Florida's Time To Shine (A NHL 14 GM Mode Series)

[Number999]

Cyclone Rumored Goalie Targets

1st Target: Miikka Kiprusoff

The 37-year old goalie is doing the best he can in Calgary but the Flames sit in 6th place in Division A with a very unlikely shot to make the playoffs. The Flames have no prospect goalies in the system so thus will most likely try to tank out the rest of the season knowing that they have little to no shot without Kiprusoff. The positive though is that Calgary actually wants to move Kiprusoff for some pieces, he isn't as good as he use to be but this could be a really damn nice pickup. Question is though, do you really want to get another old filler goalie who may or may not pan out along with Bryzgalov who you signed in Free Agency earlier in the year? Also, his contract is 5.835M, you're gonna need to move someone with a contract in order to make the deal work.

2nd Target: Sergei Borbrovsky

A younger and better option is Blue Jackets starting goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky. The Columbus Blue Jackets starting goalie, this deal would be much harder to make but the payoff may be much nicer. The Blue Jackets don't want to move Bobrovsky but they have young up and comer Oscar Dansk in the system who could be the future goalie going forward. At 25-years old, Bobrovsky has a good chance of still improving and is young enough he could be the franchise goalie that the Panthers need in order to compete long-term. Of course, other then the fact that the deal would be much more difficult, Bobrovsky gets paid in the 5.4M range and while he is good, is he worth that much? The worst part is his deal expires in 2 years, if he becomes an elite goalie you're looking at an even bigger contract.

3rd Target: The Brodeur's

Yep, you read correctly, a bit crazy yes but you never really know. With Kovalchuck saying "**** you" to New Jersey, the Devils have been rumored to be wanting to move Martin Brodeur and well wouldn't this be just the perfect chance to make a move for him. He's the cheapest of the 3 options thus far with making 4.5M, the Devils have Cory Schneider so they got their man for the future there. Of course in a deal with Martin, would Anthony have to come along as well? Questions that remain unasked considering discussions haven't been clarified. You get your man for this year in Martin Brodeur, he's 41-years old so chances are he retires then Markstrom fills in for awhile and maybe Martin's son can make a play in a few years down the line if Markstrom doesn't pan out... an interesting proposal to say the least.

4th Target: Roberto Luongo

A return to Florida?!?! It's been quite a few years since Luongo's departure from Florida, at 34-years old maybe he just wants to settle down. The Vancouver Canucks aren't particularly fond of giving him up, but with a good enough package you would imagine the Canucks would accept. Luongo probably has the worst contract of all of the goalies, 5.3M ish but for the next 9 years. The guy is 34-years old, if he decides he wants to play for another five years and he does not play at a high level in a few seasons that cap may very well hold you back when you have to sign guys like Huberdeau, Barkov, etc.. to extensions. Regardless, Luongo is also the best goalie that has been discussed.

5th Target: Braden Holtby

The final target that Cyclone has been rumored to be interested in is Washington's man Braden Holtby. The youngest goalie mentioned, Holtby probably is the best here to reach elite goalie status considering he is just 24-years old and would probably be able to hold down the fort fairly solid in Florida. He's locked up for another 2 seasons at 1.8M, you'll have to pay him big cash if he improves down the line but that is the risk you pay if he becomes a key-part of your success. Florida has quite a few options to go after, with Jonathan Bernier, Anders Lindback, and Tomas Vokoun all being names slightly mentioned. These are the Top 5, so, is this just fluff or does Cyclone actually plan on making a deal? Only time will tell.

[Number999]

Cyclone pulls the trigger, shockwaves throughout the NHL

Florida Panthers Send: Ilya Bryzgalov, Quinton Howden
Washington Capitals Send: Braden Holtby, Joel Ward, Capitals 2017 1st
Reasoning: The rumors were true! Twitter broke the deal quickly, after a mediocre start to the season, Cyclone was having none of it anymore. Bryzgalov was sent packing to Washington along with AHL prospect Quinton Howden but with the amount of forward prospects that the Panthers have, Cyclone didn't feel that he needed to keep him. In return the Panthers got their hopeful goalie for the future as well as a depth forward and yet another 2017 1st.

Rumors have it that Holtby was not the Panthers 1st go-to option, initially Cyclone as trying to send offers to Vancouver for Roberto Luongo. The reported deal was Bryzgalov, Nick Bjugstad, and a few picks for Luongo. Since the Canucks did not have confidence in Ilya Bryzgalov or Eddie Lack to help the team make the playoffs, they decided against accepting the deal. A mistake? Who knows, regardless it looks like the Panthers have their man they wanted. This deal also comes after a 2-3 loss to the Colorado Avalnche on the road, some people may call it a knee-jerk reaction while others say it was a move that needed to be made. Wait, it appears as though Florida has also made another move!

Brodeur sent to Florida!

Florida Panthers Send: David Booth, Blue Jackets 2015 2nd, Panthers 2015 3rd
New Jersey Devils Send: Martin Brodeur
Reasoning: Holy shizza benizza. Soon after the news broke of Holtby being sent to Florida the Panthers also released that they had shockingly gotten Devils heart and soul, Martin Brodeur. The even bigger shock? His son wasn't apart of the package either. A mistake by the Devils? That's tough to argue, Booth was a major part of the Panthers offense. The Devils do got multiple picks for the future though. It truly has been a big day for the NHL, but now the questions float around. What happens to the Panthers depth chart? Who goes where? All this will be answered in the coming days when the Panthers take on the Vancouver Canucks on November 19th. Stay tuned!

[Number999]

Roster Moves, Depth Charts, and Captaincy!

Markstrom gets sent down

With two new goalies in, someones gotta fall out, and you don't trade for an AHL goalie so thus Jacob Markstrom is headed to the minors. If an injury happens, he'll be the first to call up but he just wasn't consistent enough to hold down the fort which made these moves happen. A decent year though, he got 13 starts in the NHL which will go a long way for his experience, now it's his job to lead the San Antonio Rampage to the Calder Cup in the AHL. Regardless, here is the new depth chart of the Florida Panthers.

Florida Panthers Depth Chart

Florida Panthers Depth Chart - 2013
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LW	Hunter Shinkaruk	Sean Monahan	Mikael Samuelsson	Joey Crabb
C	Jonathan Huberdeau	Scott Gomez	Ryan Smyth	Joel Ward
RW	Aleksander Barkov	Anthony Mantha	Brenden Morrow	Bobby Butler
D #1	Dmitry Kulikov	Brian Campbell	Ron Hainsey
D #2	Darnell Nurse	Ian White	Ed Jovanovski
G	Braden Holtby	Martin Brodeur

Also, just for future reference. These are the stats the players had that were involved in these deals, before they played with their new clubs.

Gained:
Branden Holtby:
8 Wins | 6 Losses | 2.94 GAA | .902 SV% | 0 Shutouts
-------------------------------------------------------------
Martin Brodeur:
3 Wins | 4 Losses | 2.10 GAA | .934 SV% | 2 Shutouts
-------------------------------------------------------------
Joel Ward:
1 Goal | 4 Assists | 5 Points | +3 | 8 PIM

Shipped:
Ilya Bryzgalov:
5 Wins | 1 Loss | 3.80 GAA | .863 SV% | 0 Shutouts
-------------------------------------------------------------
David Booth:
4 Goals | 9 Assists | 13 Points | +7 | 42 PIM

Huberdeau given reigns of the Franchise

It's about damn time. With all the moves being made to the franchise, the on constant? The man in the middle making all the moves, Jonathan Huberdeau. He has been named captain and ready to take the reigns and shift the team into full-gear. Alternate-Captains are going to be Ed Jovanovski and Ryan Smyth. It will be interesting to see how the team fares going forward, some say that Cyclone should start Brodeur over Holtby, as well as traded away Campbell to clear up cap space, others say to tank in the future for Connor McDavid. None of that matters to Cyclone however, he wants to win and he wants to win young. Hopefully these deals have done just that.

[Number999]

Panthers lose, not on Holtby

Florida Panthers at Vancouver Canucks
Nov 19, 2013 1 2 3 SO F FLA (10-8-3) 1 1 0 2 2 VAN (11-10-1) 0 1 1 3 3 Three Stars Tomas Kopecky 1 G | 0 A | 1 O | 1 H | 3 S | 0 Brian Campbell 1 G | 0 A | 1 P | 5 H | 4 S | +1 Henrik Sedin 1 G | 1 A | 2 P | 2 H | 4 S | +1	Team Stats Comparison FLA VAN Shots on Goal Hits Faceoffs Won-Lost Penalty Minutes Power Plays Converted Power Play Opportunities Time on Attack
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD FLA 10:40 | Hunter Shinkaruk, assisted by Jonathan Huberdeau SECOND PERIOD VAN 0:41 | Henrik Sedin, unassisted FLA 4:36 | Brian Campbell, assisted by Brenden Morrow THIRD PERIOD VAN 4:09 | Tomas Kopecky, assisted by Henrik Sedin and Jason Garrison SHOOTOUT FLA Jonathan Huberdeau VAN Henrik Sedin FLA Sean Monahan VAN Alexander Burrows VAN Tomas Kopecky
Florida Panthers - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Brendan Holtby 16 14 88% 1.85
Vancouver Canucks - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Roberto Luongo 19 17 89% 1.85

Game Recap

It's always easy to blame the goalie after a loss, fans saying all the trades were a waste, blow it up, that's pure nonsense. The goal scored by Henrik Sedin was a penalty shot because rookie Darnell Nurse received the puck, lost it, then Sedin came flying out of no where on a 1 on 1 vs Holtby, of course since Nurse didn't want the goal to be on him, he dives and Sedin gets the penalty shot. He slots it home. Overall, Holtby played solid in his first start and he will have multiple chances. Brodeur will get a chance to start in due time, but the Panthers really want to focus on getting Holtby incorporated into the offense.

[HeroWorship]

I'd have to say, you have up a lot for Brodeur considering the fact he's 41 years old and is likely playing his final season (plus the image of him playing somewhere outside of New Jersey is something I can't compute). Even the deal for Holtby; Bryzgalov isn't the future, but Quinton Howden is a pretty solid prospect, but then again, a dynamic duo of Holtby and Jacob Markstrom is pretty legit.

A shootout loss isn't bothersome. Not bad for a first start, per say. Joel Ward is a good bottom six forward, and a 10-8-3 record consisting primarily of rookies and second year pros is solid. Keep it up my man.

[Number999]

Quote: Originally Posted by HeroWorship

I'd have to say, you have up a lot for Brodeur considering the fact he's 41 years old and is likely playing his final season (plus the image of him playing somewhere outside of New Jersey is something I can't compute). Even the deal for Holtby; Bryzgalov isn't the future, but Quinton Howden is a pretty solid prospect, but then again, a dynamic duo of Holtby and Jacob Markstrom is pretty legit. A shootout loss isn't bothersome. Not bad for a first start, per say. Joel Ward is a good bottom six forward, and a 10-8-3 record consisting primarily of rookies and second year pros is solid. Keep it up my man.

While I agree with the mention of Brodeur's age, a little fact that I forgot to mention is that David Booth's contract was insane, 4.915M for the next 2 seasons, he was playing very solid for us but considering he wasn't playing in the Top 6 he may have regressed then would have been a burden on our cap that whole year.

Thanks very much.

[Number999]

Brodeur gets win in 1st start

Florida Panthers at Edmonton Oilers
Nov 21, 2013 1 2 3 F FLA (10-8-4) 1 0 3 4 EDM (14-6-2) 1 0 1 2 Three Stars Mikael Sammuelson 0 G | 2 A | 2 P | 3 H | 1 S | 0 Joel Ward 1 G | 1 A | 2 P | 1 H | 1 S | +1 Brian Campbell 1 G | 0 A | 1 P | 5 H | 2 S | +2	Team Stats Comparison FLA EDM Shots on Goal 19 16 Hits 24 10 Faceoffs Won-Lost 4 9 Penalty Minutes 0:00 0:00 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 0 0 Time on Attack 12:43 5:04
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD EDM 6:49 | Ales Hemskey, assisted by Tomas Fleischmann and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins FLA 19:45 | Ron Hainsey, assisted by Mikkael Sammuelsson THIRD PERIOD FLA 9:59 | Ed Jovanovski, assisted by Bobby Butler and Joel Ward EDM 16:00 | Jordan Eberle, assisted by Simone Gagner and Joel Petry FLA 18:13 | Brian Campbell, assisted by Ian White and Mikkael Sammuelsson FLA 19:09 | Joel Ward, unassisted
Florida Panthers - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Martin Brodeur 16 14 88% 2.00
Edmonton Oilers - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Devan Dubnyk 19 15 79% 4.03

Game Recap

Well, after Holtby got a shootout loss, Brodeur stepped in and righted the ship for the Panthers. The Oilers were looking fairly nice with a 14-6-2 record but Brodeur held up the young high-flying offense and held them to only 2 goals. The Panthers on the other hand looked like they had a fire under them, they came with a vengeance in the 3rd and didn't look like they were going to back down. This is exactly what the Panthers needed. Now they need to put this together for a good few games and get back on track.

[Number999]

Braden Holtby is unstoppable!

Florida Panthers 2013 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Nov 19	at Vancouver Canucks	Lost, 3-2
Nov 21	at Edmonton Oilers	Won, 4-2
Nov 22	at Calgary Flames	Won, 4-1
Nov 25	vs Philadelphia Flyers	Won, 4-3
Nov 27	vs New York Rangers	Won, 5-2
Nov 30	vs Pittsburgh Penguins	Won, 3-0

Look at dem goldenlocks! He sure as hell as earned his place on the roster, after a skeptical shootout loss to the Canucks, Brodeur got the following start and won. You would think that there would be just yet another goalie controversay? Well you would be wrong, following the 4-2 win over the Oilers, Cyclone went straight back to Holtby. The result? 4 straight wins in a row and these are not just mediocre offenses. Claude Giroux, Sid the Kid, Brad Richards. These guys aren't scrubs. The offense also seems to be rejuvenated with the new goalie fix. As for the Brodeur questions? It appears as though Cyclone has decided that Brodeur will mainly start when Holtby loses a game, he gets sent in, hopefully win said game and then Holtby gets right back out there. At 41-years old Cyclone wants to keep Brodeur fresh in case the Panthers need him for a deep playoff run? A little bit overthinking on Cyclone's part? Regardless, the Panthers have recovered and you can't deny how well they closed out the month of November. Now they move onto December with a 15-8-4 record.