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About Brett Friedlander
Brett Friedlander became a hockey fan in the heart of the deep south in the early 1970s. He became hooked the first time his father, a charter Atlanta Flames season-ticket holder, took him to a game at The Omni. His first job covering hockey was with the Annapolis Capital, where he covered the Washington Capitals and learned to do an uncanny imitation of coach Bryan Murray from 1984-93. He's also covered the Carolina Hurricanes and Fayetteville FireAntz of the Southern Professional Hockey League for the Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer. He has also been a regular contributor to Rinkside magazine and Faceoff.com. The highlight of his writing career came on June 19,2006, when the Hurricanes beat the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup. His first book, "Chasing Moonlight: The True Story of Field of Dreams' Doc Graham" was released by John F. Blair, Publisher, in April 2009.
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| Are the Florida Panthers buyers or sellers? |
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| Southeast | |
| Written by Brett Friedlander | |
| Friday, January 21, 2011 19:46 | |
That's the question facing general manager Dale Tallon, whose surprising squad began the weekend within striking distance of a playoff spot. Any fans expecting a quick fix will be disappointed.
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The Florida Panthers have showed marked improvement this season. | AROUND THE SOUTHEAST |
It’s not as clear-cut a choice as it might seem, even with the prospect of 13 players – including goalie Tomas Vokoun – scheduled to become free agents at the end of the season.
Given the fact that the Panthers haven’t qualified for the postseason since 2000 and are desperate for anything that might energize an apathetic fan base, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they decided to hold out in hopes of making a long-shot run at getting into the playoffs.
But from the sound of things, first-year general manager Dale Tallon is leaning in the opposite direction as he looks to duplicate the building process he used to help turn the Chicago Blackhawks from perennial also-rans into last year’s Stanley Cup champions.
“I’ve got to look at the big picture,” Tallon said last week. “Whatever we do is big-picture oriented, whatever we have to do for the betterment of this franchise long term, not a quick fix, what’s best for this franchise.
“We’ve got to continue to build through the draft like we did last summer. What happens here the last month dictates how many draft picks we have. It is what it is. I’m here for a reason. I got to fix it and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Tallon’s effort began last summer, when he traded away several high-ticket veterans to stockpile an amazing 13 selections in the June entry draft, including three in the first round.
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He has the opportunity to add to that foundation this year, too, if he so chooses.Vokoun, forwards Cory Stillman, Marty Reasoner, Chris Higgins, Marty Hordichuk and defenseman Bryan McCabe, are all unrestricted free agents-to-be who might be attractive to contenting teams looking to rent a player for the stretch run.
There is also a list of potential restricted free agents, including Michael Frolik, who will all cost more to keep if they’re still around next season.
That doesn’t mean Tallon is looking to tear the team down completely and start again.
He is already well into contract talks with Vokoun on a possible extension that will make him franchise’s cornerstone well into the future.
But timing is everything.
If a deal isn’t done by the trade deadline, Tallon might decide that it’s better to get something for his star goalie than have him walk away for nothing at the end of the year. The team’s position in the standings will also likely dictate the direction he ultimately goes, which makes the next few weeks pivotal for the Panthers.
“You don't want to tell (the team) that the season potentially ends in January if you don't do well here,” coach Peter DeBoer said. “But at the same time everyone knows the situation we're in.”
Notes
One of those unrestricted free agents, McCabe, will be sidelined for several weeks after undergoing surgery on Sunday to repair broken bones in his jaw and upper face. The Florida defenseman suffered the injuries when he took a puck to the face in Saturday’s win against New Jersey. …With Michael Neuvirth and Semyon Varlamov both nursing injuries, 21-year-old rookie Braden Holtby gave Washington a huge lift in goal by making 24 saves in a 2-1 victory against the New York Islanders on Thursday. Holtby, who was called up from Hershey of the AHL on Wednesday, posted a 2-2-1 record with an unimpressive .872 save percentage in five games earlier this season. … Carolina’s Jussi Jokinen was named the NHL’s first star for the week ending Jan. 16. Jokinen led all league scorers with seven points in three games while helping his team gain four of a possible six points. … Brandon Sutter’s goal in a 4-1 win against the Rangers on Thursday was his first in 17 games. … The Atlanta Thrashers sent forward Ben Eager, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound forward who helped Chicago win the Stanley Cup last year, to the San Jose Sharks for a fifth-round choice in next year’s entry draft. … The Thrashers broke a four-game losing streak in Florida on Monday by scoring twice in the final minute of regulation after pulling G Ondrej Pavelec, then beating the Panthers 4-3 on shootout goals by Bryan Little and Alexander Burmistrov. … Atlanta G Chris Mason had an MRI on his sprained right knee after hurting himself in last Saturday’s loss at Dallas. … Tampa Bay’s 3-2 shootout win in Atlanta on Thursday was the Lightning’s 10th straight win against the Thrashers. The last three of those games have gone into overtime or shootouts. … Lightning G Mike Smith, who has missed a month with a sprained left knee, has been sent to Norfolk of the AHL for a conditioning assignment. He is expected to be recalled after the All-Star break.Photos by Getty Images
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