Around most hockey circles, when the Florida Panthers are mentioned, the reaction you usually get is well, not much of one actually.
The team has been mediocre over the past decade and if memory serves me correct, have not reached the playoffs since the year 2000. This is also the longest streak of any active team in the NHL.
Part of the reason could be just bad signings (Todd Bertuzzi) some of the reason could be the string of bad draft picks over the last few years (Kendall McArdle, Anthony Stewart, Petr Titacek), and some of it could be the plain fact that management has made a couple of bad trades over the past few years (Roberto Luongo).
But the team seems to be taking a better path with Dale Tallon taking the reigns as general manager this season. He was the man who constructed the current Stanley Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks.
He started off by trading away Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell for Dennis Wideman, a first round pick, and a third round pick. Then he traded Keith Ballard and Viktor Oreskovich for another first round pick, Michael Grabner, and Steve Bernier.
That accumulates to him having three fi ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Shane House
Florida Panthers: Can Dale Tallon Bring The Panthers Out Of Mediocrity?
September 4th, 2010 by Shane House Leave a reply »
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