Wednesday Caterwaul: Panthers Open Forum - Donskoi picking it up at WJC
by Donny Rivette on Dec 29, 2010 12:54 PM EST
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PrintGoing to be on the road most of the day, so we'll kick this off with little fanfare. Anything goes down, plop it into the comments.
- From the WJC: USA destroyed Slovakia 6-1 Tuesday; Drew Shore (6 SOG) scored his first goal of the tourney while Nick Bjugstad picked up an assist (and 7 shots!). Both were a +1. The Americans play Germany Thursday.
- Canada did one better in a 7-2 thrashing of the Czech Republic. Erik Gudbranson notched an assist as Quinton Howden went scoreless; neither registered a SOG. Team Canada faces Norway this evening.
- Joonas Donskoi broke out nicely with 2 assists as Finland shut down Switzerland 4-0. The 99th pick in last summer's entry draft finished with 3 SOG and a +2. The Fins take on Germany this afternoon.
- The Amerks appear pleased with the additions of Keaton Ellerby and Bill Thomas.
- Thought you knew everything about Dale Tallon's tenure as Chicago's GM? We beg to differ. Here be The Blueprint.
- A number of Panthers will be rather busy throughout the day. (Let us know if you bump into any of them.)
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Watched a little of both the USA and Canada games yesterday, unfortunately I missed Shore’s goal, but at one point they said he went 8 fo’ 9 in faceoffs during the first!
Garrett those socks make you look homeless!
by Chris S Roberts on Dec 29, 2010 1:09 PM EST reply actions
Shore’s goal was nothing short of beautiful. It is worth looking for the highlight!
by panthersfan27 on Dec 29, 2010 5:30 PM EST up reply actions
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So if stillman olesz and dvorak are back in, while thomas and probably hordichuk are out, who’s the third guy out? (considering booth plays)
Reinprecht, Bernier or Matthias, probably.
Florida Panthers: Because at least you can go to the beach after yet another bad loss.
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.
A bit off-topic...
But with players like Juggs(Bjugstad) and Howden looking like the real deal, both being centers, and both looking like they might be up and helping the big club by 2014, what happens to Weiss/Matthias/Santo? I know Reasoner is MAYBE still with this club by 2011/12(next year), but, considering his age, not beyond, IMO, and I also know it’s a bit naive to think that BOTH will be up and contributing by 2014, but it looks to me like if…hypothetically-speaking…they both are, one of the 3 of Weiss, Matthias, and Santo(unless one moves to the wing, Matthias being the most likely candidate) has to be moved, yes? Just something to ponder and discuss.
That’s way too far off to even speculate, especially with Weiss being the only one signed past next year. Prospects don’t always make it. It’s entirely possible one of those guys ends up being a career minor-leaguer. Or that Weiss gets moved. Or that Santorelli gets signed as a free agent by someone else (he’ll be UFA before Matthias).
It’s also a decent bet Reasoner is moved at the deadline (again). Tallon has plainly stated that he is looking for 8 to 10 picks in the next draft. Look for guys with expiring contracts to get moved even if the Panthers are miraculously in playoff position in March.
Florida Panthers: Because at least you can go to the beach after yet another bad loss.
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.
2014’s a long way off…any speculation is really just fantasy talk at this point. Nice to have the cupboard stacked with talent up the middle, but – and just playing devil’s advocate here – plenty of WJC participants have historically failed to stick with the parent club, or even make it at all. Certainly hope all of our young players make it big, and Howden/Bjugstad are looking terrific so far, but to speculate three or four years out is probably pointless, at least considering where the Panthers are today in the rebuild process (read: early).
Got to imagine one – or more – of the above-named centers are dealt in the next few seasons for other needed assets. Again, you could end up confined to a rubber room considering all of the options and potential scenarios.
Reasoner is the present, not the future, so we’ll get perhaps one more year out of him; he’s just a placeholder for those in line who are not yet ready. Could say the same for Dvorak, Reinprecht, etc. Still have to ice a team in the meantime.
I don’t see Matty going to the wing full-time down the road; if there’s a hole at wing Tallon will plug it. Hard to imagine he allows the roster – with the depth he envisions – to go all Horton-to-center without a suitable replacement.
My two cents. I think.
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I agree Donny. It’s extremely unlikely that Tallon is going to start asking guys to swap positions with the way that he’s trying to build organizational depth.
That being said, with the Kovalchuk contract, New Jersey is probably unlikely to be able to resign Zach Parise, who I believe is a UFA as of July 1. What do you think the likelihood is that Florida might make an attempt to bring him in this July?
A guy like that comes on the market, you owe it to the organization to make an attempt, no matter how serious you may be about actually acquiring him.
That said, it’s tough to say how “serious” they may be, since Parise’s going to eventually be making A LOT of money…the kind which you build a team around. Don’t know if that’s the ultimate plan. Tallon has repeatedly said he evenutually wants 22 FLA-drafted players on his bench; this is likely an impossibilty, so plugging in guys who fill needs – and Parise certainly brings a scoring touch – may be necessary down the road.
Not unrealistic to think one or two of FLA’s many picks over the next three years may be that diamond in the rough.
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus. Hit me up at Twitter and our Facebook FanPage
by Donny Rivette on Dec 30, 2010 1:56 PM EST up reply actions
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