After crossing the two most hyped free agents off the list, the dominoes supposedly ready to tumble have remarkably(hint: sarcasm) stayed up another day. Again I woke up this morning expecting big news but found nothing worth cracking an eye for. That is unless you consider the New Jersey Devils signing Krys Barch to a two year deal news, which I honestly do not.
Keep an eye out for news on the free agent front; big names like Alex Semin, Shane Doan and Andrei Kostitsyn still remain along with more reasonable targets like Kyle Wellwood. Hey at some point the Panthers have to fill that second line center, even if it means taking a risk on Wellwood. Or Jason Arnott, or Daymond Langkow. Options are out there, some are flashier than others. Florida still has a solid nine million to commit to reach the cap floor, and while most of this will be split between Jonathan Huberdeau, Kris Versteeg and Dmitry Kulikov, there’s still plenty of room for one more signing.
Also today is the on-going development camp for Panthers prospects. Yesterday they went to the grocery store, there’s really no telling where they’ll go today! Our very own Alex Calloway has you covered on that front, Whole Foods field trip withstanding.
Edit: I didn’t notice this signing until afterwards, though it had been rumored for a few days.
RED ALERT: #FlaPanthers have signed winger Jean-Francois Jacques to aone-year, two-way deal. #sarampage #NHL #AHL
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) July 5, 2012
JF Jacques is another tough enforcer type player who’s played a total of 166 games over parts of seven seasons in the NHL. Well, with the Oilers anyways. Expect him to play in San Antonio.