Here we go again!

July 8th, 2008 by Frank

Once again the Florida Panthers have created a public relations disaster with a top player. It makes you wonder if this organization has any idea on how to treat it’s star players. The Panthers have been known for years to make disastrous trades, starting with Stu Barnes for Chris Wells, and it has continued ever since.

Now after trading captain and leading scorer Olli Jokinen the Florida Panthers find themselves in a bind regarding Jay Bouwmeester. Jay has filed for arbitration for the second time in his career as a member of the Panthers. The rumours are flying and because of our “crackpot” media, we have no idea what’s true and what’s not true. We have heard Jay going to Ottawa, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Edmonton, and even Vancouver. The one thing for sure that we do know is that the Panthers have 3 options.

1) Settle on a long-term deal before the arbitration hearing, thus locking up Jay long term.
2) Go to arbitration and see what happens.
3) Trade him right now and get the most value for him.

If you compare this situation to Olli which may or may not be fair, Olli said all along that he wanted to stay and help the Panthers get to the playoffs. Through 2 years of rumours and all the B.S. that surrounded him he stood by that statement and vocally expressed his desire to remain a Panther. It was only until the last days prior to the trade that he or his agent actually indicated that if they don’t want me, then I guess they can trade me. In addition it was not fair for Panthers management to place sole blame on Olli for not making the playoffs this or any other year. This is a team sport, and like it or not the Panthers did not have the roster to be playoff contenders, and in addition their style of play limited them to playing scared.

In comparison to Olli, Jay is 22 years old, will now have been to arbitration a second time, and has been the Panthers number 1 defenseman, is now facing trade rumours. However, we have not heard Jay say that he wants to stay. Although there are rumours out there, he hasn’t said that he doesn’t either. So what’s really going on? Have the Panthers offered enough money and a long enough term? Have the Panthers shown enough in this off season that they are intent on winning by selecting a new coach, adding depth to their defense (at the expense of offense), and signing a veteran forward?

Here’s another question to ponder. The Panthers have spent the past couple off seasons working out deals for Nathan Horton, Stephen Weiss and Bryan Allen. All 3 players were signed to long term deals, and recently Rostaslav Olesz was also signed to a long term deal. Why wasn’t Jay signed before it got to this level? If he is thought of as the Panthers star defenseman and valuable asset, why hasn’t a deal been worked out already?

Knowing what I know and what I have seen with the Panthers recently and especially with the Jacques Martin and Alan Cohen circus, I am not confident that anything positive comes from this. My biggest fear is that the situation goes to arbitration, Jay gets a 1 year deal for 4-5 million, and then is traded at the deadline for spare parts or prospects. Worse yet, he is not traded at the deadline because the Panthers have somehow stayed in the playoff hunt (with this roster?) and he becomes a free agent and the Panthers get nothing in return.
Yikes, what a disaster that would be!

In closing, if indeed Jay hasn’t signed a deal because he does not want to be here then by all means he must be traded now! I do not want a player on this roster who does not want to be here. That last statement is pure speculation, but if it is indeed fact then make the deal and don’t look back. The problem that the Panthers face is that in return they need another defenseman and a top 6 forward, preferably players that are young. The rumoured Ottawa deal, which includes Vermette, Meszaros, and a draft pick should be completed stat!
I am not aware of any other deals that have been offered that would make too much sense and I am not saying that this trade is totally even, but I don’t see the offer getting any better at the trade deadline. On top of it Ottawa is in a real bind especially for defense. They have lost Chara and Redden 2 years in a row, and need to bolster their unit. Murray is facing as much pressure as Martin is.

Thanks for reading.

Posted in Uncategorized

  1. 2 Responses to “Here we go again!”

  2. By scotty on Jul 8, 2008

    I don’t get Florida’s game plan. If they can sign Horton and the other young forwards to long deals, then why not for Jay too? Do they have any other fantastic young defensemen on the radar? No. Arbitration often is cheaper in the short term, but backfires for the longterm good of the franchise. Jay will probably get 3 mill this year and then test free agency (if he’s not traded before the deadline) and that’s really not a well thought out plan by Panther management. They may be reluctant to give him Horton-like money, but they HAVE to recognize that he is worth it, regardless of being a “minus” this past season. Compare him to Pitkanen or Weber and he fits right in with what they’re making and many GMS would take Bouwmeester before those two, especially Pitkanen.

  3. By The Iceman on Jul 8, 2008

    I myself cannot understand what the issues are other than what we have heard as a rumour. It has been stated that he does not want to be here. Never heard it from him. There was a quote ahwile ago that when Jay was asked how he liked South Florida, his response was, that he didn’t mind the cold weather. That remark is what many people are hanging their hat on.
    Truly, and my opinion of Jay doesn’t matter, the Panthers have screwed this up.
    Why would anyone want to play here?

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