A Panthers Journey

[bthomp05]

Hey everyone, its been a while since I posted but I'm back.

I had a medical thing happen to me and my family and now since that has been taken care of I wanted to start posting a new but old dynasty again.

With NHL 11 now a few weeks away and everyone (including myself) waiting patiently I have decided to bring back my Panthers dynasty (starting from the beginning with a few new things). So I hope you guys enjoy.

[mikko1995]

Re: A Panthers Journey

Hey everyone, its been a while since I posted but I'm back.

I had a medical thing happen to me and my family and now since that has been taken care of I wanted to start posting a new but old dynasty again.

With NHL 11 now a few weeks away and everyone (including myself) waiting patiently I have decided to bring back my Panthers dynasty (starting from the beginning with a few new things). So I hope you guys enjoy.

I really did wonder where you dissapeared, but great to see you back here man.

[bthomp05]

Re: A Panthers Journey

Thanks Mikko, its weird how life goes. One minute I am celebrating Canada with my son, the next day I am in the hospital with the docs telling my wife I have a tumor in my head. Thank god they were able to get it out and it was benign, now 6 weeks of recovery, least its nice outside...

Well enough bantering, back to my dynasty. Will post season preview, I really exploded the Panthers this time.

[bthomp05]

Re: A Panthers Journey

2009 - 2010 Outlook

With a narrow miss of the playoffs last year (Habs won out on the decider), Panther management annouced that a few changes would definately be happening and that this year would be called a 'rebuild year'.

Outlining a new strategy of youth, securing a franchise players both on offence and defence, moving key players out of the organization, and placing a new GM at the top, were the key ideas saturated in thier press release.

Within minutes of the general call to the public, Panther management pink slipped GM Dale Tallon and hired rookie GM Brad Thompson with the promise that this new leader would take the Panthers to new heights and build a dynasty that Panther fans would be proud of.

"I will keep this quick, as I have alot to do before the draft in Montreal, but I wanted to thank everyone in the organization for giving me a chance, I will make you proud."

Come draft day GM Thompson stuck to his word on change and shocked the hockey world with a big move. Seen trolling around the Islanders table and talking with Garth Snow, a trade was annouced.

Panthers trade goalies Vokoun and Clemmensen to the Islanders for thier First Round Pick.

Who the hell knows why the Islanders wanted another 2 goalies but good for the Panthers as they used that first round pick to select hockey prodigy center Nathan Thompson (Thompson, a native from Toronto, had sparked league interest way back in midgit hockey. Chimed as the next Gretzky and definately the next Crosby, this playmaker loves to pass and create plays but doesn't shy away from putting the puck in the net either). Marked as the franchise player of the draft, the Panthers hope he is the player they need to build a team around.

Next, they used thier 13th pick to select heavy weight defensemen Mike Smith. (Standing 6'9", this 260lb Canadian OFD d-man is like a freight train on skates but with the finesse of butterfly. There is nothing this guy can't do; score, set-up plays, hit, protect, you name it he can do it). The Panthers hope this d-man can get it done for them this year and many more to come.

With thier 43rd and 73rd picks the Panthers were able to do something special. Selecting twins in the goaltending field, they were able to secure Adam and Paul Eager from Canada. (Both standing 6'2", 215 lbs both are hybrid goalies that had awesome seasons last year.) Both will be given a chance to lead the Panthers, as GM Thompson has promised that both will play equal time for the first 40 games of the season, were a decision then will be made on who will lead the team.

The rest of the draft played out like this:
103rd pick: Rene Dzuik (RW-PFW) from BC, scouted B-
133rd pick: Andrea Maltby (C-PLY) from Quebec, scouted B-
163rd pick: Gunnar Redden (D-OFD) from New York, scouted B
193rd pick: Calle Bergeron (LW-TGH) from Massachusetts, scouted B-

After the draft in Montreal, GM Thompson once again shocked the hockey world with 4 big trades that saw some big talent leave the Panthers Organization.

Panthers traded Ballard to Nashville for the First Round pick in 2010
Panthers traded Wiess to Columbus for the First Round pick in 2010
Panthers traded Horton to Colorado for the First Round pick in 2010
Panthers traded Allen to Los Angelas for the First Round pick in 2010

Talk about blowing up the team here, alot of great talent left but in return the Panthers secured 4 more first round picks. With 5 first round picks next year, GM Thompson is really demonstrating on how important a rebuild year is.

To assist thier newly drafted center, Nathan Thompson, GM Brad Thompson went trolling for the perfect veteran winger, which eventually brought him to Boston. Moving center Greg Campbell and d-man Dennis Seidenberg to B-town they got veteran winger Mark Recchi (Had 61pts in 80 games last year with Tampa Bay and Boston). Recchi, with his years of knowledge/playing and explosive energy on the ice, is expected to captian the team this year and help mentor Thompson.

Keeping with the spirit of trading for more help, GM Thompson also acquired Krys Barch (RW-TGH) from Dallas for Radek Dvorak (RW-GRN), Michal Repik (RW-GRN), and Graham Mink (RW-PLY=Rochester). As well acquired the services of Mike Brown (RW-TGH) and Nick Boyton (D-DFD)from Anahiem for Cory Stillman (LW-PLY), Mike York (RW-PLY=Rochester), and Rory Fitzpatrick (D-DFD=Rochester). Obvious by who was acquired here, GM Thompson was looking to add toughness and size to his red and blue lines.

Next came FA time and GM Thompson would not let down here either. Picking up 4 more players here, these were more of hole fillers then anything else but these 4 players do add to the team then not.

- Signed Chris Taylor (C-PLY) to a 3 year $500k deal
- Signed Tuomas Pihlman (LW-PWF) to a 1 year $2million deal, came from Jyvaskyla JYP of the SM-Liga league
- Signed David Brown (G-HYB) to a 1 year $625k deal - ear marked for Rochester
- Signed Tomas Kundratek (D-DFD) to a 1 year $625K deal - ear marked for Rochester

The Panthers hope with thier new talent and new focus, that this year will be different. The Panthers open the 09-10 season with back to back games against the Blackhawks, its expected that Adam will take the first game while Paul will play the second.

Key Additions: Nathan Thompson (C), Mike Smith (D), Adam Eager (G), Paul Eager (G), Mark Recchi (RW), Rene Dzuik (RW), Andrea Maltby (C), Gunnar Redden (D), Calle Bergeron (LW), Krys Barch (RW), Mike Brown (RW), Nick Boyton (D), Chris Taylor (C), Tuomas Pihlman (LW), David Brown (G), Tomas Kundratek (D)

Departures: Tomas Vokoun (G), Clemmensen (G), Keith Ballard (D), Nathan Horton (RW/C), Stephen Weiss (C), Allen (D), Greg Campbell (C), Dennis Seidenberg (D), Radek Dvorak (RW), Michal Repik (RW), Graham Mink (RW), Cory Stillman (LW), Mike York (RW), Rory Fitzpatrick

Forwards: Booth (LW), Thompson (C), Recchi (RW), Pihlman (LW), Frolik (C), Reinprecht (RW), Brown (LW), Taylor (C), Tarnesky (RW), Barch (LW), Moore (C), Kreps (RW)

Defencemen: McCabe, Smith, Kulikov, Leopold, Koistinen, Boyton

Goalies: A. Eager, P. Eager

[bthomp05]

Re: A Panthers Journey

October Update

AT CHI: 5-2 W	VS CHI: 7-1 W	AT CAR: 5-4 W	VS NJD: 5-2 W
AT TBL: 4-3 W	VS PHI: 5-2 W	VS OTT: 4-1 W	AT PIT: 4-3 L
AT PHI: 2-1 L	VS OTT: 3-1 W	AT DAL: 4-3 W	AT STL: 5-0 W

The Panthers openned the 09-10 season with a bang, going 8 games before recording thier first loss of the season, against Pittsburgh. Finishing October with a 12-1-1 record, they achieved 21 points and are now situated at the top of the Eastern Conference with Pittsburgh following closely behind with 20 points.

The Panthers recorded 51 GF (1st), 25 GA (4th), 17.2 PP (9th), and 84.7 PK (20th) so far this season.

Nathan Thompson was the clear winner of the 'Player of the Month' recording 14 goals and 8 assists for 22 points and is on pace for a 150 pts season, he is also a +11 and has a SOG of 48. Linemates Booth and Recchi have also benefitted from Thompson's success recording 14 pts respectible.

The big surprise player this month has been Michael Frolik, only recording 45 pts in 79 games last year, has 15 points (2nd on the Panthers) so far and if he keeps it up could have a record breaking season. Of key importance here, Frolik had a 4 goal night on October 3rd against the Hawks infront of a sellout home crowd.

On the blue line, Dmitri Kulikov leads D-men with 9 pts while Mike Smith follows quickly behind with 8 pts. McCabe takes the hitting title with 52 and also leads all D-men with 352 minutes of playing time.

The pipe wars continue with Adam leading the two twins with a 5-1, 1.81 GAA but don't discount Paul who also has a 5-1 record with a GAA of 2.18. The two netminders have only allowed 25 goals which situates them 4th in the league.

The Panthers have a longer November then October with 17 games instead of 12 (9 home, 8 away), with the month openning with a home game against Carolina and finishing with a home game against the Thrashers. Management hopes the Panthers can keep up the success while working on the PP and PK.

TOP SCORES	+/-	HITS	MINS	PIMS
Thompson = 22	Kalikow = 12	McCabe = 52	McCabe = 352	Barch = 80
Frolik = 15	Smith = 12	Smith = 44	Smith = 345	Brown = 37
Booth = 14	Leopold = 11	Kalikow = 28	Booth = 315	Tarnesky = 18
Recchi = 14	Thompson = 11	Thompson = 26	Thompson = 279	Boynton = 18
Reinprecht = 13	Frolik = 11	Booth = 22	Recchi = 276	Leopold = 12

　
　
　

	WINS	LOSSES	GAA
A. Eager	5	1	1.81
P. Eager	5	1	2.18

Team News:

Panthers sign Martin Laumann Ylven to a 2 year $500m deal on 10/2/2009, sending him to Rochester.

Mike Brown suffers an injured shoulder during Buffalo game on a hit from Toni Lydman (10/21/2009) - not a serious injury, expected to play against Pittsburgh.

Mike Brown has been cleared by doctors, fully recovered (10/24/2009)

Around NHL:

10/15/2009 - Ott signed Bryan Berard (D) to a year $600M deal
10/24/2009 - Col signed Anton Babchuk (D) to a 3 year $1.525MM deal
10/25/2009 - Ott signed Scott Clemmensen (G) to a 1 year $575m deal
10/29/2009 - Cmb claimed Jaroslav Halak off waivers from Montreal
10/29/2009 - Mon signed Karri Ramo (G) to a 2 year $950m deal

[mikko1995]

Re: A Panthers Journey

Ouch. Good that you are okay.

Great start man.

[bthomp05]

Re: A Panthers Journey

Ouch. Good that you are okay.

Great start man.

Thanks Mikko, I appreciate it..

Sorry for the wait, got to play 2 more games in November and then will post a monthly update. Thanks guys for following.

[bthomp05]

Re: A Panthers Journey

November Update

VS CAR: 5-4 W	VS WSH: 4-1 W	AT WSH: 3-1 L	AT BOS: 4-2 L
VS NYI: 5-4 W	VS LAK: 2-1 W	AT BUF: 3-2 W	AT DET: 6-3 L
AT NYR: 3-2 L	VS PIT: 4-3 W	VS NYR: 4-2 W	VS TOR: 7-4 L
AT NSH: 3-2 W	AT ATL: 4-0 W

The Panthers went 7-4-1 for 15pts in November, not as good as October's record but still a good showing to secure 2nd place in the East, one point behind Pittsburgh.

So far the Panthers have recorded 97 GF (2nd, 7 goals less the Pens), 67 GA (5th), 13.3 PP (19th), and 78.9 PK (29th).

Dmitri Kulikov and Nathan Thompson will share the 'Player of the Month' award for November. Now clearly Thompson's 23 point showing this month is remarkable (14 goals and 13 assists) but Kulikov, a d-man no less, added 10 points in November, recording his first NHL goal and adding 9 assists in 12 games.

Another interesting statistic here is that the 1st line has contributed over 43% of the goals scored and is a +46.

Michael Frolik, last months surprise player, has continued his success recording 13 points in 12 games (1.08pts/gm) and is 2nd on the Panthers in scoring with 28 points.

On the blue line, 2 d-men are tied for the lead with Dmitri Kulikov and Mike Smith tied with 19 points while Mike Smith leads all d-men with 97 hits. McCabe continues to lead in ice time with 781 minutes or 30 mins/gm.

Between the pipes with 14 games left until decision time Paul leads the way with a W-L of 10-3 and a GAA of 2.43, while Adam is 9-4 and 2.62. As a whole the netminder team has recorded a 19-7 record with a 2.58 GAA which is 5th in the league, not bad for two rookies.

December is a busy month for the Panthers as they play 15 games, with 8 of them away. The focus will continue to be on the PP and PK as both slipped significantly in November.

TOP SCORES	+/-	HITS	MINS	PIMS
Thompson - 45	Kalikov - 22	Smith - 97	McCabe - 781	Barch - 174
Frolik - 28	Leopold - 21	McCabe - 96	Smith - 750	Brown - 50
Recchi - 25	Booth - 19	Thompson - 61	Booth - 648	McCabe - 46
Booth - 24	Frolik - 18	Leopold - 52	Thompson -624	Smith - 31
Kalikov/Smith - 19	Thompson - 17	Booth - 51	Recchi - 572	Recchi - 22

　
　
　

	WINS	LOSSES	GAA
A. Eager (1s)	9	4	2.62
P. Eager (1s)	10	3	2.43

　

Team News:

Panthers claimed Ruslan Salei (D - 80OV) off waivers from Colorado, a $3.025mm hit in the cap department on 11/26/2009. Salei will take Koistinen's spot on the 3rd d-pairing and play on the 1st PK line. Salei has 5 pts, is a -11, has 20 pims, and 33 hits in 22 games for the Avs. Brought on as an upgrade player to the shut down d-pairing with Boyton, it is expected that the 850 game veteran will add shot blocking ability and d-zone awareness to the Panthers defensive corps.

Steve Reinprecht suffered a pulled groin on Nov 27 on a bad fall, expected recovery by 12/5/2009 - will play with reduced minutes. Moved to the 3rd line with Brown taking right wing on the 2nd line.

Top 5 Prospects Stats

Gunnar Redden (D) : 3-11-14, +5, 55pims
Shawn Matthias (C) : 5-7-12, +2, 28pims
Andrea Maltby (C) : 3-2-5, +3, 24pims
Calle Bergeron (LW) : 4-2-6, 0, 69pims
Tomas Kundratek (D) : 3-2-5, 0, 15pims

Around NHL:

11/1/2009 - CBJ signed Jean-Sebastien Aubin (G) to a 2 year deal
11/1/2009 - NJD signed Mathieu Dandenault (D) to a 2 year deal
11/2/2009 - CAR signed Niclas Havelid (D) to a 2 year deal
11/6/2009 - COL signed Nolan Schaefer (G) to a 1 year deal
11/8/2009 - OTT signed Brendan Mikkelson (D) to a 2 year deal
11/9/2009 - PHX signed Erik Reitz (D) to a 2 year deal
11/13/2009 - CAR signed Mattias Karlsson (D) to a 2 year deal
11/27/2009 - SJS claimed Matt Smaby (D) off waivers from TBL

[mikko1995]

Re: A Panthers Journey

Great job with this bthomp.

Are you looking to have Thompson chasing Gretzky again?

[bthomp05]

Re: A Panthers Journey

Great job with this bthomp.

Are you looking to have Thompson chasing Gretzky again?

I'm thinking about it. Atleast this year I am looking to take Teemu's rookie record.

[mikko1995]

Re: A Panthers Journey

I'm thinking about it. Atleast this year I am looking to take Teemu's rookie record.

Not that! Anything else but not that! It's almost the only record that Finns have in the NHL.

[BLemieux]

Re: A Panthers Journey

Ouch, a Tumor. At least you're okay. Like this dynasty a lot

[bthomp05]

Re: A Panthers Journey

Ouch, a Tumor. At least you're okay. Like this dynasty a lot

Thanks BLemiux, I really appreciate it..... It was a very scare time for me and my family, luckily I came out on top and my wife and 20 month old son held together...


Unfornutaly I have to kill this, bi-accidently saved over it with my new project. Crude, ow well. Thanks for following.