Jay Bouwmeester remains with Florida Panthers

I think they’d have made the playoffs with or without Jay, especially if they got some NHL talent in return (look at the haul the ’Yotes got for Morris, and ratchet it up several notches).

This team isn’t Jay Bouwmeester. It’s a solid group of defensemen, a handful of decent forwards and two very good goaltenders. But it’s also not a team that’s going to win the Cup. So if they missed out on a chance to cash in one the biggest asset at the deadline for potentially nothing, they’re big losers.

Now they need to re-sign him or deal his rights pre-July 1, and the team isn’t in nearly as strong a bargaining position in those two scenarios are they were today.

My two cents.

Are Panthers fans really unable to weigh future gains against current success? Even if FLA gets into the playoffs this year what are the odds that they have a long playoff run? Not very good considering the top 4 teams in the east. Fans and season ticket holders should be able to see that trading Bowmaster was in the team’s best interest and not mutiny in response.

Logically, if Bowmaster is that good that you can’t make the playoffs without him, then the team around him is not that good and would greatly benefit from having the additions he could have brought. If Bieksa was on the table I don’t know how JM doesn’t make that deal. Your blueline is still very solid and Bieksa is more than a capable fill in. Throw in a couple picks or forwards and FLA makes a lateral move this year and helps the team in the future.

I don’t see this as very different from what Waddell did. Giving away prospects to make a short playoff run is not any different from refraining from collecting assets when you have the chance just so you can make a short playoff run.

First of all, I think Martin was asking for Bieksa to be added to a package and Vancouver said no. Martin was looking to deal him today, no doubts, but cap space in Philly and not enough in return from Vancouver looks like it did the deal in.

Second, who says Florida can’t make a decent run? Washington and Boston have hit the skids. Florida’s already shown they can take care of the Caps in D.C. Trading Bo for a couple solid players would have risked this team’s chemistry and makeup. Just look at the player reactions post-deadline. Ballard called it “Perfect.” Booth was ecstatic. This team’s makeup screams post season success. Balanced scoring. Solid goaltending. Smart, quick defensemen. They aren’t going to be in trouble in a 7 game series if their “top line” has a bad night. Someone else picks them up. All 4 lines are physical and aggressive. If they get a 6th-7th seed, maybe even as high as 5, who’s to say they don’t catch fire at the right time?

Thirdly, and probably most important, what people around the league don’t understand is that florida is not a traditional market. Not just a traditional hockey market, a sports market in general. If you dont win, no one cares. Look at the Marlins. 2 world series titles in 10 years, yet the following year, they drop out of postseason talk and they can’t get 10,000 people in the stands. The Dolphins attendance is pathetic, even though they made the playoffs this year. To be relevant, and in the end make money, in south florida, you have to put a winning product on the ice and win over fans. If Jay bo was traded today, fans say “oh great, here are our old panthers, trading away our top guy. go figure.” If (and probably when) he walks in the summer, fans say “well we tried to sign him, he just didn’t want to play for us.” Right now, in this market, with this team, it’s the playoffs or bust. The right deal did not open up, and Martin held firm. I know it’s going to hurt in the summer seeing him go, but the core is here, and with Bo’s taking money elsewhere, it could open up opportunities for Florida to sign a free agent or 2 themselves. And right now, I’m OK with that.

Generally, in most hockey towns, a down year means build for the future. A couple of years of missing the playoffs, some rebuilding years, then its back to postseason play. In Florida, it’s been a down year for TEN SEASONS. the fans are sick of “building for the future,” they have the chance to be relevant again, they can’t pass it up. thats it.

But keep the comments coming. Reasonable arguments, all.

I am happy with today’s events. I think JM made a good swap in underperforming Welch for Eminger. We’re going to need a stable seventh in the playoffs, and Bryan Allen is definitely done for the season.

I think this team will make the playoffs, with or without Jay. I posted up an analysis of the numbers over on the official board a few minutes ago. The short version is that the team has about a 90% chance of making it in the top eight if they go .500 in their last 18. They’ve been better than that since losing in the New Year’s Day game on Long Island. That’s not why they kept Jay.

First, this team doesn’t need to win the Cup to make the season a success. There is a lot of talk about how there isn’t a lot of playoff experience in the room. Knowing this, why would any GM shortchange his team on the verge of a first playoff run? Because they’re “not going to make a deep playoff run”? That’s a ridiculous argument. A good GM on a playoff bound team positions his team to make the best possible run. Period. These players need the experience in the playoffs to be better next year. Whether it’s a first round exit or later round exit matters not. Look at the Bruins last year. They snuck in at eighth and took the top team to seven games but lost that first round.

Second, the effect on the room has been obvious. At least four players (Ballard, Booth, Weiss & Peltonen) have spoken publicly about how happy they are he is still here, as has his coach. And his GM, for that matter. For all anyone’s complaints, his team really like him. And the team plays better when they’re happy. The whole team has been given a vote of confidence by management. Basically they’ve been told that except for one guy who wasn’t playing much anyway that they’re good enough for the stretch. For a team that was hanging their heads, looking unhappy at team functions and playing not to lose for the last couple of years, that’s huge.

Third, given the team’s history of making excuses, they need to not have one. If Bo was traded and they got swept in the first round, they could point to that. Instead, they’ve been given what they all seem to want, which is for the group to stay together. They have no excuse not to win except that they tried their hardest and it wasn’t enough. And that, as fans, is all we ask. We didn’t get that last year. We got excuses.

One last thing. You all don’t think the Panthers can win a round? This team can beat the Capitals or Flyers in a round. Unless Biron suddenly finds the form he had in last year’s playoffs, the Panthers have better goaltending than either team. And that is how the Flyers, after looking like they would miss the playoffs until the last couple weeks of the season, made it to the conference finals the year after coming in last.

It’s not over until the last team is golfing, and no one can predict what will happen in the playoffs.