The Florida Panthers, and pretty much the rest of the NHL, took a breather from Tuesday’s fireworks yesterday, as the pace of signings drastically slowed down. Dale Tallon and the Cats did announce two more moves; finally making the signing of goaltending prospect Sam Brittain official, while also adding UFA defenseman Blake Parlett to the fold. I would slot both players into the San Antonio Rampage’s opening night roster.
Around the league, the New York Islanders made the biggest splash by inking buddies Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin to four-year deals. Much to the dismay of many a Panther fan, the Vancouver Canucks scooped up consistent goal-scorer Radim Vrbata for the next two seasons. The Nashville Predators filled their need at center by adding former Cat pivot Olli Jokinen.
There are still quite a few players out there that can help the Panthers. Jamie McBain comes to mind if the Cats are indeed serious about adding two veteran defenseman this off-season. The question is are they interested, or are they done adding to the NHL roster, with the rest of the summer being spent exploring possible trades and picking up more players like Parlett for the Rampage.
The home team also announced the schedule for this year’s development camp. So, there is that to look forward to next week, before the real dog days of summer are upon us.
