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Should The Panthers Put Dale Tallon Back in Charge?

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Sun-Sentinel reporter Dave Hyde wonders if the Florida Panthers higher ups will come to their senses and allow Dale Tallon to finish the job he started. After a disastrous season that followed an extremely successful 2015-16 season, Tallon was given the new title of President of Hockey Operations while ceding the general manager’s chair to Tom Rowe. The results? A fired coach, a collapse to the end of the season, and more questions than answers. Fans are protesting the retention of Rowe in any capacity as he will not return to the bench next season. Hyde writes that putting Tallon back in charge of everything seems to be the best choice for the franchise’s future. Hyde adds that firing other key front office staff like Scott Luce and losing scouts who left the team has been attrition the Panthers couldn’t afford.

The move, when it was made, was seen as one that was a nod to analytics and more progressive viewpoints as the Panthers were barely a month removed from the best regular season in franchise history  Rowe’s moves did more than just tinker with a roster that was so successful–many of them were significant. The move to get Keith Yandle, who regressed from his 46 points (5-41) last season. Hyde also believes that the loss of Erik Gudbranson was felt and that the grand plan Rowe and others laid out never came close to fruition.

Of course, would Tallon actually want it? After all, the team apparently restructured the power only to say that nothing had changed back in December. Not to mention the unceremonious way he was asked to leave the general manager’s gig.

Then there’s the handling of Gerard Gallant, who was inexplicably fired following a Panthers loss to Carolina in Raleigh. The news, which came before photos of Gallant hailing a cab to leave the stadium, which reflected poorly on the organization. Though it was reported later that Gallant refused help from the team, the image was already seared into the minds of hockey folk aghast at the move and the purported treatment of the reining Jack Adams Trophy winner. Gallant denied later that he was let go due to a lack of embracing analytics.

Regardless, something must be done in Miami. Last year at this time, the Panthers were up and coming. Now they’re in a purgatory, unsure of what move to make. If Hyde were the man making the decisions, Dale Tallon would get his seat back in the general manager’s chair.

All that remains to be asked if he would still actually want it.

NCAA All-American Teams Named

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Prior to the reveal of University of Denver defenseman Will Butcher as the 2017 Hobey Baker Award-winner and ahead of the NCAA championship game tomorrow night, the American Hockey Coaches Association released the rosters of this year’s collegiate All-American Teams. The teams, first and second squads from either side of the country, are listed below with their NCAA teams as well as NHL-drafted or signed organization, if applicable:

East All-Americans

First Team:

RW Zach Aston-Reese, Northeastern (Pittsburgh Penguins)

RW Spencer Foo, Union

C Mike Vecchione, Union (Philadelphia Flyers)

D Adam Fox, Harvard (Calgary Flames)

D Charlie McAvoy, Boston University (Boston Bruins)

G Charles Williams, Canisius

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Snapshots: McNeill, Tolchinsky, Borgstrom

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The Dallas Stars have recalled a pair of prospects for their final game of the season tomorrow against the Colorado Avalanche. Mark McNeill and Denis Gurianov are both on their way to Dallas and would be making their Stars debut should they be inserted into the lineup. McNeill, 24, came over in the Johnny Oduya trade at the deadline from the Chicago Blackhawks, where he had been a first-round pick (18th overall) and top prospect. The big center has just one NHL game under his belt and is actually in the midst of his worst (though still effective) AHL season yet. He’ll need a breakthrough at the NHL level soon if he’s to stay in the plans of the Stars long-term, as he’s approaching the end of “prospect status”.

Gurianov is the Stars’ own first round pick from 2015 (12th overall) and has had a solid rookie campaign in the AHL after coming over from Russia this year. With 25 points in 54 games he’s only brushing the surface of his eventual power forward game, and still hasn’t quite filled out into his 6’3″ frame. He’ll be making his NHL debut, and hope to push for a full-time role in the next year or so at the top level.

  • Speaking of young Russian wingers, the Carolina Hurricanes have recalled Sergey Tolchinsky from the Charlotte Checkers, while sending Andrew Poturalski back down. Tolchinsky has 22 points on the year in the AHL and still hasn’t replicated the immense scoring talent he showed for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the OHL. The 22-year old has some of the slickest hands in professional hockey, but has had trouble at times with his big size disadvantage. When he gets the puck in space though, watch out as you might see a highlight every time.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have brought Linus Ullmark back up, likely meaning that Anders Nilsson isn’t quite ready to get back on the ice just yet. Ullmark was sent down yesterday in what was apparently just a paper transaction, as neither the Buffalo Sabres nor the Rochester Americans played last night.
  • Andy Strickland of Fox Sports is reporting that Henrik Borgstrom will return to the University of Denver next season, meaning the Florida Panthers won’t get him into their system just yet. The first-round pick had 43 points in 36 games for DU this year, and will play for the national championship tomorrow night against Minnesota-Duluth. The lanky center has a great shot at the NHL after his college career ends, but the questions from the World Juniors still remain. He disappeared in the tournament for Finland and was held scoreless, not the first time he’s played poorly at an international event. With Finland firing their head coach mid-tournament, perhaps it was just a symptom of a bad system. For Borgstrom, he’ll need to prove his doubters wrong by continuing the consistent play he’s shown this year in the NCHC.

Minor Moves: Caamano, Wilcox, Ullmark

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After previously signing Nicholas Caamano to an amateur tryout, the Dallas Stars have inked the prospect to a three-year entry-level deal. The contract will begin during the 2017-18 season, though Caamano is expected to go back to the OHL for next season. A fifth-round pick in 2016, Caamano put together his best season this year with 64 points in 67 games for the Flint Firebirds. Though they were knocked out of the playoffs early, it was a solid step for the development of the young forward.

Registering a point in his first AHL game, Caamano will unfortunately have to either make the NHL team or return to the OHL next year. His age restricts him from playing in the AHL. With some older players likely leaving the Firebirds for bigger and better things next season, Caamano should be counted on as their top offensive weapon. An increase in responsibility should benefit his growth, as the Stars look to turn a late-round pick into a professional player.

  • The Florida Panthers have sent Adam Wilcox back to the AHL, signalling a return for James Reimer. Wilcox only backed up Reto Berra during his NHL stint, and will now return to the Thunderbirds where he had found a ton of success since being acquired at the trade deadline. Unfortunately, Springfield won’t be heading to the Calder Cup playoffs this year, meaning the end is close for Wilcox this season. The goaltender is a restricted free agent this summer for the first time, as his entry-level deal will expire.
  • The Buffalo Sabres have also sent a goaltender back down, re-assigning Linus Ullmark to the AHL today. Anders Nilsson’s injury had been deemed minor, and he should be back in net for one of the final two games this weekend. The Sabres face off against the Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning on back-to-back nights, ending what has been a frustrating season. Ryan O’Reilly put it into words yesterday when he told Joe Yerdon of NHL.com “it’s so frustrating coming to the rink right now. Practicing, there’s no purpose right now. You’re seeing other teams gearing up for the playoffs and seeing teams, like Toronto who’s young too, seeing them in the spot we should be in.”

Snapshots: Suzuki, Thornton, Malkin, Giordano

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Now that Jack Hughes will be heading to the US Development Program, the expected first overall pick in the upcoming OHL draft was vacated. While Hughes would have been a shoe-in for the Barrie Colts selection, Bob McKenzie of TSN now reports that it will be Ryan Suzuki going first. If that last name strikes you as familiar in regards to a hockey draft, you’re not crazy—Nick Suzuki, Ryan’s older brother, is expected to go in the first round in this summer’s NHL entry draft. The older Suzuki is playing with the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL and has a chance at a Memorial Cup bid this spring. In 70 games this season (including five playoff contests), the 17-year old centerman has 106 points.

  • Shawn Thornton will call it quits after this season, and transition into a business position with the Florida Panthers according to Craig Davis of the Sun Sentinel. Thornton will finish with 705 career games played and over 1100 penalty minutes. The rough, physical forward hit double digit goals only twice in his career, but was part of two different Stanley Cup winning teams. At 39-years old, he’s carved out an impressive career for a player drafted in the seventh round who never even recorded 30 points in his junior career. While a lot of that success has to do with his fists, he’s also a testament to work ethic and perseverance.
  • Penguins’ head coach Mike Sullivan told reporters that the team is “optimistic” Evgeni Malkin will be ready for the start of the playoffs. After getting news that Kris Letang would miss 4-6 months following neck surgery, getting Malkin back as soon as possible is extremely important if the Penguins want to do any damage in the postseason. Malkin has been skating by himself for a few days, and took shots before practice this morning.
  • Mark Giordano will not receive any supplementary discipline for the hit that injured Cam Fowler last night, according to Mike Halford of NBC. Giordano went knee-on-knee with Fowler, but did receive a punishment of sorts when Josh Manson decided he deserved some justice. Losing Fowler for any length of time would be a big hit to the Ducks as they head into the postseason.

Snapshots: Jagr, Lightning, Martenet, Sharks

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While he has stated that he fully plans to play next season, there have been no discussions between right winger Jaromir Jagr and the Panthers regarding a potential contract extension, reports George Richards of the Miami Herald.  Instead, the two sides plan to sit down following the season to see if they can work out a new deal.

The 45 year old Jagr has been on one year contracts for the last six seasons and undoubtedly will be signing another one wherever he winds up landing.  In his second season with Florida, his numbers have taken a dip but he sits fourth in team scoring with 16 goals and 27 assists in 79 games.  He may have to take a pay cut to remain with the team, however, as the Panthers already have over $61MM in payroll committed for next season.  Jagr is carrying a $4MM cap hit this season but has already reached an additional $1.5MM in games played bonuses.

Other notes from around the league:

  • After agreeing to terms on an entry-level deal with prospect goalie Connor Ingram earlier today, the Lightning also announced (via Twitter) that they’ve inked forward prospect Dennis Yan to an amateur tryout agreement and assigned him to their AHL affiliate in Syracuse. Joining them is 2015 first rounder Brett Howden who is now eligible to be sent down after his junior team was eliminated from the postseason.  The trio represent some reinforcements for a Crunch team who has been hit hard by injuries in Tampa Bay and are in a battle for top spot in the AHL’s North Division heading into the final two weeks of the season.
  • Also heading to the pros for the first time is Dallas defensive prospect Chris Martenet. The AHL’s Stars announced that he has been assigned to the team following his junior team, the Ottawa 67’s, was eliminated from the playoffs.  The 20 year old tied a career high in points at the OHL level with 16 in 55 games split between London and Ottawa.
  • Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer provided a brief injury update on forwards Logan Couture and Joe Thornton, classifying each as day-to-day, notes CSN Bay Area’s Kevin Kurz. He wouldn’t specify when either would be back, only saying that they’re expected back “at some point”.  Couture has been out since taking a puck to the mouth on March 25th while Thornton suffered a knee injury on Sunday against the Canucks.

Tom Rowe Will Not Return As Panthers Head Coach Next Season

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According to Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel, Florida Panthers head coach and general manager Tom Rowe will not return to the bench next season. Rowe took over after the firing of Gerard Gallant, and will likely remain with the organization in another position. Though he still holds the title of GM, Rowe has turned over much of the day to day operations to Dale Tallon and his staff after moving behind the bench. It will be interesting to see if Tallon will continue there, as there have recently been rumors of him being headhunted by other teams around the league.

Rowe took over in November after the team lost an evening match against the Carolina Hurricanes to push their record to 11-10-1. It was a move that shocked the hockey world, as Gallant had taken a young Panthers team to the top of the Atlantic Division just a year prior. Since then, the Panthers have fared much worse going 22-25-10 and falling out of playoff contention. While injuries are to blame for much of that, the team never could turn it around for very long even when their star players returned.

The Gallant-Rowe drama took on a life of its own among hockey fans and media members, playing a surrogate role in the fight between “old” and “new school” hockey analysis. Whether Rowe does represent a more analytical, statistical option it has been his big coaching decisions that have taken a toll. As Fialkov notes, Rowe admits that his decision to put Aaron Ekblad back into the lineup only for the star defenseman to suffer a setback was a mistake. So was publicly critiquing Reilly Smith after a poor defensive effort. While the team wasn’t performing exceptionally under Gallant, there was never much doubt that he was a respected coach and man.

Next year will be a big one for the Panthers to show that the core that they so deftly locked up this summer can be enough to take them to the playoffs. Giving extensions to Ekblad, Smith, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Derek MacKenzie, while signing James Reimer, Jason Demers and Keith Yandle to long-term deals all look tenuous at best after a down season. Each of the players better step up and perform, or the Panthers could be in for a long stint at the bottom of the standings.

Snapshots: Hughes, Hurricanes, Ekman-Larsson

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It’s not a name that you may be familiar with just yet, but Jack Hughes is one to remember. The 15-year old was captain of the Toronto Marlboros, one of the best midget teams in the country and expected to go first overall in the upcoming OHL draft to the Barrie Colts. Eligible for the 2019 NHL entry draft, Hughes is an early (very early) favorite for the top few picks.

Instead, Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that Hughes—born in Orlando, Florida—will sign with the US National Development Team for the next part of his hockey career. As Dreger says, it will be interesting now to see how far he falls in the OHL draft as there have been examples before of players telling the league they would be heading somewhere else, only to sign with a stronger team (see: London Knights) after falling in the draft. Regardless of where he plays, Hughes is a phenom that deserves attention even at a young age.

  • In addition to recalling Bryan Bickell less than five months after he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, the Carolina Hurricanes have brought up Andrew Poturalski from Charlotte and sent Lucas Wallmark and Phillip Di Giuseppe to the AHL. Poturalski went undrafted and signed with the Hurricanes last spring out of the University of New Hampshire. He has shown immense promise in his rookie AHL season, scoring 48 points in 69 games.
  • Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s season has come to an end early, as the team granted him early release to head home and deal with the death of his mother. She had been fighting a battle with cancer all season, something that has weighed on Ekman-Larsson throughout the year. “This has been a very difficult year for me personally,” said Ekman-Larsson in a statement on the team website. “I’d like to thank the Coyotes organization and all of my teammates for their incredible support all season long. I’m sorry that I’ll miss our last three games but family comes first.”
  • The Coyotes won’t be the only team without a top defender for the last few games, as the Florida Panthers will likely shut down Aaron Ekblad for the remainder of the season according to George Richards of the Miami Herald. Ekblad returned from a concussion on March 21st—a move that seemed reckless at the time—only to suffer headaches immediately after the game, causing coach Tom Rowe to admit his mistake. For the Panthers, who are eliminated from playoff contention, protecting your superstar defenseman is more important than winning some meaningless games down the stretch.

Reto Berra Expected To Sign In NLA After Season Ends

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Even though Reto Berra is currently playing for the Florida Panthers and will be in net tonight against the Montreal Canadiens, RTS Sports is reporting that he has agreed to a three-year contract with Friborg-Gottéron of the Swiss NLA. The netminder has been rumored for months to prefer a return to Switzerland after the season. Berra is in the final season of a three-year, $4.35MM deal he signed with the Colorado Avalanche in 2014 and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

While it’s not unusual for a player to leave the NHL to play in his home country, it is surprising to see it play out so publicly while Berra is getting his chance to start. With Roberto Luongo and James Reimer still battling injuries, the team had to turn to Berra to finish the season for them. A good showing could have easily turned into a contract somewhere around the league as a backup, though it is clear he would rather return home to start. At times, Berra has looked like a viable starting option in the NHL, only to lack the consistency that one needs. He clearly has talent to play among the best in the world and with the NLA continually getting better and better as a league—some even consider it among the top three in the world—he’ll still face challenges every night.

At 30 years old, it’s not impossible for him to return to the NHL but it does seem unlikely. After this year ends, the next chance an NHL fan will likely get to see him would be at an international event like the World Championships, where he has played five times throughout his career.

Florida Panthers Recall Ian McCoshen, MacKenzie Weegar

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Prior to their game against Montreal this evening, the Florida Panthers have recalled both Ian McCoshen and MacKenzie Weegar from the AHL. Both players have yet to make their NHL debuts, though Weegar has spent time with the team this year. With Florida officially eliminated from playoff contention, the team will turn to some young professionals to get a taste of the league in the last few games.

Weegar, 23, has excelled in the AHL this season with 32 points in 57 games. The former seventh-round pick has shown a steady improvement during his three professional seasons, which will now culminate with a chance at the NHL. The offensive defenseman can quarterback a powerplay and rush the puck with ease, making him an interesting candidate for a spot on the Panthers next year, as the NHL moves more and more towards defensemen who can skate quickly and launch long passes.

McCoshen, 21, was signed out of Boston College last summer after leaving school a year early. The big two-way defenseman was Florida’s second round pick (31st overall) in 2013 and has big upside to his defensive game. He’ll likely be an NHL player for many years, though he may have to wait another season in the AHL before obtaining a full-time role. While he can do it all and will benefit from this taste of the NHL, a little more refinement is necessary to his overall game.

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