What's Next for the Panthers?

davetherave wrote:Shabbs..>that's my point. Balsillie wouldn't have had to put the team into bankruptcy court if he bought the Panthers.

Instead, Balsillie's stepped into a big expensive pile of legal dung.

And I'm saying that was his plan the whole time. This is what he wanted, costs be damned. This is the only place he felt he could buy the team and get it moved back to Canada.

davetherave wrote:And believe me, NOBODY...not the State of Florida, not the City of Fort Lauderdale, not the few hockey fans in South Florida, not the NHL, cares if the Panthers stay there. They haven't cared for years.

It would not surprise me if this sale gets approved--and Cohen will have already done his homework on this one--that the Panthers aren't playing somewhere else, if not this season, then next.

Somewhere else as in the US or Canada? I think there's a MONSTROUS difference between moving the team within the US (ie: KC or Vegas) and moving a team back to Canada as far as the NHL and Bettman are concerned.

They may talk the talk with respect to "looking into Winnipeg and Quebec" but I don't buy it for one second.

Pardon my ignorance, but who is the Panthers' GM? I thought Martin had assumed that role while DeBeers was the coach.

Surely Martin cannot be Panthers' GM and Habs' coach at the same time.

All I see listed on the site is Randy Sexton: assistant general manager.

How long until Markström makes the jump?

The Guy With The Mustache wrote:How long until Markström makes the jump?

I don't see him as a guy who needs much more time. But the Cats have two pretty fine goaltenders on the roster already. His only option for now may be to try to force his way onto the roster and get one of the goalies moved.

asq2 wrote:Pardon my ignorance, but who is the Panthers' GM? I thought Martin had assumed that role while DeBeers was the coach.

Surely Martin cannot be Panthers' GM and Habs' coach at the same time.

He was bought out and the role is vacant as far as I understand.

asq2 wrote:

The Guy With The Mustache wrote:How long until Markström makes the jump?

I don't see him as a guy who needs much more time. But the Cats have two pretty fine goaltenders on the roster already. His only option for now may be to try to force his way onto the roster and get one of the goalies moved.

Do the cats have him under contract yet?

shabbs wrote:

davetherave wrote:Shabbs..>that's my point. Balsillie wouldn't have had to put the team into bankruptcy court if he bought the Panthers.

Instead, Balsillie's stepped into a big expensive pile of legal dung.

And I'm saying that was his plan the whole time. This is what he wanted, costs be damned. This is the only place he felt he could buy the team and get it moved back to Canada.

OK, if you say so...

Hope Jim's wearing his hip waders...that dung's getting deeper and more expensive by the minute.
:^^^^:

PS the Panthers let Martin out of his deal, and got out from under his contract as they sold the club.

Randy Sexton will probably move into Jack's office in the meantime.

davetherave wrote:OK, if you say so...

Hope Jim's wearing his hip waders...that dung's getting deeper and more expensive by the minute.
:^^^^:

I say so.

Here's where I think Balsillie's mind is at... he's tried doing it "the NHL way" and run into road blocks, Bettman has apparently sat down with him and laid out how to become an NHL owner... whatever he heard, he didn't like and didn't mesh with his master plan. Balsillie is convinced he'll never be an owner going the normal route. He feels that this is his only option to do things in the time frame he wants and begin to build his empire in Southern Ontario.

I'm assuming, that to him him, these legal costs are peanuts compared to what he's planning on reaping from the move.

It's looking to me like this has all been a very calculated set of moves to position for an anti-trust case.

Balsillie has basically declared war on Bettman and the NHL's rules.

That's my take on it. Right or wrong... time will tell.

Shabbs, you make your point very well.

Balsillie's strategic approach is not unknown to me, in my long and often amusing experience in big business.

It's called the "Push The Elephant Through the Keyhole" strategy.

:^^^^:

As you say..."costs be damned".

Meanwhile, it's quite possible the Panthers will end up in Kansas City, Quebec or Winnipeg by the 2010-11 season.

davetherave wrote:Shabbs, you make your point very well.

Balsillie's strategic approach is not unknown to me, in my long and often amusing experience in big business.

It's called the "Push The Elephant Through the Keyhole" strategy.

:^^^^:

As you say..."costs be damned".

Meanwhile, it's quite possible the Panthers will end up in Kansas City, Quebec or Winnipeg by the 2010-11 season.

Only time will tell... one day we'll look back on all this and reminisce...

:^^^^:

Shabbs> I'll drink to that!



Fire up the barbecue, and BEERS ON ICE!

Uh...did the Panthers get sold?

I just heard that and thought I was keeping up with things?

Heater> Panthers sold to an investment group the day after Jacques Martin took the job in Montreal...details in my post further up the thread\\

davetherave wrote:Heater> Panthers sold to an investment group the day after Jacques Martin took the job in Montreal...details in my post further up the thread\\

I went back and read that. Interesting Balsille didn't try like you were saying, but I see where Shabbs was coming from as well.