Last night, the Florida Panthers were scheduled to take on the Ottawa Senators at the BB&T Center in the penultimate game of the 2019-20 regular season. The Cats thumped the Sens 6-3 and 6-1 earlier in the season. Would potential wins over lowly Ottawa on March 24 and April 2 have helped the Panthers slip into the playoffs? Would the Senators have dealt the Cats a serious set back in either of those games and helped put a dagger in Florida’s tooth and nail postseason quest? Unfortunately, we’ll never know.
Chris Johnston posed a bunch of questions to CapFriendly founder Dominik with the 10 most pertinent brought on by the NHLs’ pause gathered for your reading pleasure.(Sportsnet)
Former Panthers head coach and interim San Jose bench boss Bob Boughner looks to have the inside track for the full-time gig with the Sharks. (ESPN)
The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed Czech defenseman Filip Kral to a three-year, entry-level contract. Kral produced 47 points in 53 games with the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs this season. Toronto selected Kral in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 2018 Entry Draft. The club also signed Latvian defender Kristians Rubins to a two-year, entry-level deal. The undrafted Rubins played 47 games for the Toronto Marlies of the AHL this season. (Pension Plan Puppets)
The Chicago Blackhawks have been busy. They signed goaltender Kevin Lankinen and forward Matthew Highmore to two-year, two-way extensions. Both players were pending restricted free-agents who saw time with the Rockford Ice Hogs. (Second City Hockey)
Chicago also signed forward prospects Evan Barratt and Andrei Altybarmakyan to entry-level contracts. Barrat, who played three seasons at Penn State, was selected in the third round pick (90th overall) in 2017. Altybarmakyan, who was taken by the Blackhawks twenty spots higher, spent last season with HK Sochi of the KHL. (Second City Hockey)
The Columbus Blue Jackets inked defenseman Tim Berni to a three-year, entry-level contract. Berni was selected in the sixth round (159th overall) of the 2018 draft, He played 45 games for the ZSC Lions of the Swiss National League in 2019-20. (1st Ohio Battery)
The New York Rangers have signed forward Justin Richards to a two-year, entry-level contract. The undrafted Richards played three years at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and scored 14 times as a junior. (Blueshirt Banter)
Would the Panthers have beaten the Senators last night?
| Yes | 13 |
| No | 2 |