Litter Box Cats, a Florida Panthers community

According to the Miami Herald, Booth broke down in tears and left his ex-teammates a message on their grease board. He was in the third year of a six-year pact. Until recently was among Florida’s core of young players. He had every reason to believe he was staying put, but it’s worth wondering why he was so upset to leave a perennial loser for a Cup contender?

You can’t blame the overreaction to what Florida and decisive general manager Dale Tallon have done. I don’t. I get it. The Panthers have been flat-lining for years, ice symbolically melting in the tropical sun. When you last made the Stanley Cup playoffs in 2000 and last won a playoff game in 1997, you have forfeited any claim to relevance.

A decade-plus in a coma and the slightest murmur or eyelid twitch is big news — any change is good — so, naturally, the Panthers are right to feel reborn by the nine new players being introduced, along with the recent hiring of Kevin Dineen as coach.

"I'm really excited to be a Panther. This is by far the most we've done since I've been here. This is change that's been needed. It's going to be a brand new team, guys have a lot to prove. This is awesome to see. I want to be part of this process. I know things are going to change around here. These guys want to win. Man, it's exciting.''

"I got calls from Chicago and then his agent [saying] he'd like to talk to you. We talked a couple of times. I explained the blueprint, similar to what we did in Chicago, and he was able to convince his family and his fiancé that this was the right move for him. And I think it is."

They have to be. I don’t know any other way to do things. I don’t care what happened in the past. I know how to do it one way, and it worked.

#NHL news. Look for #Panthers Bryan McCabe to be traded to the #Rangers as early as today. McCabe willing to waive no-movement clause.

Hearing that Bryan McCabe would prefer not to leave FLA - he has NTC - but also hearing he's been told by FLA not likely to be back next yr.

This is a long-term project. There’s 10 years of mismanagement that we’re trying to turn around, hopefully in 3-4 years. If it means risking a playoff spot this year, we’re going to do it.

"...He is such a stud that some clubs, possibly the Bruins, are expected to approach Florida GM Dale Tallon about prying away (Erik) Gudbranson’s rights this season, possibly tossing the Panthers a roster player now and swapping first-round picks."

"When he's motivated, he's a really good player. Maybe he was just kind of feeling stagnant in Florida."