Gonna break down this trade twice. Once being full homer panthers fan canes and once trying to be as neutral as possible. First the homer version. This trade hurts. Gudbranson is a fan favorite who does a lot of non analytical things well. He's big, physical, can fight, and has future captain written all over him. In today's NHL these are traits that are hard to find in a player who can actually play his position at a competent level. His defensive game was coming around and I had no doubt he was turning into a very good defensive Defensman. I don't know why you would trade that away for a young unproven forward and picks when you don't need to but it just happened. It sucks to trade him especially when he just did the team a solid and took a 1 year deal to give them flexibility to resign ekblad and the other guys due for a new deal. On the other hand, gudbranson is what he is. He's a defensive defensman who will always struggle to hit 20 points in a season. In today's NHL, you need more from a guy in a top 4 role. It really isn't that hard to find a stay at home defenseman to replace gudbranson though I doubt they will find one who is also as physical as he is. As for the return, the panthers got a nice young forward in McCann who possess a skill the panthers currently lack, an excellent shot. He didn't produce much last year for the Canucks, but he was also on a team that was devoid of any real talent. He would fit very well on Trocheck's wing and the 2nd PP unit. As for the picks, the cats got the #4 pick in the 2nd and 4th round. That's essentially a late 1st value. In a vacuum, the panthers got a 19 year old forward with top 6 potential and essentially a late 1st for a 24 year old stay at home defensman. That's great value anyway you look at it. If you remove the emotional attachment to gudbranson, it's hard to find fault with this trade. Side note, panthers offered Trocheck a 6 year deal edit: according to GR, Gudbranson has been on the block since last offseason and a deal was almost done back then
The Panthers have some good young talent on the back end and Matheson's play in the playoffs made Guddy even more expendible. When you factor in that you're getting a top 6 forward under the age of 20 and two top picks in this draft, you do it.
New jerseys are being revealed tonight. What we know. Logo will have a military feel to it, red is still the primary color and gold will be the new secondary color. Palm and stick shoulder patch is gone (though will be back next year when the third jersey is revealed next year my guess it would be a blue version of the early 2000s jerseys) Shoulder patches will be a stylized version of the state flag and a smaller version of the now former logo. One unique thing is that not only will the captain/assistant captain wear the traditional A, there will be an inscription/symbol/something on the arm as well. could be really cool/unique or really bad.
Prediction: today everyone will hate it October: Everyone will have forgotten they hate it. Go Panthers.
I already hate it and haven't seen the official release. However, it will make the throwback jersey games so so so sweet.
I am not in love with it but I'd preoder the new jersey blind because I'm dumb like that. Plus ANY jersey would look good with that beautiful Ekblad in it.
yea, I will be getting an authentic version of the new jersey as soon as it is available regardless of how it looks
eh love the state flag colors and the alternate with the panther and state flag, but don't care for the center patch
That new leaping cat is sexy af. It's a great blend of the old logo and an actual Florida panther plus it's streamlined. I'm good with the new Jersey and logo though. Logo looks good on apparel.
my only real complaints are that the stripe doesn't go all the way around the back and that the numbers are on the shoulder and the secondary logo is on the arms. other than that, they look great and I think I'll be getting a red barkov and white ekblad (once he signs)
The half stripe looks fine on the jersey if it has a name and number on it. It would only look weird on a fan's blank one. I'm also a huge fan of collar shoelace ties in general.
great breakdown of the new jerseys http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/1...iform-logo-florida-panthers-sport-next-season Uni Watch: Florida Panthers unveil new jersey, logo Florida Panthers9:31 PM ET Paul Lukas comment The Florida Panthers are growing up. The team unveiled a striking new uniform set -- the first serious design makeover in the franchise's 23-year history -- at a live event at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida, on Thursday night. The new look was created by the design staff at Reebok, the NHL's uniform outfitter. The Panthers had originally hoped to have the new design ready for the start of the 2015-16 season, but team executives didn't have a realistic idea of how long a complete visual overhaul would take. It was worth the wait; the new look is a good one. It has several interesting features, which are worth considering one element at a time. The primary logo: The team's new jersey logo, which leaked in late April, is a shield-shaped design inspired by the logo of the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army, which Panthers owner Vincent Viola was a member of in the late 1970s. Here's a side-by-side comparison of the 101st's logo and the new Panthers mark, followed by a view of the new logo on the team's home uniform: The panther shown in the new logo looks stern and dignified but less ferocious than the team's previous leaping panther mascot. "That was intentional," said John Viola, Vincent Viola's son, who oversaw the redesign. "The old panther, when we were a new team, jumped up and got right in your face. This new panther is more stable, more mature. We want people to be afraid of us because of the talent we have here, not because our logo looks intimidating." John Viola said the more dignified look also reflects the new design's military underpinnings. "It's important to remember that, in the military ethos, fighting is your last resort, because -- just like with Spider-Man -- with great power comes great responsibility," he said. "All of that is represented in the logo." OK, so invoking a comic book is a bit corny. But in an era when so much sports marketing features over-the-top intimidating mascots and questionable military imagery, hearing a new design being promoted with words like "mature" and "responsibility" is, frankly, refreshing. The sleeve patches: The military theme also extends to the jersey sleeves, which will feature an "earn your stripes" patch system. During the preseason, the sleeves will carry the team's new secondary logo, which shows the Florida state flag topped by a prowling panther. When the regular-season roster is finalized, players who make the final cut will have the words "Florida" (for the home jersey) and "Panthers" (on the road) added above the logo. And, in a unique touch, the team's captain and alternates will also wear "Captain" or "Alternate" banners on the left sleeve: Viola said the team had considered not using the traditional "C" and "A" jersey designations and just going with the "Captain" and "Alternate" sleeve banners. That would have required a waiver from the league office because the NHL rulebook mandates the use of the "C" and "A." But when team officials explored that possibility, they were told there would be no exceptions, so the letters and sleeve banners will both be used. The horizontal stripe: The home and road jerseys both feature thick horizontal striping that's unmistakably evocative of the Montreal Canadiens' home jersey (although it doesn't wrap around to the back like Montreal's does): That's a pretty bold move for an expansion franchise in a warm-weather state. What will Montreal fans think about that? "Well, other baseball teams besides the Yankees wear pinstripes," Viola said. "Montreal is a great franchise with decades of tradition. We don't have their history, but we see ourselves as being on that same level in terms of talent and professionalism, and we hope they're flattered that we were inspired by that visual element. There's certainly room for more than one version of it." Fair enough. The collar lacing: Some NHL teams use tie-down collars, with the ends of the laces dangling from the top eyelets. Other teams go with faux tie-downs, which use sewn-in horizontal lacing to simulate the tie-down look. Reebok came up with a unique spin on that approach for the Panthers. The new jerseys' collars have X-shaped lacing, which looks particularly good on the road jersey, because the red lacing on white background echoes the cross on the Florida flag -- a clever touch: This move is somewhat similar to the tedious "story"-based uniform elements that we hear so much about these days ("The custom font features serifs placed at a 66-degree angle, which honors the archway at the campus entrance ..."), most of which feel like rote gimmicks that nobody will remember the day after the unveiling event. But there's nothing wrong with a gimmick if it's a goodgimmick, and this one is ingeniously simple and is bound to resonate with Florida fans. The helmet decal: The team's old leaping panther logo has been streamlined. The new version will be worn as a decal on the players' helmets. Here's a side-by-side comparison of the old version (on the left) and the new: "Believe it or not, we went through about 20 versions of that," Viola said. "We wanted it to look close enough to the old version so that it represented continuity, but different enough so that it also represented evolution." Mission accomplished. The new identity system isn't perfect. The most obvious problem is that Florida already has a pro sports team whose primary logo (a) is shield-shaped; (b) features a cat's head; and (c) has the stated goal of honoring the military: Overall, though, this is a well-conceived redesign, and a good example of a team's look growing into adulthood. Nicely done. Grade: A-
There also will be special bars worn by the captain and the alternates in addition to the letters typically displayed on the left breast, a first in the sport and a pretty cool idea. Since they're drawing heavily on military-style adornments, it wouldn't be surprising if they later added patches for all-stars, leading scorers or other milestones. I don't hate this idea
i dont know about the added patches....dont want to go from 'sleek' to 'boy scouts' unless theres a SpaceyInSpace patch
If you give a patch for everything, I agree it would look bad. But patches for leading the league in scoring or winning a major award would be pretty cool. If you want to limit the number, only leave the patch for the following year and take it off until the player earns it again
Panthers got the rights to Keith Yandle from the Rangers. Really good acquisition for the panthers and makes our defense exponentially better
So does the NHL office has a good enough sense of humor to give us New Jersey as our home opener when we are wearing new jerseys?
yes and no. Garrison had one skill on the PP, the ability to hit the net on a 1-timer. Teams eventually adjusted just like they did against Pirri and he was nowhere near as effective late in the 2012 season. Yandle-Ekblad on the PP is going to be outstanding
well we didnt have much else consistent on the PP so they could plug that hole. It was no fault of Garrison that no one else around him was as consistent of a PP threat...but you need that power sometimes. Yes Ekblad/Yandle could be good. Ekblad could also work in a 4F/1D PP if they wanted.
Elliotte Friedman @FriedgeHNIC 26m26 minutes ago Rumbling: FLA preparing eight-year, $60M-ish extension for Aaron Ekblad. He can sign any time after July 1. Team and agent decline comment. DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT
I don't know how to handle all these good things happening to the Panthers in one offseason. All we need now is for a video of Laine smoking weed out of a gas mask to drop 5 minutes before the draft and him to fall all the way to 23.
.@FlaPanthers have locked up Bjugstad, Barkov, Ekblad and now Trocheck, all six years or more. Jonathan Huberdeau, Reilly Smith next?
great article on one of the more underrated panthers moves of the summer. http://www.tsn.ca/talent/demers-isn-t-lucky-but-he-s-good-1.542069
assuming this gets done, every young player that you would want to count on to win a cup is locked up long term with plenty of room left over. That is some outstanding cap management
pretty much the entire core is signed and the panthers will still have 14.8 million in cap space next offseason. the only guys who need new contracts next offseason are Petrovic (RFA), Pysyk (RFA), and Jagr (UFA/likely to retire). It sucked to lose Crouse, but getting rid of bolland put this team in such a great cap situation
I say likely to retire because if I expect him to retire, and he sticks around, it will make him staying much sweeter.
For those who are nervous about the new defensive strategy, last night's USA v. Canada game should make you feel better. USA went with a gritty roster that could check and block shots. They dominated Canada in both stats, but were absolutely dominated in every other aspect of the game. The game is changing and it seems the Panthers are trying to be ahead of the curve. Obviously it still remains to be seen if the Panthers got the right mix of guys, but I feel a lot better about this new strategy watching how the WCoH has played out.