This is Part 2 of a three-part series entitled Anatomy of the Panthers – How Did We Get Here?, which examines the underlying history of how today’s Florida Panthers were built. Click here for Part 1, or if you don’t mind reading things out of sequence, feel free to continue.
The aftermath of the blockbuster Pavel Bure trade resulted in an influx of hope for the Panthers future. For the first time, a bonafide superstar NHLer called South Florida home. Unfortunately, the trade did not save the Panthers 1998-99 season, though that did not exactly come as a surprise (1). The team would fall from a .500 record at the time of the trade, to four games under .500 by season’s end. Bure himself, having missed literally half the season holding out, and then 14 more games due to two knee injuries (2)(3), mustered only 16 points in 27 games. However, a 58 goal season, a 59 goal season (both in the heart of the Dead Puck era no less), and a playoff berth in 1999-2000 were just around the corner.
The next stop in our transaction journey though takes us to the 1999 Entry Draft. Here, the Panthers did two things of relevance: they traded up with Nashville, sending away the #45 pick and a 3rd round pick in 2000 for the #40 pick to draft goaltender Alex Auld. They also traded the 5th round pick acquired from the San Jose Sharks for Jeff Norton to the New York Islanders for the rights to Jiri Dopita.
Alex Auld will play a bigger role later in this article. However, from the time of his draft to the early 2000s, Auld amounted to very little in the scope of the Panthers, moving on to start his NHL career in earnest elsewhere. Jiri Dopita would not either, as he would never play or sign with the Panthers. However, he is an interesting story of the time. In the late 1990s and into the beginning of the 2000s, Dopita was considered one of the best hockey players in the world not playing in the NHL. The Panthers had hoped to avoid previous failed attempts by the Boston Bruins and the New York Islanders to lure Dopita across the Atlantic Ocean, and team him up with Pavel Bure and a number of other Europeans on the team (5). However, he refused to sign in the Summer of 1999 (6) and the same came to pass a year later, as Dopita cited concerns about uprooting his family (7). Ultimately, the Panthers would give up on him at the 2001 Entry Draft. More on that later.
Two more transactions occurred during training camp prior to the 1999-2000 season. Forward Eric Godard signed as a free agent on September 24, 1999. The signing was followed by original Panther Bill Lindsay being dealt to the Calgary Flames for defenseman Todd Simpson on September 30.
Eric Godard would never a play a single game for the Panthers, however, his signing would lead to a later key acquisition. Todd Simpson would last just a season and a half with the Panthers, his second stop in a seven team journeyman career. He would be part of a 1999-2000 Florida Panthers season that would return the team to the postseason for the first time since 1997 and as a team based in Broward County.
That season, Pavel Bure set a franchise record for points in a season at 94. Ray Whitney and Viktor Kozlov both hit the 70 point mark. Their 43-27-6 record with 6 ties that season, good for 98 points, represents the best regular season in Panthers history. Though the Panthers would be swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils, it marked a positive turnaround for the franchise.
The good vibes stuck around through the 2000 Entry Draft, where the Panthers pulled off arguably one of the most lopsided trades in NHL history. It is the move that cemented Mike Milbury’s legacy as an inept executive. After all, there’s a reason he’s behind the desk at NBC and not in some team’s front office. The Panthers would trade Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish to the New York Islanders for goaltender Roberto Luongo and center Olli Jokinen, two of the most recognizable names in Panthers history.
It is important to note that both Kvasha and Parrish were, at one point, thought to be key pieces to the future of the Panthers (4). Kvasha’s name came up several times during the Pavel Bure saga the year before. However, the trade was received with jeers from the crowd in Calgary for the Draft, which shouted “Trade Milbury!”. (8)
The Panthers obviously got a couple of gems. Luongo, for his part, would become the winningest goaltender in franchise history by the time his first tenure with the team was over. He would eclipse almost every Panthers regular season goaltending record set by John Vanbiesbrouck, and is one of the most beloved figures in franchise history, if not the most. Jokinen, almost a footnote in the trade when it occurred, would go on to have a good career himself. He would collect 188 goals and 419 points in a Panthers uniform, both career franchise records. He would also become the 4th captain in Panthers history, serving in that capacity from 2003 to 2008.
Their acquisition was followed in our timeline by two smaller trades that allowed the Panthers to stock up on draft picks. First, journeyman Todd Simpson was traded on March 13, 2001 to the Phoenix Coyotes for a 2nd round pick in the upcoming Entry Draft. Then, goaltending prospect Alex Auld was traded to Vancouver Canucks for another 2nd round pick and a 2002 3rd round pick on May 31, 2001.
Then came the 2001 Entry Draft. This was meant to be a watershed moment for the franchise, as the Draft was hosted by the Panthers. The host Panthers were looking to shake things up, having come off a disappointing 2000-2001 season, recently let GM Bryan Murray go pursue the head coaching job in Anaheim (9), and welcoming a new ownership group into the fold (10). Needless to say, the Panthers made waves. First, they started by trading the rights to Jiri Dopita to the Philadelphia Flyers for a 2nd round pick, where Dopita finally signed to play in the NHL, having a forgettable 2 season run with Philadelphia and Edmonton. Then, they flipped that 2nd round pick along with original Panther Rob Niedermayer to the Calgary Flames for Jason Weimar and Pavel Bure’s little brother Valeri.
In addition, they also flipped the two 2nd round picks previously acquired from Phoenix and Vancouver in the Todd Simpson and Alex Auld trades to the New Jersey Devils for the Devils 1st round pick, #24 overall. With that pick, the Panthers selected defenseman Lukas Krajicek.
Valeri Bure, in 2001, was a 7 year veteran of the NHL, having collected 302 points in 471 career games to that point. Though not the superstar his brother was, Valeri was a good, competent NHL player, just a year removed from an excellent 1999-2000 season with the Flames that saw him score 75 points (35 goals, 40 assists). Krajicek was a junior defenseman known for his offensive skill (11). Unfortunately, he never quite panned out at the NHL level, collecting only 72 points in 328 career NHL games.
However, the shakeup failed to jolt the Panthers into respectability. They fell from 66 points in 2000-01, already a disappointment, to 60 points, the 3rd worst record in the league behind only Atlanta and Columbus. Valeri Bure was limited to 31 games after tearing ligaments in his knee early in the season (12), and picked up just 18 points in those games. There was also dissent in the locker room, namely with Pavel Bure. Several different players felt that their best players needed to play more complete games, while Bure desired to focus on his strength: scoring goals (13). Things got unhappier as the Panthers slid further and further down the standings. In February, head coach Mike Keenan was openly musing about making changes to the roster, GM Chuck Fletcher agreed (14). That’s when the team once again started shedding talent, including its biggest piece.
Pavel Bure, the only superstar in franchise history, was sent packing. He was dealt with a 2002 2nd round pick to the New York Rangers for Igor Ulanov, Filip Novak, 2002 1st and 2nd round picks, and 2003 4th round pick. The trade was largely a salary dump, Ulanov would be gone at season’s end, Novak would never play a game for the Panthers, and the 2002 Entry Draft picks never resulted in any useful assets.
Speaking of the 2002 Entry Draft, it was an interesting one for the Panthers. They possessed the #1 overall pick, having won the NHL Draft Lottery, and were fielding offers for the #1 pick. Eventually, they ended up flipping with the Columbus Blue Jackets, sliding down to the #3 spot for an option to swap picks at the 2003 Entry Draft, which ultimately went unexercised. They also traded a third round pick and the 2003 fourth round draft pick acquired in the Pavel Bure trade to Atlanta for a promise to not select Jay Bouwmeester. The promise was honored, and Jay Bouwmeester became a Florida Panther with the 3rd overall pick.
The Panthers also parted ways with Eric Godard at the Entry Draft. They traded the minor league enforcer to the New York Islanders for a 3rd round pick. With that pick, at #67 overall, they took Gregory Campbell, son of NHL VP of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell.
The two young prospects would blossom to become noteworthy parts of the Panther teams over the rest of the decade. Jay Bouwmeester would make the team straight out of his first training camp in 2002, playing a full 82 game season. He would vie for a Calder Cup Championship along with fellow Panther Stephen Weiss on the Chicago Wolves during the 2004-05 NHL Lockout, who ultimately fell in a sweep to the Philadelphia Phantoms in the Calder Cup Final. He would finish his run with the Panthers having played 471 games and earned 203 points, good for second all-time amongst Panthers defensemen. Gregory Campbell provided solid depth to the Panthers forward group coming out of the Lockout, playing 361 games from 2005 to 2010.
The Panthers improved in the 2002-03 season, but not enough to satisfy anyone. A ten point improvement to 70 points brought the Panthers out of the basement, but not into the playoffs. This of course resulted in more roster movement. This time, the Panthers rid themselves of Valeri Bure, who had not performed to the level expected of him, not stayed healthy, and had a rocky relationship with coach Mike Keenan. (15) They would package him and a 2004 5th Round Pick to the St. Louis Blues for defenseman Mike Van Ryn on March 11, 2003. Van Ryn would put up a respectable 105 points in 257 games in his Panthers career. He put up a pair of 37 point seasons, before wrist injuries derailed him (16).
The 2003 Entry Draft comes up next in our timeline, widely considered to be one of the best in NHL history. The Panthers found themselves in nearly the same situation as they did the year before: in possession of the #1 overall pick, and in negotiations with other teams that wanted it. Once again, they traded down to the #3 pick, this time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. They sent over the #1 overall pick and a 3rd round pick for forward Mikael Samuelsson, the #3 overall pick, and a 2nd round pick. The Panthers would take forward Nathan Horton with the #3 overall pick.
Horton, like Bouwmeester and Campbell before him, became a major part of the Panthers over the next several seasons. He made the Panthers as an 18 year old rookie out of training camp in 2003, putting up 22 points in 55 games. He would build upon that rookie season though, and go on to put up 295 points in 422 career games in a Panthers uniform.
The Panthers ambled to a five point improvement in the 2003-04, but that was still not good enough for a return to the postseason. Then, one of the darkest times in NHL history came around: the 2004-05 Lockout. An entire season was lost to a labor dispute. It was a time of change for the NHL. Once the Lockout was resolved in the Summer of 2005, new rules meant to open up the game were instituted. For the Panthers, it was too a time of change
Chris Gratton was part of that change as one of the free agent signings coming out of the Lockout, officially joining the team on August 12, 2005. At one a time thought to be one of the next great players in the game, Gratton never lived up to the hype and was winding down to the twilight of his NHL career. He would last just two season with the Panthers, collecting just 74 points in 157 games.
Bad vibes were coming along for the Panthers too. Roberto Luongo went to arbitration, and was awarded a 2 year deal favorable to the Panthers (17). The deeply personal battle of an arbitration hearing is something few players ever come back from with their teams. Unfortunately, things were no different for Luongo. The Panthers eventually orchestrated a blockbuster deal at the 2006 Entry Draft, sending Luongo, Lukas Krajicek, and a 6th Round Pick to the Vancouver Canucks for forward Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen, Alex Auld, and a conditional pick in the 2007 Entry Draft that ultimately did not trigger.
Alex Auld, who had earlier been drafted by the Panthers, returned here and actually played games for the team. His tenure, however, did not last long and was not particularly successful. He would play just 27 games, posting a 7-13-5 record, an .888 save percentage, and 3.34 GAA. Then, there was Todd Bertuzzi.
At the time of his arrival, Bertuzzi was a pariah in the hockey world. He was just over two years removed from the infamous Steve Moore Incident, which occurred on March 8, 2004 in a game between the Canucks and the Colorado Avalanche. Bertuzzi attacked Moore from behind, punching him in the head and knocking him unconscious. The ensuing scrum left Moore with a broken neck, ending his career, and Bertuzzi with what was then the longest suspension in NHL history, criminal charges which he pleaded guilty to, got a year of probation and 80 hours of community service, (18) and years of litigation that ended just last year (19).
However, a back injury limited Bertuzzi to just seven games, and with unrestricted free agency looming in the summer, the Panthers decided to move on, fast. (20) He was traded to Detroit for Shawn Matthias, 2007 2nd Round Pick, conditional 2008 2nd Round Pick (unexercised) on February 27, 2007.
The next two summers would yield the final two transactions of this article. First, in June 2007, Chris Gratton was traded to Tampa Bay for a 2008 2nd Round Pick. The pick would later be used to select goaltender Jacob Markstrom. Touted as the goalie of the future, Markstrom ambled through several years in the AHL, but never quite caught on with Panthers, despite being given multiple opportunities to take a permanent spot on the Panthers roster.
Then, in June 2008, just prior to the Entry Draft, the Panthers made another huge trade. They sent captain Olli Jokinen, the highest scoring player in franchise history, to the Phoenix Coyotes for defensemen Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton, and a 2008 2nd round pick.
The 2nd round pick was later flipped for the pick that would be used to draft Colby Robak, and Nick Boynton would simply add Florida as another notch in his journeyman career. Keith Ballard though, is the interesting pickup in this trade. Ballard had a solid rookie season in the 2005-06 season, posting 39 points for the Coyotes. He would decline the next two season though, posting 27 and 21 points, leading right up to his move to the Panthers. He would regain some of his past edge in South Florida, putting 34 points on the board his first season, and 28 in his second. However, those would be his only two seasons in a Panthers uniform. He is perhaps best known though for almost decapitating Tomas Vokoun. What a legacy.
The 2000s were a decade of change and mediocrity for the Panthers. However, better change and better things were on the horizon for the Panthers.
In the third and final installment of Anatomy of the Panthers – How Did We Get Here, we will tie together all of the loose ends from Parts 1 and 2, and connect today’s Panthers with those of the past.
AJ can be reached for contact on Twitter.
Sources:
– All stats per Hockey-Reference.com, unless otherwise notated
– All transactions per ProSportsTransactions.com, unless otherwise notated
(1) Neal, David J., “At Midseason, Panthers Have Woes Bure Won’t Fix”, Miami Herald (January 20, 1999)
(2) Spencer, Clark, “Bure Hurts Knee in Loss Status Uncertain”, Miami Herald (February 6, 1999)
(3) Russo, Michael, “Bure Hurt; Panthers Fold – Russian Has Hat Trick, Then Injury; Team Falls Apart”, Sun Sentinel (March 4, 1999)
(4) Russo, Michael, “Panthers Cannot Afford Bure”, Sun Sentinel (December 3, 1998)
(5) Neal, David J., “Panthers Pick Youth and Age”, Miami Herald (June 27, 1999)
(6) Russo, Michael, “Czech Center–Bure’s Hoped-For Set-Up Man–Won’t Sign”, Sun Sentinel (August 5, 1999)
(7) Russo, Michael, “Dopita, Team Remain Oceans Apart”, Sun Sentinel (May 26, 2000)
(8) Neal, David J., “Panthers Acquire Touted Goalie”, Miami Herald (June 25, 2000)
(9) Russo, Michael, “Murray Expects Smoother Ride With Ducks”, Sun Sentinel (June 3, 2001)
(10) Talalay, Sarah, “Panthers Sold For $101 Million – Owners Group To Keep Team In Town, Vows To Improve It”, Sun Sentinel (June 6, 2001)
(11) Neal, David J., “Niedermayer Dealt; Weiss Taken At No. 4”, Miami Herald (June 24, 2001)
(12) Russo, Michael, “Bure’s Injury Severe – Panthers’ Wing Out A Few Months”, Sun Sentinel (October 20, 2001)
(13) Russo, Michael, “‘Top Players’ Are Admonished – Complete Game Emphasized; Bure Dissents”, Sun Sentinel (November 14, 2001)
(14) Russo, Michael, “Keenan: ‘Changes Have To Be Made’ – Coach, GM Say They’re Dissatisfied With Makeup of Panthers’ Roster”, Sun Sentinel (February 11, 2002)
(15) Russo, Michael, “Bure Goes, Kravchuk Signs – Panthers Also Get A Defenseman In Trade With Blues”, Sun Sentinel (March 12, 2003)
(16) Gorten, Steve, “Updated: Van Ryn On Way Out… Expected To Be Tuesday”, Sun Sentinel (August 31, 2008)
(17) Neal, David J., “Panthers Won Case, But What Does That Mean?”, Miami Herald (August 26, 2005)
(18) Gorten, Steve, “Bertuzzi Hopes Move Will Help Him Escape The Past”, Sun Sentinel (June 25, 2006)
(19) Klein, Jeff Z., “Steve Moore Settles Lawsuit Against Todd Bertuzzi and Canucks”, New York Times (September 5, 2014)
(20) Richards, George, “Forced Hand”, Miami Herald (February 28, 2007)
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