Panthers grab Stillman
July 2nd, 2008 by FrankAfter indicating that they probably wouldn’t be too active in the free agent market, the Florida Panthers signed veteran free agent Cory Stillman to a 3 year deal on the first day of free agency.
Stillman comes to the Panthers as a 34 year old (35 in December) left wing, who is thought of to be able to add leadership and knowledge to the youthful club. While he is not a dymanic player by any stretch, he can provide a some offense to a club that desperately needs offense.
This was not quite the player I was hoping for, but I am interested to see what happens next, if anything. The one dimension that lacks in Cory’s game is defense, so it’s a bit surprising that Jacques Martin would acquire such a player with his focus on defense, but maybe he views the other attributes that Cory brings to the Panthers as a compromise. He does have his name on the Stanley Cup with 2 teams, so that is quite an accomplishment.
However Panther fans, do not expect this player to take you out of your seat with excitement. He is just a piece to the puzzle, not a player to build your team around, and by the time we are at the third year of the contract Cory will be 37/38 and will probably become a 3rd line player. The one statistic that concerns me is that in the last 18 games of 2008 he scored one goal with Ottawa. This apparently did not concern JM as he was quoted as saying that he may have been trying to fit into the Ottawa system, and that he’s confident that will not carry over. Time will tell.
His best year point wise was 2003 with Tampa where he scored 25 goals and added 55 assists, on a team that also had Martin St. Louis and Vinny L. He has never hit the 30 goal mark, as it has been said he has the talent to do so, therefore it will be interesting to see where he ends up and if anyone else arrives.
Three questions that have to be considered, and without trying to be negative, you have to wonder, why did Stillman sign with the Panthers? Did any other team have an offer on the table that he was considering? Honestly, if he wants to win the cup again, they aren’t close in the playing time he has left. What other forward were the Panthers going after if any that made them choose Stillman?
Now with the Panthers still trying to sign Jay Boumeester and with a glut of defensemen it will be interesting to see if a trade is made, and or if Jay B gets an offer sheet from another team, what the Panthers will do. They still need another goal scorer, and with most of the quality players that are in the Panthers price range already signed, it looks as though the only way this could be accomplished is through a trade.
Once again, all I ask is no Krissy Huselius (this would be as a free agent), no Mark Parrish, and at least try to get someone that is younger than 35!
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2 Responses to “Panthers grab Stillman”
By Troy on Jul 2, 2008
It’ll be interesting to see how he works on a young team in Florida. Up here in Tampa, he worked well on a veteran line of Brad Richards and Freddy Modin. I’d expect he’ll be more of a mentor with a scoring touch to help out the underachieving youngsters (can someone say Nathan Horton?)
By The Iceman on Jul 3, 2008
Yea, I would say that it’s pretty good signing, however hew would have been the extra piece to go along with Olli, which makes me think that the panthers have this backwards. They still need another top 6 foward, specifically a center.