many an eye test and having unquestionable ability, Gibson was unable to elevate his level of play accordingly last season, and is starting to feel (unfairly) a lot of pressure for not being able to save everything. His save percentage plummeted to .884 - and he ended up playing just 51 games last season. Now, while the capacity for blind faith is terrifying, Gibson should reward those who wait, and even a thorough investigation should show that much. Florida has committed to Gibson financially, but this differs radically from giving him the tools to succeed, though the young goaltender is upbeat about the rush of young defensemen coming up with the team.

Areas of Concern
subheading - I'm not too worried about it, really. I wouldn't worry about it. Don't worry about it. I'm not worried at all.

D Griffin Reinhart, et al - And while we're on the subject, let's look at what the Panthers potentially have going forward on the blueline. Starting the year in Florida is Griffin Reinhart, the most eclectically named of the trio of second generation NHLers, a 2012 draft pick who debuted last season with 14 points in 27 games. Big-boned and vicious, Reinhart has second pairing potential, which is where he’ll start the year, though obviously ‘potential’ and ‘where he’s at’ could observe some drift. Colby Robak is twenty four years old and has played 99 NHL games – leaving him with a career mark of -30. A solid hitter and no liability offensively, Robak’s shortcomings appear to be in his make-up, as his performance tends to fluctuate wildly over the course of the season. Phillip Samuelsson and Patrick McNally round out the group of not-Granbergs – both spent most of last year with the big club and shed their prospect status, but neither looks to have much further up to go. McNally brings more to the table and should be more likely to stick.

D Trevor Daley – I’m not concerned about Trevor Daley. Just uh, keep doing what you’re doing.

Right Wing – Among the skilled forwards on the Panthers who can play either centre or left wing – Mikael Granlund, Stephen Weiss, Connor Brickley, Brock Nelson, Mike Ribeiro, Chris Drury. On the right side? Devin Setoguchi. Somewhere along the way, and without making even the slightest reference to whatever horrible thing happened to Michael Fro- fuuuuuuuuck.

Things that are things neither great or troubling
subheading – a rope of sand
sub-subheading – retitle this. You can do better.

Haydn Fleury – Encroaching on Reinhart quickly in the categories of ‘slightly unusual first names’ and ‘top defensive prospect,’ this latest top draft pick doesn’t have too much of a shot of making the team out of the gates, but he exists. So. Note that down in your copybooks.

The Bottom Six – And what a powerful bottom they are. Shore, Archibald and Cormier are… just three names. The Bottom Three, then. Either way, not too shabby.

The Return of Chris Drury
Short section. Probably writes itself.
It’s there in the heading. He’s back. And this time, he’s older!

Speculations

- Richard “Overdrive” Bachman will disappoint about half of the time, which will not quite be enough to avoid favourable ‘backup’ buzz among disgruntled fans inventing a goaltending controversy.
- Rookie Head Coach Robert Svehla can’t possibly be worse than Peter DeBoer.
- You can’t pay too much for a good pair of shoes.
- This season "Miami" Weiss will score 35 more goals, go home to his beautiful wife and beautiful children in his beautiful house, and cry himself to sleep for weeks on end instead of accepting an invite to the World Championships in Ostrava.

[CapsGM]

[Buffalo LEPS]

Entertained is the word !!!!!!!!!!

[Commish Bub(NYR)]

- This season "Miami" Weiss will score 35 more goals, go home to his beautiful wife and beautiful children in his beautiful house, and cry himself to sleep for weeks on end instead of accepting an invite to the World Championships in Ostrava.

It's a good thing drugs are so hard to come by in Florida.

[Singin the BLUES]

I can send you some good Canadian pot down to FLA if you wish LOL

[Jungle Cats]

Linda Ronstadt's Greatest Hits, Side 1, Track 1
In which we examine Florida's little buddy, the San Antonio Rampage



So the team name is Rampage... which is in this case not a stampede of cows but the ruckus caused by a bull... which is cool... but the mascot's name is T-Bone... which is a cut of beef you can get from a slaughtered animal that you can grill and subsequently eat... which is slightly less cool/intimidating/lucid. Or it's fine, because mascots are rife with illogical conventions, and it's better to let these things go unexamined. Still, it's a bit irksome. This is not enough of a reason to launch into a discussion about our relationship with our food, but it will serve as a proper preamble to an analysis of this hockey team's roster. Or it will anyway, proper or not.

Forwards

Returning
#29 LW Marcel Noebels (C) - 6'2" 195lbs 21 y/o German
Last season -
Florida NHL 32 2-4-6 24pim -6
San Antonio AHL 42 16-12-28 14pim +1

Noebels split time between the show and the AHL in his second professional season, making the most of his time with the Rampage but mostly seeing spot duty with the big club. 'Noebs' is a popular player in SA, his bobblehead night was one of just six sellout games of the season. A versatile player with no glaring holes in his game, Noebels is on the Panthers call-up list, but is more than likely going to spend most of this season playing all-situations with San Antonio. Though selected as a 3rd rounder in 2011, Noebels' future is almost certainly as an AHLer.

#77 LW Michael Curtis - 6'0" 182lbs 21 y/o Canadian
Last season -
Florida NHL 19 3-5-8 32pim -1
San Antonio AHL 18 7-8-15 10pim -1

Another of the Panthers 2011 draft selections, Curtis also returns to a full-time AHL role for now, coming off a split season that produced modest but promising numbers. Caught in the numbers game with the Panthers, Curtis will try to impress the brass with another round in the AHL, and is a good bet to score 20 if he spends the year in Texas.

#43 C Daniel Catenacci - 5'10" 183lbs 21 y/o Canadian
Last season -
San Antonio AHL 65 5-18-23 40pim -13

In 229 games with the OHL's Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds, Catenacci scored 373 points. In his rookie season with San Antonio, he struggled to find a similar scoring touch, but looks primed to be a bigger part of the action this year. 'Cat' is almost prototypical of the AHL's scoring forwards - smallish, not quite good enough on his skates, but the skills are all there.

#74 RW Nikolai Prokhorkin - 6'3" 191lbs 21 y/o Russian
Last season -
San Antonio AHL 82 15-17-32 14pim -9

'Prok' was one of Florida's 1st rounders in 2012 and his lack of progress has reportedly made the management "f--king furious," but one of the great things about the AHL is one man's garbage is another man's slightly better than garbage, and early reports are saying Prokhorkin is ready to turn the corner this season with the Rampage. The lanky Russian has a heavy slapshot and his overall game improved throughout the season, so he could be poised for a breakout, AHL-style. Which is a breakout of a magnitude somewhere between 'fifteen year old with acne' and 'the atari 2600 version of Breakout,' but a breakout all the same.

#10 C Corban Knight (A) - 6'1" 180 24 Canadian
Last season -
San Antonio AHL 82 24-20-44 26pim -11

Knight scored 24 goals in his second season with San Antonio, showing off the scoring touch that put him among the leaders in the DEL in 2012 and made him a stand-out at North Dakota the year before. A fifth rounder in 2009, his window of opportunity for the NHL seems to have closed with him standing on the outside, watching that tender and sensitive Steven make love to his wife as he trudges off into the snow with a smear of paint from the door frozen to his hand, knowing the two of them would be happier this way.

#15 LW Ludwig Blomstrand - 6'1" 198 21 y/o Swede
Last season
San Antonio AHL 73 5-3-8 30pim -16

Loodveeg Blumstrund is a netoorel pooer furverd ...he-a is nut fund ooff physeecel pley ...he-a hes sufft hunds und cun cuntrul zee poock iff needed ...he-a cun meke-a guud pleys et teemes ...he-a puseeshuns heemselff vell oon zee ice-a und merks hees mee veethuoot mooch truooble-a ...he-a cun sloo doon zee ooppunents veet hees guud checkeeng ...he-a veell prubebly be-a cereer meenur le-a

#84 RW Shane McColgan - 5'8" 165lbs 21 y/o American
Last season -
San Antonio AHL 49 2-1-3 50pim -19

The shifty Shane McColgan simply saw short shifts most of last season. Surely a shocking surprise such a skillful shooter should disappoint so absolutely. Somewhat certain Shane's scoring stabilizes as a sophomore.

New Additions

#67 C Blake Geoffrion (A) - 6'2" 195lbs 26 y/o American
Last season -
Florida NHL 82 8-10-18 80pim +6

Sunshine Stater Geoffrion is the great grandson of Howie Morenz, the grandson of Bernie Geoffrion and the son of... Dan Geoffrion. Bloodlines make for interesting storylines, but it also appears the gene pool gets diluted after a few generations. Geoffrion was a late cut from the Panthers due to salary cap maneuvering and his return to the AHL may prove to be temporary, but in the meantime the Rampage get a veteran penalty killer with a chip on his shoulder.

#14 RW Nicholas Baptiste - 6'1" 189lbs 19 y/o Canadian
Last season -
St. John's AHL 20 2-1-3 6pim -3

Acquired from Winnipeg during the draft, Baptiste is a no-nonsense player with a bit of upside, though he had limited opportunity as a teenager on St-John's last season. He starts right up front with San Antonio this year, and until injuries hit, should be a mainstay with the Rampage.

#20 LW Tim Bozon - 6'0" 183lbs 20 y/o American
Last season -
Kamloops WHL 76 85-57-142 70pim +34

A prolific scorer with the Blazers (300 points over the last two seasons), Bozon could be a valuable weapon on the powerplay for San Antonio, and hopefully at some point the coaching staff will acquaint him with the defensive zone.

#16 RW/D Henrik Samuelsson - 6'2" 211lbs 20 y/o American
Last season -
Saskatoon WHL 65-37-20-57 41pim +33

The second son of Ulf and younger brother to the Panthers' Philp, Henrik makes his professional debut this season as a right winger, but he's also experienced on the blueline, which makes him a versatile option as a rookie hungry for icetime. While not as vicious as dear ol' Dad, Samuelsson knows how to make a hit.

#91 C Stanislav Horanský - 6'0" 185lbs 20 y/o Slovakian
Last season -
PSG Zlin Extraliga 61-19-38-57 14pim +32

Drafted as an overager and sent straight to San Antonio, one expects a bit of a culture shock for Stas, who's been a productive player in the Czech extraliga but has never even visited Texas before.

#25 C/LW Connor Hurley - 6'1" 172lbs 19 y/o American
Last season -
Notre Dame CCHA 29 10-22-32 6pim -8

Hurley represents something of a project to the Panthers, though his freshman campaign at Notre Dame suggest a player who can quickly adapt to his surroundings. Hurley will bunk with Horanský for precisely this reason. Early reports on Hurley indicate a player who takes his training and conditioning seriously, as Connor was one of the champions of the pre-camp fitness testing.

#59 RW Dario Simion - 6'1" 187lbs 20 y/o Swiss
Last season -
HC Lugano NLA 53-13-13-26 7pim -2

A veteran of three seasons in the Swiss National League, Simion debuts in North America this season. We've done zero scouting on this guy. We're sorry, Dario.

Defense

Returning

#43 D Reece Scarlett - 6'0" 164lbs 21 y/o Canadian
Last season -
San Antonio AHL 82 2-9-11 40pim -15

After three seasons in the WHL, Scarlett started his professional career by playing all 82 games with San Antonio last year. While already a dependable defensive player, he's very slight of build and doesn't have any physical game to speak of. That said, he is, by our reckoning, a top pairing defenseman on the Rampage as they are built now. Woof.

#7 D Justin Faulk - 6'0" 201lbs 22 y/o American
Last season -
San Antonio AHL 82 1-9-10 26pim -20

Another rookie from last season stepping into a bigger role this year, Faulk's major contribution is a solid transition game. His minor contributions are, of course, not worth going into.

#6 D Ville Koistinen - 5'11" 195lbs 32 y/o Finn
Last season -
San Antonio AHL 82-1-2-3 146pim -22



New Additions

#4 D Haydn Fleury - 6'2" 207 18 y/o Canadian
Last season -
Red Deer WHL 59 18-15-33 62pim 33

Hoping to follow the lead of Griffin Reinhart, Fleury has a ways to go to get to the show, but it's just a matter of time with a player of his calibre, and Rampage fans get to go along for the ride. Really just a treat to watch. Trust us. Yes, he sucks right now. But that's all part of the fun.


#44 D Dakota Mermis- 6'0" 180lbs 20 y/o American
Last season -
Notre Dame CCHA 28 9-16-25 13pim +24

Mermis left Notre Dame early to join the Rampage, and there's every indication he'll step in ready to lead the blueline. With Skoula-esque puck poise, 'Mer-man' was a standout performer at the 2014 WJC for Team USA and should be a competent powerplay QB from the get go with San Antonio.

#5 D Mikko Vainonen - 6'3" 205lbs 20 y/o Finn
Last season -
HIFK Sm-Liiga 61 11-19-30 7pim 30

Mikko Vainonen reminds most scouts of Ossi Väänänen rather than Antti Laaksonen, though there is a bit of Arto Laatikainen in there as well. Has some of the same struggles as Ilkka Heikkinen offensively and would never be mistaken for Markus Hännikäinen or Teuvo Teräväinen. Good friends with Jere Karjalainen and Oskari Manninen.

#8 D Patrik Luza - 6'1" 194 20 Slovak
Last season -
HC Slovan SVK 59 8-19-27 20pim 32

Extensive international resume for Luza, who was a member of Norway's senior team from 2010-2012 and appeared in four different World Championships with Slovakia in 2013. Now, we're not calling him a liar, but... actually, whatever, that's pretty impressive.

Goaltending

#29 G Justin Pogge - 6'3" 204lbs 28 y/o Canadian
Last season -
Pittsburgh NHL 16 12-3 2.22 .887

Previously the backup goaltender on the Stanley Cup Champion Penguins, J-POG starts the year as the undisputed king of the pipes in San Antonio. Undoubtedly a tougher assignment, but we like Pogge's odds. We're talking about the only alumnus of the Summerland Sting to play in the NHL, after all.

#35 G Michael Houser - 6'0" 185lbs 22 y/o American
Last season -
San Antonio AHL 14 6-8 3.14 .880

Houser is an adequate AHL backup and we expect that to continue. I guess.

Opening Day Lineup

Noebels(C)-Geoffrion(A)-Baptiste
Curtis-Catenacci-Prokhorkin
Blomstrand-Knight(A)-McColgan
Bozon-Horansky-Samuelsson

Mermis-Scarlett
Vainonen-Faulk
Luza-Fleury

Pogge
Houser

[Jungle Cats]

"I have no memory of that." Panthers Draft Review

Sunrise, FL (ZP) - The 2015 EHEC entry draft was hosted by Sunrise Sports and Entertainment at the home of your Florida Panthers, the Bank Atl-- the BB&T Center. BB&T is a Bank? Let's just keep calling it The Bank. Panthers GM Zaq Haslam was not in attendance. Or rather, he wasn't seen on the floor or at any of relevant tables, stages, banquets, dinners or media events.

Panthers VP of Hockey Operations Rudiger Calhoun maintains that the General Manager was available at any time for comment on the proceedings, and was in the building for the duration. This assertion comes on top of the recent rumours that Haslam has spent the last year legally dead for tax purposes.

The Panthers rolled into the draft weekend holding two first round picks, which were announced by VP of Player Development Maurits Hendricks van der Zoot.

12th Pavel Zacha - C/LW - 6'3 210 lbs - Brno, Czech Republic
2014-15 Sarnia Sting OHL 37gp 16g 18a 34pts 56pim

The big Czech kid has no real holes in his game, though his foot speed is still catching up to his size. Not overly physical in a prototypical power forward sense, but hard to move off the puck, and pretty good at presenting himself as an obstacle. There are some concerns about rushing him to the show and capping his potential, given he still struggles with consistency, the language barrier, and there were times during his rookie season with Sarnia that he showed a lot of frustration with the flow of the North American game, leading to some bad penalties. Reminds some of Frolík, though that name still starts a dull throbbing in the temples for most Panthers fans, in terms of lost opportunities.

29th Jansen Harkins - C/LW - 6'1 181lbs - North Vancouver, BC
2014-15 Prince George Cougars WHL 70gp 20g 59a 79pts 45pim

Son of Cougars GM and former NHLer Todd Harkins, Jansen Harkins is a top notch playmaker with good two-way upside. Harkins is likely a few years away, but compares favourably to say, Olli Jokinen, just to have any fans reading tear out just a bit more hair.

34th Jacob Larsson - D - 6'2 191lbs - Ljunby, Sweden
2014-15 Frölunda HC SEL 20gp 1g 2a 3pts 6pim

Mobile two-way defenseman who didn't have too much of a showcase playing with Frölunda in Elitserien last year, but nonetheless gives scouts a lot to like in terms of his overall game and projectable frame. Doesn't scream 'star potential' to this humble sports page reporter, but Swedish defensemen can and will surprise you.

42nd Michael Špaček - C/RW - 5'11 187lbs - Marianske Lazne, Czech Republic
2014-15 HC Pardubice CZE 40gp 5g 7a 12pts 12pim

With their 4th pick of the draft, the Panthers selected another Czech, the nifty Špaček, who says his favourite player in former Rocket Richard winner Milan Hejduk. Špaček projects as more of a playmaker than a natural goalscorer, and speed makes up a substantial portion of his game so far. Spent some time playing with Zacha at the U20 World Junior Championship. He was selected in the CHL Import draft and hopes to make the transition to North America, with an eye on impressing the Panthers. That said, if there's a Czech he compares favourably too, it's probably Radek Dvorak.

72nd Mackenzie Blackwood - G - 6'4 215lbs - Thunder Bay, ON
2014-15 Barrie Colts OHL 51gp 152ga 2so 3.09gaa 33w 14l 2t 1460sav .906 svpct

Mack Black is a giant goaltender from North Ontario with dream comfort memory to spare.

86th Jake Debrusk - LW/RW - 6'0 170lbs - Edmonton, AB
2014-15 Swift Current Broncos WHL 72gp 42g 39a 81pts 40pim

The son of former NHL enforcer Louie DeBrusk, Jake fell to the 3rd round after spending much of the season in the first round of Central Scouting's list. His overall skill set ticks out at a bit above average, but he could make some money as a goalscorer.

102nd Callum Booth - G - 6'3 199lbs - Montréal, QC
2014-15 Québec Remparts QMJHL 41gp 116ga 2so 3.05gaa 23w 13l 2t 1045sav .900svpct

Goaltenders are like similes, they are a direct comparison of two sometimes seemingly unlike things.

124th Lukás Jasek - RW/C - 5'11 165lbs - Trinec, Czech Republic
2014-15 HC Trinec CZE 27gp 0g 2a 2pts 4pim

Another Czech who made an appearance on this year's edition of the U20 team, which makes me wonder if the Panthers scouts picked one game to watch in Toronto, presumably the Czech team's match against Denmark. Slight and speedy, Jasek is a veritable fount of comparisons to fragile European wingers from years past.

The Panthers finished the draft by selecting Blake Speers, because if we're being quite completely honest, rounds 6 and 7 are just for fun.

Okay, fine.

Speers could an AHL all-star. 6th rounder Jonne Tammela might challenge him for it. Sergey Zborovsky's biggest achievement in life to this moment was getting drafted in the 7th round by the Florida Panthers, we don't imagine he's got much higher to climb.

[Jungle Cats]

*** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ***
Dispatch from the People's Republic of Florida - Report from the First Secretary of Sports and Entertainment
Sunrise, PRF (PRFP) - On the orders of his Supreme Benevolence, Generalissimo Marco Rubio, Conqueror of the Sun and God's Chosen Comrade, the Ministry of Sport for the People's Republic of Florida issues this exciting preview of our Nation's most glorious and venerated athletic competitors, the Florida Panthers Hockey Club. We also take this time to remind the people of Tampa Bay and the Northern Province that although they believe themselves to be still shackled and oppressed by their membership in the defunct and dysfunctional "United States of America," they need not live by this delusion, we accept them as our comrades and brethren.

The Panthers, as chosen representatives of the PRF in the EHEC competition, the highest level of professional Hockey in the hemisphere, are heavy favorites to succeed in their goals and were the unanimous selection for League Champions by a panel of PRF experts.

We will now celebrate the following heroes of the People's Republic:

Forwards

Mike Ribeiro - Returning for his 3rd season with the Panthers, the explosive and devastating Ribeiro scored a remarkable 17 times last season (82gp, 17g, 20a.) We expect Ribeiro will continue to flourish in his role as a veteran sniper, and can reliably be counted on for 40 to 60 goals for the Republic, his production buoyed by the support of his countrymen in this freshly founded worker's paradise.

Ales Hemsky - Acquired for the club's top two selections in the previous draft, comrade Hemsky notched 158 points over the last two seasons with the Montréal Canadiens, averaging 1.11 points per game while also appearing in 31 playoff games. The impressive playmaker could easily exceed 120 points on the Panthers' top line.

Connor Brickley - The fiesty Brickley is just 23 years old and entering his fifth EHEC season, having been a 20 goal scorer the last two. An indomitable spirit such that embodies the revolution.

Stephen Weiss (C) - The all-time leader in club scoring and the subject of many glorious folk songs and legends among the workers, Weiss hit 37 goals in 70 games last campaign, and there's little reason to think he will fail to improve upon those numbers, to the delight of the loyal comrades of the PRF.

Nicholas Baptiste - Just twenty year of age, Nicholas Baptiste makes his debut with the Panthers first team after potting an impressive 60 goals for San Antonio last year. While a normal rookie would not be expected to keep up such levels of production when moving up to the professional ranks, Baptiste is a fierce opponent of insidious American ideology, and as such hopes to dominate the capitalist dogs to the tune of 30 to 90 goals this season.

Williams-Brickley-Hemsky
Weiss-Granlund-Baptiste
Nelson-Ribeiro-Nemisz
Cormier-Kea-Shore

Defense

Petter Granberg - The defensive leader's numbers stumbled mightily in his fifth professional season, and as such Granberg was assigned to an extensive "re-conditioning" stint in the Eastern Province. Granberg emerged from this four month stint with a renewed commitment to the world revolution and some words of encouragement to those of his comrades left at the re-conditioning facilities: <REDACTED>

Lubomir Visnovsky - At 39 years old, Lubomir Visnovsky was considering retirement, a proposition that would have included many long and gruelling nights of relaxation, reflection and exploration of new hobbies. The Secretary of Sport reached out personally to Lubo in an effort to spare him this fate of bourgeoisie indulgence. We expect the veteran to bolster the powerplay and our nation's supply of men named Lubomir.

Haydn Fleury - Sometimes the efforts of wealth redistribution go undeniably awry, and often the root cause is found to be an improperly built foundation. Witness, for example, the salary cap imposed by the EHEC, which is merely a superficial "correction" on top of a corrupt and capitalist scheme that is inherently broken and favors the haves over the have nots. Fleury would be on the team, but sadly the revolution has yet to come to the rest of the league. That is, in essence, the Ur-goal of the Florida Panthers continued participation in this competition - promote a glorious world-wide revolution.

Granberg-Robak
Visnovsky-Reinhart
Berezin-Archibald
Daley

Goaltending
Gibson is indomitable. Gibson is a wall against capitalist decadence and excess. Gibson has a sweet beard, like all great comrades. Trust Gibson.

Gibson
Bachman

¯`·.VIVA´¯`LA·.¸REVOLUCION¸.·´¯`·.COMRADES¸.·