Player News - Panthers

Date: Team: Pos:

Quinton Howden will add some muscle this off-season so that he can earn a roster spot out of training camp.

"It was awesome, a big learning step for me," Howden said of his first NHL experience in 2013. "Obviously, the speed of the game is big. They're men and you just can't go around guys anymore. You need strength to make plays." He skated in 18 games with the Panthers, but wasn't able to record a point. Howden ended up with 21 hits, 22 shots and a minus-11 rating.
Jun 18 - 7:45 AM

2013 Calder Trophy winner Jonathan Huberdeau hopes to "get the Hart [Trophy] one day."

"I'm going to work hard for it, but it's the team first and after you get the personal awards," he said. Huberdeau is currently hard at work rehabilitating from his off-season hip procedure and he hopes to add more explosiveness to his skating and strengthen his lower body. He expects to be able to resume on-ice work in August.
Jun 18 - 7:35 AM

The Wings are taking a very close look at the Panthers' Stephen Weiss.

According to Elliotte Friedman on "Hockey Night in Canada," the team has "inquired on the rights" to the center. The Stars and Maple Leafs have also asked the Panthers about Weiss. The 30-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent on July 5 and is coming off a season in which he notched a goal and three assists in 17 games. He is a four-time 20-goal scorer, however.
Jun 17 - 10:02 AM

Jonathan Huberdeau wasn't expecting to win the 2013 Calder Trophy.

"It was a surprise. There were two other guys who had great rookie years," Huberdeau said. With 31 points in 48 games, he narrowly beat Brendan Gallagher and Brandon Saad in terms of points. That said, Huberdeau was also second worst among all rookies with a minus-15 rating.
Jun 17 - 8:40 AM

Jonathan Huberdeau officially took home the 2013 Calder Trophy as the NHL's best rookie.

Huberdeau becomes the first Panthers player to ever win the rookie of the year award. The talented winger finished with 14 goals and 17 assists, and his 31 points were tied with the rookie lead. Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher finished second in the voting, while Blackhawks winger Brandon Saad was third.
Source: NHL.com
Jun 15 - 7:20 PM

If he wins the 2013 Calder Trophy as expected, Jonathan Huberdeau would be the Florida Panthers' first-ever player to win the rookie of the year award.

He tied Nail Yakupov for the rookie scoring lead with 31 points in 2013. Imagine what he might have done if he wasn't suffering a hip injury that required offseason surgery ...
Jun 15 - 2:25 PM

The Florida Panthers have acquired Bobby Butler from the Nashville Predators in exchange for T.J. Brennan.

Butler had four goals and 11 points in 34 games this season. Florida will be the fourth team he's played for in just three seasons. Of course, that's assuming the Panthers re-sign him as Butler is eligible to become a restricted free agent this summer.
Jun 14 - 3:20 PM

Going into the off-season the Panthers will have approximately $12 million available to sign free agents and/or make trades.

The Cats are committed to a payroll of approximately $52 million and with the salary cap ceiling set at $64.3 the team can only increase salaries by approximately $12 million. Of course, the Panthers could amnesty the contracts of one of Ed Jovanovski or Filip Kuba but it wouldn't save them that much. It looks as if Florida's spending spree two seasons ago to get to the cap floor has hampered them going forward.
Jun 1 - 9:29 AM

Florida Panthers GM Dale Tallon is open to trading the second overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

"You see what they’re willing to pay, and that’s the fun part of the job," Tallon said. "I’ve had a couple of mild conversations here and there this week, ‘Are you going to move the pick?’ Make me an offer. That’s the way it goes. You start the process early, and you work it all the way through till the five minutes before you make the pick, maybe a minute before the pick." If the Panthers keep the pick, they'll be looking to draft someone they can use right away. That would probably be either defenseman Seth Jones and forward Nathan MacKinnon, depending on who the Colorado Avalanche take with the top pick.
May 31 - 12:05 PM

Florida GM Dale Tallon wants to select a player who can play right away with the second overall pick in the 2013 draft.

He should get his wish as Portland defenseman Seth Jones and Halifax forward Nathan MacKinnon are projected to be the top two prospects in a very deep draft class. Both players appear to be ready to tackle the pro game. "We're going to be a young team," Tallon told NHL.com. "It's going to be a necessary part of our puzzle moving forward. I would hope the guy we select can play for us next year." The Panthers have four picks in the top 97, so Tallon expects to add to an already solid core of prospect talent.
May 30 - 10:27 AM

Alex Petrovic and Colby Robak are projected to get long looks at training camp next fall.

Petrovic dressed in six NHL contests, while Robak appeared in 14 games for the Panthers during the lockout-shortened season. Petrovic can add some ruggedness to Florida's back end if he gets a shot with the big club in 2013-14.
May 28 - 7:11 AM

Erik Gudbranson expects himself to be much better next season and so do the Florida Panthers.

"He needs to get off to a better start," coach Kevin Dineen said. "... I think we had real constructive conversations with him on what he has to work on this summer. He's already taking steps to make sure that his preparation will be exactly what we're looking for." He injured his shoulder wakeboarding in Canada last summer and most of his time off during the lockout was spent rehabbing that ailment. When he did suit up for Florida in 2013, he ended up posting four assists and a minus-22 rating in 32 games. On the plus side his hits-per-game went up from 2.13 to 2.5. It will be his third season in the NHL next year and the Panthers will be looking to see some growth, but you probably shouldn't expect much from him from a fantasy perspective unless you need hits.
May 28 - 7:06 AM

Jonathan Huberdeau underwent a procedure on his hip Tuesday.

Renaud Lavoie of RDS reported Huberdeau played with the injury his entire rookie season, which makes his inaugural NHL season a bit more impressive. The Calder Trophy finalists finished with 14 goals and 31 points in 48 games for a Panthers team that was basically an AHL club by the middle of March due to injuries. Huberdeau is expected to be 100 percent in time for training camp.
Source: NHL.com
May 14 - 6:06 PM

The Panthers will ask Broward County on Tuesday for $4.2 million to buy a new scoreboard.

The Panthers are in the middle of a 30-year lease with the county, and they play under the same scoreboard that the arena opened with in 1998. County auditor Evan Lukic believes the team should pay for the upgrade, while Panthers president Michael Yormark thinks the county should. "We have puts tens of millions of dollars into this building since it has opened,'' Yormark said. "The county has not put one dollar into this building as a gift or as capital improvement. Not one. We've taken loans out, but we're responsible for those. It's their building. They own it. The scoreboard is a permanent fixture. If the Florida Panthers leave tomorrow, we couldn't take it with us. We've been a great partner. They haven't had to put any money into this building in 15 years.'' An NHL representative will be at Tuesday's board meeting.
May 14 - 9:30 AM

The Nashville Predators are unsure as to whether or not they will re-sign RFA to be Bobby Butler.

Butler is currently with Team USA at the World Championships. His inconsistent play caused the Devils to place him on waivers where the Predators grabbed him in March. "He hasn’t been consistent. If we can get his 'A' game all the time, we have a spot for him. But his inconsistency is what has held him back," GM David Poile said. "We have to get a handle on whether he’s 'A' game Bobby or something less than that,"
May 12 - 10:04 AM


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