Florida Panthers
Additions: Todd Bertuzzi, Alex Auld, Bryan Allen, Ville Peltonen, Ruslan Salei, Ed Belfour
Subtractions: Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek, Jamie McLennan, Jamie Allison, Jon Sim, Serge Payer
Analysis
Florida is a team that underwent some major renovations since they last played hockey. Gone is all star goaltender Roberto Luongo, the man who played 75 of Florida’s 82 games last season. His replacement will be a mix of Ed Belfour and Alex Auld.
As a Leafs’ fan, I saw plenty of Ed Belfour over the last few years; I thought he was a fantastic goaltender who has had a stalwart career in the NHL. However, his play last year was lacking in consistency and effectiveness. He simply was not the number one goaltender the Leafs needed last year, and though it pains me to say it about such a great athlete, his play was one of the major contributing factors to the Leafs missing the playoffs. The real issue with Belfour may be his willingness to accept less responsability. He’s been known throughout his career as a man who needs to be the undisputed starter, a need that eventually led to his less than happy departure from the Dallas Stars. If he cannot accept less than the main role, and he does not show the consistency needed from that position, then the Panthers may have brought on more than they can handle.
The other half of their goaltending solution for next year is young Alex Auld. Now, as a resident of Thunder Bay, Auld’s hometown, I have been rooting for this guy ever since he broke into the league. I think he’s done an excellent job over the past few years under more pressure than is good for a young goaltender when Dan Cloutier has been injured. If Belfour is the short term solution, Auld is certainly the long term, and I think he may be the best piece Florida got in return for Luongo.
The other piece of that puzzle was, of course, Todd Bertuzzi. I feel that Bertuzzi was somewhat a victim of bad luck. Had Moore not be so baddly injured, I doubt Bertuzzi would have received more than a slap on the wrist. However, we don’t live in a hypothetical world. Whether Moore cheap-shotted Naslund or not is also accademic. Bertuzzi beat up on a kid and has since been rallying point for the fans and players of every city he visits. While he should escape most of the attention down in Florida (and not playing four games in Colorado every year will help), he’s still very much a marked man. Had I been the Mike Keenan, I would have insisted on less Bertuzzi and more prospects or draft picks. Bertuzzi was a huge gamble, far more than draft picks. He has only one more year on his contract, at a hefty $5+ million to boot, and has a long way to go to deserve that kind of money.
Florida is a team I see going down in the standings next year. Oli Jokinen led the team last year with 89 points. The next man on the list was Nieuwendyk with 56, then Stumpel with 52. No other player on the team broke 50 points. That is a tremendous drop off. Even Atlanta had 4 players with more than 50 points, and three of them had 90+. On the plus side, Jokinen is locked up for four years, Ruslan Salei as well, and Jay Bouwmeester should continue to develop, which should make his $2.175 million a bargain for the next two years. Auld is a young goalie with plenty of experience and a history of performing consistently, even when called upon suddenly. All of this bodes well for the future. But next season? I wouldn’t count on much.