Busy Day In Florida

Already having signed both Scottie Upshall and Jose Theodore early on in the day, the Florida Panthers were far from being done in the marketplace, as they had a lot of space to fill and a lot of dollars to spend.  So, let's see who else the Panthers had picked up on the free agent frenzy...

First up, it is a homecoming of sorts for defenseman Ed Jovanovski, who signed a 4-year, $16.5 million deal to return to the team that initially drafted him 1st overall in 1994. In 2011, Jovanovski only played in 50 games and picked up 14 points, but some health issues really held him back. It will be interesting to see who he lines up with to start the season.

Next up on the list, forward Marcel Goc signed a 3-year deal, worth $5.1 million, adding some depth to the Panthers forward ranks. Goc only figured into 51 games for the Predators in 2011, scoring 9 goals and adding 15 assists.  Goc is a versatile player and should be able to fit in with whoever is on his line and in whatever role they decide to give him.

After doctors had declared him healthy from a blood clot issue in his leg, Tomas Fleischmann quickly turned into a hot commodity on the market and it was the Panthers that came out on top of his sweepstakes, giving him a 4-year deal, worth $18 million.  Fleischmann split the 2011 season between the Capitals and the Avalanche before his injury, playing in 45 games, scoring 12 goals and adding 19 assists.  He's a dynamic player that may give some more offensive credibility to the team down the stretch.

Forwards	Defense	Goalies
Stephen Weiss	Brian Campbell	Jose Theodore
Tomas Kopecky	Dimitri Kulikov	Scott Clemmensen
David Booth	Jason Garrison
Scottie Upshall	Ed Jovanovski
Tomas Fleischmann	Mike Weaver
Marcel Goc	Keaton Ellerby
Jack Skille
Evgeni Dadonov

The Panthers are now much closer to the salary cap floor, thanks to a busy day of building by GM Dale Tallon. The team listed above now comes in at $39.7 million for 16 players (eight forwards, six defense and two goalies), plus a buyout. They still have $8.6 million left to go until the cap floor is reached, but they also have upwards of seven players left to sign. A big sigh of relief in Sunrise, Florida today.