Hey all! There is content coming every day this week, but things should slow down as we enter the new year. If you like what we produce here at Everglades Ice please head over to out Facebook and Twitter and give us a like and a follow!

This is part two of a two part look at the Panther’s salary cap situation going into the next two seasons. If you haven’t read part one yet, do so by clicking here.



In part one we looked at the Panther’s forward corps in need of contract in 2016 or 2017. Now lets take a look at the Defense and Goaltenders

Defense

Position 2016 2017 Defensemen Brian Campbell, Willie Mitchell, Erik Gudbranson Dmitry Kulikov, Alex Petrovic, Aaron Ekblad, Steven Kampfer

Position 2016 2017 Defensemen (Minors) Cameron Gaunce, Sena Acolaste, Jonathan Racine Brent Regner, Mackenzie Weegar

Defense is a little bit simpler than the Forward group in terms of salary. Everyone in the main group of defensemen will be in need of a contract at some point in the next two years.

Brian Campbell’s monster $7 million contract will be gone when his contract expires. He may re-sign for much less, but will most likely not return to the Panthers squad as he looks to win a Cup before calling it quits.

Willie Mitchell may stick around for a year or even two, but the 38 year-old blueliner won’t be making the same $4.25 million if he does remain a Panther. The captain will be 39 at the beginning of the season, and he is definitely in his twilight years in terms of playing hockey.

Erik Gudbranson will be due for a pay raise due to his stellar defensive play, even more so if he can start producing in the offensive zone as well. Dale Tallon is very keen on Gudbranson and wants to keep him around. Other GMs around the league may also challenge the cats by offering Gudbranson an offer sheet. He was a subject of trade rumors around the time of the 2014 draft, so he may be on the radar of some other GMs.

Dmitry Kulikov may not return because he will be an UFA, but if he does stick around he should receive a contract of roughly the same value as he has right now. Based on the performance of other defensemen making around Kulikov’s $4.3 million dollar (Jonas Brodin and Kyle Quincey) a contract of the same value seems fair to me as an armchair GM. He was, in my opinion, overpaid when he signed the $4.3 million dollar deal in 2014, but has significantly stepped up his game in the defensive zone since signing. He has improved massively on defense since his -26 +/- effort in 2014 and has really come into his own defensively.

Alex Petrovic and/or Steven Kampfer are also due for contracts, although Tallon will probably choose Petrovic over Kampfer if there is only space for one of the two players. Petrovic is an RFA and has less room to negotiate than upcoming UFA Kampfer. Petrovic also has more time to develop and a higher ceiling than Kampfer, who is approaching his prime. The final nail in the Kampfer coffin may also be that Petrovic is more of the prototypical Dale Tallon d-man. He is big, strong, physical, but also a very strong skater with a wicked shot (if it hits it’s target)

Dylan Olsen may or may not also be shown the door, given his inconsistent performance and the Panthers remarkable depth at defense. Olsen has had some undisclosed personal issues which may affect Dale Tallon’s willingness to re-sign him. I’m not in the locker room or front office, so I don’t know. If they do re-sign him, it will most likely be another 2-way deal.

The most important contract coming up for the Cats is Aaron Ekblad’s. Ekblad has proven to be a stud in just his second NHL season, and will probably come with a hefty price tag in 2017 when his Entry Level Contract expires. Tallon will have to calculate very carefully which players he wants to keep signed and for how m uch because he has to make room for players like Barkov and Ekblad who will most likely eat up sizable parts of the Panthers future cap space.

Goalies

Position 2016 2017 Goalies Al Montoya None

Position 2016 2017 Goalies (Minors) Sam Brittain Mike McKenna, Colin Stevens

The Panthers alarming lack of depth at goaltender is a whole article by itself (it’s on the docket, don’t worry), but the Panthers do need to worry about their goal tending for future.

The Panthers goaltending solution will most likely come through free agency. Roberto Luongo is aging, however he is signed until 2022 at which point he will be 43 years old. Needless to say, Luongo will probably not be useful as a starter by that time. If he is even a useful backup by his 40s it will be a blessing. The future of the Panthers, regardless of Lu’s performance, holds a $4.5 million cap hit at the goaltending position.

In terms of new acquisitions the Panthers may opt to go with a free agent at goaltender instead of Montoya. Montoya’s first season with the Panthers was lackluster and his second season is turning out to be quite remarkable. With Bobby Lou aging, however, the Panthers may seek a younger goalie who can take his place via Free Agency, because Montoya has proven to be too inconsistent to be a viable long-term option.

In terms of developing goalies, the Panthers will probably keep Sam Brittain and Colin Stevens under contract and see how they develop, but i doubt either of them will be the solution for the Panthers in the long term. They most likely won’t see NHL minutes for a while, so the effects of their NHL cap-hit will be negligible if they see any minutes at all.

Final Thoughts

When I originally took a look at the Panthers salary cap I was terrified. I saw all the players in need of contracts, and how many of those contracts were sure to be higher paying than they currently are. After some careful study, though, the Panthers actually have a lot more room than previously thought.

The Panthers will have more than $7 million in dead contracts coming off the books in Versteeg, Savard, and Brad Boyes. Additionally, Brian Campbell’s $7 million dollar contract is coming off the books, as are Shawn Thornton’s $1.2 million and Willie Mitchell’s $4.25 million contracts. That space coupled with the cap’s natural expansion should give the Panthers all the wiggle room they need to re-sign the young guns to deals that leave both sides happy.

The team is at a crossroads now that Dale Tallon has spent a few seasons drafting and developing talent. Now is the time that the Panthers are going to come out of their rebuild, and cap management is crucial going forward.

To try and predict which players will get how much money or term, who will stay, or who will go is a futile exercise. What the team winds up looking like in 2 seasons is a mystery, but what’s important is that the Panthers ought to have the space they need to keep their core and add other key pieces.