House of the Rising Sun - Florida Panthers (NHL 11 GM)

[Razor18]

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20 Game Update

Team Record 9-10-1

Sunrise, FL.
Pete Simpson Press Conference

"Welcome all and thank you for tuning in. The second month of NHL hockey is coming to a close and it has been an interesting season so far. We are playing around .500 hockey right now, and we are competitive even in the games we are losing. I can say we are happy with how the team is performing as a whole, and for the most part, individual efforts have been outstanding. With that said, we still have not determined a number one goalie. Markstrom has been getting the brunt of the starts, but Scott has played in a good portion of the games as well. To be honest neither of them have proven to be consistent enough to start on a night in and night out basis. This may seem to be a dilemma to some, but I have no problem with having two rotating goalies, it will help keep them fresh, and they will feel that sense of someone breathing down their neck, jocky-ing for that number one job. With all that said, there is no denying I would like to maybe bring in a more stable goalie that has been around the league. I have been speaking to teams around the league, and the asking prices have been much too steep for me to consider. If we are to bring someone in, it will most likely be off of a waiver claim. In the midst of all the excitement around the team, and the energy in the locker room, we actually have some bad news. One of our top players left the game against the Islanders in the 3rd and did not come back. That player has been brought into medical attention and actually has a strained hamstring that will keep him sidelined for 4 or more weeks. That player sadly, is Tyler Seguin. Tyler is tied for our team lead in points, and has been having one heck of a rookie campaign. He fell awkwardly after being hit by an Islanders player, and struggled to get back to the bench. Injuries are a part of hockey, and we will need to just try and deal with it. We are going to handle the situation with extreme caution as we do not want to jeopardize Tyler's career, and his playing ability for the remainder of the season. Tyler will sit out as long as he needs to, so he can fully recover and return to the line up as an impact player. With Seguin out of the line up, we will be calling up Shawn Matthias to hop into the 3rd line role, with Weiss bumping up to number 1 and Reasoner to number 2. We hope to make it through this rough patch with minimal damage to the team's record and confidence. We will need strong defensive play and goaltending,seeing as a top producer is out for us. Hopefully our veteran guys can step up and lead this team to a successful season. Thank you for your time, hope to keep you updated with any news."

Florida Panthers Stats - 2010
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Tyler Seguin	18	10	6	16	+2	2	4	35	28%
David Booth	20	5	11	16	+2	0	2	37	13%
Stephen Weiss	20	9	6	15	0	1	0	40	22%
Michael Ryder	20	9	5	14	0	1	4	43	21%
Dmitry Kulikov	20	3	10	13	+2	0	6	19	16%
Niclas Bergfors	20	8	5	13	+2	0	6	41	20%
Chris Kelly	20	6	6	12	-1	0	6	36	17%
Keaton Ellerby	20	4	7	11	+1	0	2	15	27%
Steve Bernier	20	5	5	10	-2	0	6	25	20%
Marty Reasoner	20	5	4	9	-2	0	6	25	20%
Alexander Sulzer	20	4	4	8	+1	0	6	10	40%
Rostislav Olesz	20	2	4	6	-2	0	10	29	6%
Ryan Carter	20	2	4	6	-4	0	4	19	10%
Darcy Hordichuk	20	2	2	4	-6	0	10	18	11%
Jason Garrison	20	1	3	4	-3	0	6	15	7%
Mike Weaver	20	0	3	3	-3	0	4	17	0%
Byron Bitz	20	0	2	2	-4	0	8	19	0%
Joe Callahan	20	0	2	2	+2	0	8	11	0%
Goalies	GP	W	L	T	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
Jacob Markstrom	13	6	4	1	3.10			89.9%	2
Scott Clemmensen	7	3	6		3.50			87.9%	0

The order hasn't changed much, Olesz has dropped significantly, he is playing really bad for a player earning close to $4M. Our goalies have been slipping recently, plus/minus starting to drop. Booth has been doing most of the setting up while Seguin is scoring surprisingly. Seguin is hurt now though for a month.

Florida Panthers 2010 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Nov 26	vs NYR
Nov 27	at Tampa Bay
Dec 1	at Anaheim
Dec 2	at Los Angeles
Dec 4	at Phoenix
Dec 7	vs Colorado
Dec 9	at Washington
Dec 11	at Nashville
Dec 15	vs Carolina
Dec 17	vs Buffalo

Six of the next ten on the road, going to be tough. Hopefully a lucky break comes here and there, hoping to see maybe some waiver action.

[Razor18]

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50 Game Mega Update
Team Record: 14-28-8

Tyler Seguin returned to line up after missing 12 games.

Claimed G Martin Biron off waivers

Sent down Matthias and Markstrom for seasoning, and playoff experience on a contending team.

Sunrise, FL.
Pete Simpson Press Conference

"Hockey is a funny sport isn't it? You start off a season playing .500 hockey, looking to compete for a playoff spot, and bam, a couple off nights here and there, an injury to a top guy, and your season is flipped upside down. 14-28-8 and sitting 30th in the league is not where we wanted to be right now, to say the least. Since returning from injury Seguin has not been performing as he had been prior to his injury. Biron has shown signs of aging and slowing down, perhaps New York knew this and that is why they waived him. It's definitely a tough time right now in Florida, but I can assure you players are not hanging their heads. In fact, they are working harder than ever to prove to their peers that they have what it takes to compete in this league. We may not be putting up the wins right now, but it is not because of a lack of effort and determination. You must keep in mind we are still a very young team, and the learning curve to becoming a professional league powerhouse is a steep one. You must all be calling for a blockbuster deal of some sort, but there is not need for that. We have players like Booth and Weiss entering their prime, and we have young rising stars, such as Kulikov and Seguin that will emerge as supreme players in the next few years. Everyone is bagging on Markstrom now seeing how he performed, but we asked a lot out of him, after a season on a playoff bound team in the American League, you will all see a vast improvement in his game by next year, he should by all means truly be ready to be a number 1 goalie in the NHL. Don't forget, the way this season is going we will be in contention for a top 5 pick, we have big plans for our first round pick this season, and he will play an instrumental role in our success as a club in the coming years. There is no need to panic, things just aren't going are way, and transitional years such as this one aren't always so smooth. Rest assured we will be a strong team in the future, but you can't build something out of nothing over night. We look forward to striking potential deals by or before the deadline to enhance our future outlook and success as an organization. No one is on the block so to speak, but anyone is available for the right price, of course, for someone that is a core player, it would need to be a severe over payment from their end. Essentially, we are going to play our cards close to our chest and hold onto as many, if not all, core players. Our on-ice success THIS SEASON, relies on the production of our top 6 forwards, and if Biron and Clemmensen can pull their own weight and bail us out a bit. Thanks for coming and I hope to keep everyone updated, especially as the deadline looms."

Florida Panthers Stats - '10-'11
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Niclas Bergfors	50	13	25	38	-9	2	8	156
David Booth	50	10	27	37	-9	2	68	150
Michael Ryder	50	12	20	32	-6	1	6	160
Steve Bernier	50	13	17	30	-30	2	66	119
Stephen Weiss	50	9	20	29	-5	0	14	113
Dmitry Kulikov	50	4	24	28	-23	1	16	121
Tyler Seguin	38	11	16	27	-9	2	8	99
Keaton Ellerby	50	9	17	26	-13	0	50	109
Chris Kelly	50	9	12	21	-8	0	16	100
Byron Bitz	50	7	9	16	-10	2	16	98
Darcy Hordichuk	50	3	10	13	-12	0	156	56
Jason Garrison	50	3	10	13	-23	0	8	50
Rostislav Olesz	50	5	7	12	-10	2	66	79
Marty Reasoner	50	5	5	10	-30	0	39	58
Alexander Sulzer	50	5	5	10	-23	0	35	43
Joe Callahan	50	1	6	7	-23	0	17	40
Ryan Carter	50	2	5	7	-3	0	6	42
Mike Weaver	50	0	5	5	-11	0	4	31
Shawn Matthias	12	2	2	4	-3	0	2	21
Goalies	GP	W	L	T	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
Martin Biron	16	6	10		2.96	1,702		90.7	1
Scott Clemmensen	12	4	8		3.30	604		89.8	1

*note, some of Biron's games were with NYR, and I took Markstrom off because he is in the AHL now, I noticed the wins and losses didn't add up for the goalies in the last chart, could be because I was swapping in goalies during the game so it counts or doesn't count as a GP or a W/L or whatever.

[Dynasty]

Ouch man. Seguin was starting so hot too.

Having a tough time scoring this year. You got production from a lot of guys but just not enough, good job sticking to your plans Though and not making a snap judgement trade. First couple of years may be rough but like you said there is a lot of talent here just gotta give it time.

[Razor18]

*note, did a 50 game update because I was writing a very extensive 30 game one when I accidently closed the window, really annoyed with myself, I decided to pack in 50 games, leaving 1 10 game update before the deadline. Will be returning to 10 game intervals now though

[Razor18]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dynasty

Ouch man. Seguin was starting so hot too. Having a tough time scoring this year. You got production from a lot of guys but just not enough, good job sticking to your plans Though and not making a snap judgement trade. First couple of years may be rough but like you said there is a lot of talent here just gotta give it time.

Yeah I thought we were going to have a great year seeing how we started. Oh well, it's all about letting guys with potential develop into great players for you, so that's what I'm going to do. From a realism stand point, i'm happy he got injured, provides him with some adversity in his rookie year.

[Razor18]

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60 GAME UPDATE

Team Record: 18-34-8

Rumour Mill

Sources say that Florida Panthers have been in contact with Jay Mckee, when asked about McKee, Simpson had this to say, "He is one very solid defenseman and a good person as well, he can lead by example and any defenseman modelling their game after his should consider themselves lucky, I myself have not talked to Jay yet, but I would not rule out bringing him in as a mentor for our young D core."

Florida Panthers Stats - '10-'11
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Niclas Bergfors	60	14	30	44	-10	2	8	160	8.8%
David Booth	60	12	29	41	-10	3	68	156	7,7%
Michael Ryder	60	14	24	38	-6	1	8	168	8.3%
Steve Bernier	60	16	17	33	-32	2	68	136	11.8%
Dmitry Kulikov	60	7	25	32	-23	1	18	121	5%
Stephen Weiss	60	10	20	30	-6	0	14	126	8.7%
Keaton Ellerby	60	9	19	28	-14	1	52	144	6.3%
Tyler Seguin	48	12	16	28	-10	2	10	98	12.2%
Byron Bitz	60	10	13	23	-12	2	22	100	10%
Chris Kelly	60	10	12	22	-7	0	16	112	8.9%
Darcy Hordichuk	60	10	11	21	-12	1	160	74	13.5%
Rositslav Olesz	60	8	9	17	-16	2	66	70	10.1%
Jason Garrison	60	5	12	17	-23	1	8	97	5.2%
Mike Weaver	60	3	13	16	-11	1	17	82	3.7%
Marty Reasoner	60	5	8	13	-32	0	39	69	2.9%
Alexander Sulzer	60	6	6	12	-22	0	37	30	20%
Joe Callahan	60	1	9	10	-23	0	17	46	2.1%
Ryan Carter	60	3	7	10	-5	0	10	50	6%
Shawn Matthias	12	2	2	4	-3	0	2	21	5.7%
Goalies	GP	W	L	T	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
Martin Biron	29	10	18		2.96			90.7%	1
Scott Clemmensen	12	4	10		2.62			91.5%	1
Jacob Markstrom	28	10	18		3.30			89.8%	2

*goalies are all screwed up, I don't even want to bother trying figuring it out. Bergfors is having a big year, and Seguin is doing well considering he missed 12 games. Everyone else is doing as I expected, except Weiss is slipping and Olesz is just horrid, not sure what to do with him. Things look good for next season at least!

Coming soon: Florida Panthers Trade Deadline Special on Sportsnet!

[Razor18]

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Nick Kypreos: Good morning everyone! We are very excited as today is deadline day! I'm here with Bill Watters to discuss and break down the deals today

Bill Watters: Yep you better believe it, I think this could be one of the bigger deadline days, as there are a lot of tight races going on right now. In the West 12th place to 8th place are within 3 points of eachother, and in the East it is from 10th place to 8th place within 3 points. Everyone will be looking to get that edge to make them a better team

Kypreos: Yes, there could be a lot of movement today, As always, we will talk about everyone team and their needs starting from the bottom of the standings, and work our way up. Thus, our first team of interest is the Florida Panthers, Bill?

Watters: Yeah Nick, Florida is having a pretty disappointing season so far, I mean, we didn't expect them to be in the top of the league, but we didn't think they would be in dead last, with the closest team to them, Edmonton, 6 points up on them. It looks like Simpson has a blue print loaded up though...

Kypreos: Yeah, he isn't going to be moving any big name players today. His core is young and growing, they are either rookies like Seguin, or a few years in like Bergfors, or entering their prime such as Weiss and Booth. These players will be with Florida for a long time and will 99% not be moved, in my view anyway.

Watters: I think Pete made it clear he is going to hold onto top prospects and picks as well, which leaves us the question, what can Florida do, if anything, to make themselves better off for the future?

Kypreos: Well Bill, given their age and contract situation, I only see them moving depth, veteran players, guys like Reasoner and Kelly could definitely be on the block, at this point they could still get a decent return on guys like that.

Watters: For sure, Kelly and Reasoner are two guys that I think are definitely available. And I'm sure Simpson would love to move Olesz, he is the second highest paid player in the organization, and he has 17 points in the first 60 games, with a -16 rating and 66 PIM. Given his performance I doubt there would be any takers on his $3.7M contract, but if there is, Pete would do it in a heartbeat.

Kypreos: Yeah the whole Olesz thing is just terrible right now. I still think Florida's biggest need is to solidify their defensive core, you just can't win in this league without solid D, their goaltending this season has been shaky enough, atleast with some solid D they could protect the net a bit more.

Watters: Hold on, getting a call. "Uh huh, oh yeah? really? 1 year deal? Oh ok awesome thanks." Speak of the devil. The rumours circulating earlier were true, the Panthers have signed D Jay McKee 81 OVR C/C/C POT to a one-year deal @ $1.245M

Kypreos: Some people may be scratching their heads at this one, but I really think this is good for Florida. I just finished saying they could use a tougher D line-up, and McKee will definitely provide that. As well, he is a great locker room guy, and will be a great teacher and mentor for that young D in Florida. This signing will help them compete in games now, and as well benefit their prospering defensemen's growth.

Watters: Agreed. Good pickup for Florida here, we have to go to commerical break, stay tuned for more breaking news.

League Movement

NYR trades Artem Anisimov and Matt Gilroy to ANA for Francois Beauchemin and Nate Guenin

EDM trades Andrew Cogliano and Linus Omark to CGY for Curtis Glencross, Raitis Ivanans, and Joni Ortio

STL trades Ben Bishop to MIN for Eric Nystrom

Kypreos: Well Bill, we are closing in on the last 10 minutes of the deadline, and teams like Florida and Toronto haven't done much, and contenders like Boston and Vancouver haven't added to make a strong playoff run

Watters: You know, sometimes the right deal is just not there, and sometimes you just feel confident with what you have going forward. I like what Calgary and Anaheim did, getting younger while remaining competitive, very good deals by the both of them...

Kypreos: Sorry Bill, someone is calling in, "Yes? Oh really? Really? This years pick? Ok ok, Thanks.

Big news, Florida has just struck a deal with San Jose, we will try to get Pete Simpson on the line soon:

Florida Sends:

F Chris Kelly 80 OVR C/C/C POT @$1.995M for 2 years

F Scott Timmins 70 OVR C/C/C POT @$0.760M for 3 years

2011 3rd Round Pick (WSH

To San Jose for:

D Nicholas Petrecki 77 OVR B-/B-/B- POT @$0.900M for 2 years.

D Jason Demers 77 OVR B-/B-/B- POT @$0.940M for 2 years

Watters: Woah, nice deal there eh Nick?

Kypreos: Yes sir, here, we have Mr. Simpson on the line.

"Hey Nick and Bill, hope your day was as good as mine. The move we were able to strike was a crucial one for us going forward. We needed to get younger and beef up our D, and today we have done that by adding 3 D, two of them are very young, the other is a veteran guy who can lead the team. My breakdown of the trade is something like this: Chris was a guy who worked hard for us, he did everything he could to help Florida win, unfortunately, he is beginning to wear down and age is catching up to him. He has put up decent numbers and has proven to be a valuable player on the team. But the deadline is about making decisions for making the team better, and parting ways with Kelly while he still had good trade value was something we needed to do to better ourselves. Although he only spent half a season with Florida, the fans loved him and the players too, he will be missed and I wish him luck in the playoffs with the Sharks. Timmins is a guy who had some potential, but a few knee and shoulder injuries have side tracked his career, my trainers and scouts say he has almost peaked in his growth room. And our final piece, the 2011 WSH 3rd Round Pick, given that we will still have 2 3rd round picks after this one if moved, it was a very expendable pick for us, and dealing it out does not really affect our team going forward. In return we pick up two big, two way defensemen that we believe can develop well and solidify our top 4 into this season and season's down the road. They both still have a good deal of potential and with a guy like McKee guiding them, they will both become very established and talented blue liners in the NHL. We are very excited to be bringing in 2 defensive prospects, that are already NHL ready. This team is more complete now and I feel we can start being a playoff competitor by next season, this season has been rough but a good test of our player's heart and pride. Thanks for having me drop in on the show, buh bye."

Watters: and there you have it, I personally think this is a great deal for Florida, nick?

Kypreos: Yeah me too, Florida got what they wanted with out having to give up too much. And with that, the deadline has passed, not a very busy day, but some interesting moves have been made, Thanks for tuning in, have a good night.

[Razor18]

I have decided against doing two more updates, so i'm going to do a final 22 game update (60-82), The games are just not fun because TBH I don't have good enough players YET. Next year and on the updates will be very in depth so please continue to follow.