Litter Box Cats, a Florida Panthers community

From the Herald Tribune's Chris Anderson: (R.J.) Boyd watched the draft at a restaurant in Fort Myers with his family. He received a phone call, turned to his family and smiled. Moments later his name was announced on the television. A kid from Florida had been drafted by an NHL team. A kid who first played the game on a street in Sarasota, putting dents into his father's truck. "Being there with my family and watching my name come on big board was something special," said Boyd. "It doesn't happen to a lot of people.

From Steve Gorten: Panthers head scout Scott) Luce said the team is looking for "the best player available," that it doesn’t matter if that player is a defenseman or forward, "but if it comes down to a preference, we’re leaning toward a forward."

From Dan Rosen: On Torrey becoming GM himself: "I think I have served my time as a general manager and I know where I am in this world and in this life," Torrey, the Panthers' alternate governor, said a conference call Monday. "My heart is with this franchise and I want to see a good choice come along." On when permission was granted to the Canadiens to speak with Martin: ...approximately 10 days ago Cohen granted permission for Montreal GM Bob Gainey to speak with Martin, who was hired Sunday and announced as the Habs’ new coach Monday. Yormark confirmed that the Panthers will not receive compensation for Martin from Montreal by saying, "The Canadiens asked for permission to speak with Jacques. We talked to Jacques, granted that permission and that was the terms of the deal."