Radko Gudas opening up about leaving the Cats and Aaron Ekblad needing a new agent were just two of the topics discussed last week
Another week of the offseason has passed, and now we officially moved into the month of August.
Why is that significant?
Because now Florida Panthers fans can say, “Training Camp and the preseason are coming up next month!” (The exclamation point is there to emphasize excitement, but if you are using that phrase for yourself sometime over the next four weeks, feel free to adjust the level of enthusiasm and punctuate as you see fit)
Meanwhile, as we continue to navigate the vast desert wasteland that is the NHL offseason, we’ve been fortunate to have a decent amount of Panthers news and topics to discuss.
With a decent amount of unknown surrounding the Cats heading into the upcoming season, we looked at three seasons why the Panthers will be better next year, and three reasons why they won’t.
Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov spent the first seven years of his career with the Panthers after he was drafted 14th overall by Florida in 2009. He couldn’t be happier to be back with the Cats and is hoping to stay longer than just the one season he signed for.
Kulikov’s one-year deal is just one of a plethora of cost-effective moves made by Panthers General Manager Bill Zito and his front office staff, and they're getting some due recognition for it.
Last week the Miami Marlins took a big swing at the MLB Trade Deadline as they make a push for a playoff spot. One of the big moves they made was acquiring slugger Jake Burger from the Chicago White Sox. Burger is originally from St. Louis and actually grew up playing hockey with a certain Panthers superstar.
A big splash made on the opposite side of the continent was the Edmonton Oilers hiring hockey agent and former front office executive Jeff Jackson as CEO of Hockey Operations. The ripple effect of that move would be Jackson’s client list, which included Connor McDavid and Aaron Ekblad, would need to find a new point person in terms of representation.
Former Panthers defenseman and all-around good dude Radko Gudas gave an interview with iSport in Czechia where he discussed how hard it was to leave Florida and what went into his decision to sign with Anaheim.
Remember former Panther Dave Bolland? He’s among a group of ex-NHL players joining a professional pickleball league.
Finally, the Miami Dolphins are gearing up for their upcoming season, and quarterback Mike White, a South Florida native, is also a huge Panthers fan.