Florida Panthers at the Deadline: Who's Staying? Who's Going?
by Craig Fischer on Feb 11, 2011 8:00 PM EST
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With the 2011 NHL Trade Deadline looming, the Litter Box Cats crew are hard at work investigating the rumours and trade talks of the 2010-2011 season. While the deadline is typically an over-hyped media creation, it also serves as a very important point in the season for many teams including the Florida Panthers who like clockwork are still hanging around the 8th spot in the east. A sophisticated deal can can be integral in making a playoff push or building a brighter future, while pulling the trigger on a deal that is less than desirable and can be devastating to a fanbase and franchise for years. Will first-year Panthers GM Dale Tallon, who had been playing his cards close to his chest until Wednesday's surprising Frolik Trade, be a buyer or a seller? The rumour mills are rapidly spinning and it's anyone's best guess what the weeks leading up to February 28th have in store for the Cats. The LBC writers were polled and this is their preliminary belief on who is staying, and who is going.
The five players most expected to be traded from the Panthers, according to the LBC staffers are Cory Stillman, Marty Reasoner, Tomas Vokoun, Steve Bernier, and Chris Higgins.
*It should be noted the Poll was issued prior to the Frolik trade
Who do you think is going and staying? What can we expect from Dale Tallon and the Hockey Operations department in the next few weeks? Share your opinions in the comment section.
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For the record, my selection regarding Frolik “going” was made in jest, after the deal. Otherwise I would have said no chance. Completely taken by surprise, yet continue to support the transaction.
Darkhorse: Matthias.
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I really don’t know where the trade rumors popped up for Weiss, but he isn’t going anywhere after stating that he wants to see the outcome of the blueprint through the end and wants to stay with the organization that drafted him. As for the others, Vokoun is debatable at this point for me, Stillman might be on his way out despite being great this season, Higgins I expect to stay, McCabe I expect to stay after proving that he’s our captain after all, and Bernier I expect to be traded. It’ll be interesting though, whatever happens, as no player is safe after seeing them trade away Frolik.
- Go Panthers -
I personally expected a stronger response (read: scoring) from the players following the Frolik deal; played a competitive game otherwise against a focused BUF squad.
If Weiss wants to stay, terrific…no arguments. But rumors abound, and several clubs – notably BOS and PIT – are in desperate need of a center.
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by Donny Rivette on Feb 11, 2011 8:41 PM EST up reply actions
The reason for the Weiss rumors is that, quite simply, he’s the best forward on the team and the one of the most value to another team. So, according to the rumor mill, the Panthers receive offers for him every year (apparently, the Wild were after him in the summer). Mix that in with two playoff teams in the Penguins and Bruins who are in desperate need of a top six forward, preferably a center and you have the start of rumors.
The thing to remember is that trades are two way. Teams will make offers for players who aren’t necessarily being actively shopped. This seems to be what happened in the Frolik deal, according to the Chicago media.
Florida Panthers: Because at least you can go to the beach after yet another bad loss.
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.
by John Beatty on Feb 12, 2011 11:17 AM EST up reply actions
I totally agree Donny, but I think that once McCabe comes back, within the next week according to Miami Herald, the team will start to play much better as they did before he went out with the injury. By the way, a little off topic, but is anyone watching the Hawks game to see how Frolik is besides me? If you want to and don’t have a link, then here’s a link: http://www.streamhub.tv/ch/V2.php
- Go Panthers -
Though I love Caber, his return doesn’t address a lack of front-line scoring by forwards.
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by Donny Rivette on Feb 11, 2011 9:03 PM EST up reply actions
If he chooses not to, you’re 100% right.
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus. Hit me up at Twitter and our Facebook FanPage
by Donny Rivette on Feb 11, 2011 9:01 PM EST up reply actions
why is everybody always mentioneing grabner just cause he got 20 goals doesnt mean he would have that on this team
the way the a player plays is dictated on how the teams offense flows.. he could have easily been here and not have 10goals by now.
except the offense on the Isles is even worse than ours (suprise, suprise, lol). sure, if he were still here, he might’ve been doing crappy. no way of knowing that though, so the past is the past
- Go Panthers -
He does now— but that’s because he was eased into a scoring role, like he should have been here. Not only was he benched for his first few games in Long Island, he paid his dues grinding it out and developing his game— like he should have done here. Up until February 11th he had only played over 15 minutes in back to back games once. He was getting less minutes than our 3rd liners until very recently and up until mid January he had like 4 minutes of total powerplay time. It’s not like he went to the Island and instantly got oppurtunities, and people mention all the injuries the islanders had… the only big injury upfront was to Okposo, and Grabner did not fill into those top two lines practically until Okposo came back— where now the two of them have created a great chemistry and are just rolling.
Look, I hated the acquisition in trading away Grabner, but if he’s the centerpiece of a deal like that you have to give him the oppurtunity to succeed. You don’t make a move like that, just to waste it. As admirable as Tallon’s and Deboer’s “you have to play to stay” mentality is, we’re not in a position to have it— rebuilding teams have to bank on potential and the future.
by Craig Fischer on Feb 11, 2011 11:58 PM EST up reply actions
err sorry, I meant to write, trading FOR Grabner, not away.
by Craig Fischer on Feb 11, 2011 11:58 PM EST up reply actions
I have to think that based on the quick move to waivers, he was not seen as the centerpiece of the trade by Tallon and Santos. I think the primary objectives in that trade were getting Keith Ballard’s salary off the books once Wideman was brought in and picking up the first round pick. I think the extra players were secondary.
Florida Panthers: Because at least you can go to the beach after yet another bad loss.
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.
by John Beatty on Feb 12, 2011 11:21 AM EST up reply actions
Time will tell how great a loss was Grabner. Don’t judge it too soon. True he would not have as many goals on this roster…
If his upside was so high, why did Mike Gillis just discard him so easily for Victor Oreskovich? Guess Dale isn’t the only one looking bad here…
Grabner and Moulson have 21 goals each while Tavares has 20.
Weiss and Booth have 15 each and Santorelli has 14.
Why then are the Isles 5 points behind horrible us?
Why are they 2nd worst in the Conference and 3rd worst in the whole league??
Actually Grabner is one of the few(5) Isles on the Plus side(9) which is a shock.
compared to Tavares who leads his squad with a -20!
Bottom line is Grabner is NOT a Dale Tallon type of player…i.e. Michael Frolik…SOFT!
CFS93
They’re 3rd worst in the league because they’ve given up 180 goals and have had 5 goalies. When you’re relying on Dwayne Roloson, Kevin Poulin, Nathan Lawson, and Mikko Koskinen for 39 of your 50 games, you’re not going to win a lot. But they’ve scored one more goal this season than we have. Tomas Vokoun and a respectable blueline is the difference.
I still think dropping Grabner before the season even started was a mistake. I’m fairly sure he’s in the last year of his entry level contract. If he was really that bad in camp, start him in Rochester. If he pouts and whines and complains and doesn’t work to get back to the NHL, you have another piece other teams probably want. If he takes the message and works and ends up where he is now, the Panthers have a piece in place heading forward. I just didn’t get it, when scoring was something everybody knew we desperately needed.
nice article about it here basically saying we were never really interested in developing Grabner. If he worked out, great, but mostly we wanted to dump Ballard’s contract before his NTC kicked in. Who knows.
If he was really that bad in camp, start him in Rochester.
This is exactly what they tried to do! Grabner was put on waivers so they could send him to Rochester. He played too many games for Vancouver, so he was subject to waivers to be sent to the AHL. The Isles grabbed him when he went on waivers. They weren’t trying to get rid of Grabner!
Florida Panthers: Because at least you can go to the beach after yet another bad loss.
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.
by John Beatty on Feb 12, 2011 11:25 AM EST up reply actions
Hm, good point. I was under the impression that he was still on his 2 way contract, but obivously he had to go through waivers first. So scratch that thought, lol. Thanks John Beatty.
A 2 way contract only means that the player makes more money in the NHL and less in the AHL. So, if a kid on a 2-way gets called up, he gets a salary boost while a guy on a 1-way getting sent down (Wade Redden, for example) makes the same money in the AHL.
Waivers are a completely different process. There are a bunch of rules regarding age and number of games played that determine whether a player is waiver-exempt or not. In Grabner’s case, he played enough games for the Canucks last year that he is no longer waiver-exempt.
Florida Panthers: Because at least you can go to the beach after yet another bad loss.
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.
by John Beatty on Feb 12, 2011 12:07 PM EST up reply actions
I would have been five with JUST the 1st for Ballard…but Bernier and Grabner were BONUSES! I dont think you guys realize this. I agree that we should have given grabner a chance, but im not complaining because we ripped VAN a new one with that trade
+1
Yeah, this.
Florida Panthers: Because at least you can go to the beach after yet another bad loss.
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.
by John Beatty on Feb 12, 2011 11:26 AM EST up reply actions
Weiss
The Caps sadly need a second line center. They’ve been shuffling Johansson and Perreault as the second line center and by this teams’ lack of offense(see 8 shutouts/too many 1 goal games). These two youngsters are good players, but not number two centermen right now. The Caps would be pretty darned explosive with a Chimera-Weiss-Semin line, a Laich-Weiss-Knuble line or a Laich-Weiss-Fehr line. The Caps have all sorts of top-notch minor leaguers or even a Perreault or Hendricks along with a First Round draft pick to give up.
And, yes, Weiss is being talked up in DC because fans are afraid he’s going to be dealt to Pittsburgh. BIG TIME AFRAID.
Sure they don’t need a FIRST line center? Nice game against LA, btw.
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by Donny Rivette on Feb 12, 2011 9:18 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Wow, yeah. A Laich-Weiss-Knuble (or Fehr) line would be pretty damn good. Those wingers are good at getting themselves in front of the net and Weiss is a good passer and strong on the puck (when his hand’s not broken). In a situation like that where he’s not expected to carry the team in scoring, I can see people quickly realizing how good he actually is.
Florida Panthers: Because at least you can go to the beach after yet another bad loss.
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.
by John Beatty on Feb 13, 2011 10:22 AM EST up reply actions
Vokoun goes to Philly or Warshington
Hordichuk goes back to Nashville
McCabe goes….somewhere. But he don’t stay here
Your list is flawed
Wideman has no No Movement or Trade Cause and has another year on his contract. McCabe has a No Movement Clause and that he is a selfish individual, he won’t be goin anywhere. And resigning him is ludicrous, due to his age, as even without a NMC, his next contract will count against the cap regardless of where he actually plays, NHL, AHL, or Europe. The rest of the defense is staying, except MAYBE Wideman, as many teams are lookin for a puck moving defenseman, as always.
Booth has a limited No Trade Clause. Weiss a No Movement Clause. Possibility of Booth moving, but doubtful with his concussion issues. Weiss, no chance, unless someone buys him off under the table. Only way Olesz moves, is for future considerations, and even then its doubtful. He’d have to be waived, and then claimed on re-entry waivers for his contract to be taken on by another team. Higgins, if he can play like he was before gettin injured and scoring, will be a goner. Stillman, Reasoner, and Dvorak possibly moving, but at this stage of their respective careers, there are other similar role players also available. The rest tho, won’t be moving. The ones that should be gone, won’t be, and the ones we want to stay, don’t presently hold enough value to move them just for the sake of moving them.
you dont think any of the players you listed above actually WOULD waive their clauses to get out of here? You must be ignorant if you think all these guys want to stick around. Even if they do, the organization could approach them about a trade to a PLAYOFF team, and i guarantee Wideman, probably McCabe and booth, vokoun and weiss will go to a good team if they are asked.
They dont have these clauses in their contract so that they stay here on purpose….they all wanted to control their fate, and i bet they would waive it to go to a playoff team
Even if someone like McCabe didn’t want to leave (which he’s already said), and the organization wanted to move him because they got a good offer, he could always take a trade, wait until July 1 and have his agent call Tallon.
Weiss doesn’t want to leave either, and I don’t think they want to trade him, but he’s the guy that they’re going to get the best offers for and they have to consider them. He’s got two or three years left, though, so if he’s gone, he’s gone. Again, even though he doesn’t want to go, I think he’d waive his no-trade to go to a contender.
I agree on Booth, that’s why I have him staying. No one’s taking a chance on him right now.
Florida Panthers: Because at least you can go to the beach after yet another bad loss.
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.
by John Beatty on Feb 13, 2011 10:27 AM EST up reply actions
Hence
the need for the Caps needing a second line center. And they definately have no need for Vokoun. They have three young goaltenders in the mix with Varly the number 1. Defense and goals against aren’t the Caps’ problem this season. They need scoring and a good number two center helps big time with that. The Panthers’ “Blue Print” won’t get them in the playoffs for another two years if you don’t at least try this year. It would be unfair to Weiss to keep him. If he doesn’t get traded this year, he’ll get traded next year. No Trade Clauses are a bunch of bull if the player with said trade is good and is on a bad team. He’ll want out.
I don’t know about that. He had his opportunity this summer. He’s not a great speaker, but he’s not a stupid guy. He knew that he could tell Tallon he wanted to leave this summer and he would get traded out of here. He also knew that there’s a good chance it’s going to be a couple years before the team is in a playoff position. I think he’s committed to the long haul. I think he (and maybe a couple other guys) does feel a personal responsibility for his part in them not being competitive for so long (as opposed to, say, Olli Jokinen and Nathan Horton) and takes it as a personal challenge to do his part to making the team competitive, like asking for a trade would be admitting failure.
Obviously, I haven’t asked him about this and I could be wrong. It’s merely my impression based on stuff he’s said in interviews the last couple of years. But if I am right, he won’t want out in another year. Not if he’s seeing an organizational improvement.
One other thing to keep in mind is that unlike under previous administrations, if you ask Tallon for a trade, you’re getting one. If you don’t want to be here, he doesn’t want you here. JM actually made some decent moves (getting McCabe for oft-injured defenseman Mike Van Ryn, getting Ballard and Boynton for Olli), but holding on to Jay Bo and Horton for too long really destroyed this team when it was already in a bad situation.
Florida Panthers: Because at least you can go to the beach after yet another bad loss.
Litter Box Cats - Your Panthers Colossus.
by John Beatty on Feb 13, 2011 10:36 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
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