George Richards, FHN Publisher
The Florida Panthers started Monday by releasing a statement that longtime general manager Dale Tallon would not be returning to the team.
They had hoped the news would be a little more positive later in the day.
It was not.
The Panthers’ hopes for a little luck in the NHL’s only-in-2020 special draft lottery fell flat as the New York Rangers won the top pick and the right to select top prospect Alexis Lafreniere.
By virtue of the Rangers moving up to the top slot, the Panthers (and the other six teams who did not win Monday) were slotted based on divisional standings at the end of the abbreviated standings for selection order in the postponed 2020 draft.
Florida will have the 12th overall pick, and by all accounts, will be looking at a defenseman.
Winning the rights to Lafreniere certainly would have brightened the Panthers’ day.
The Panthers were one of eight teams whose season recently ended in the Stanley Cup qualifiers who had even 12.5 percent chances to win the top pick.
While there was celebration in New York when their pingpong ball popped out of the hop, there was disappointment in Florida, Edmonton, Minnesota, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Toronto and Winnipeg when the logo with their team did not.
Florida now moves on to the immediate task at hand.
First on their to-do list is find a replacement for Tallon.
While there is some internal talk that assistant GM Eric Joyce could be promoted, the Panthers are supposedly casting a wide net in their first GM search in a decade.
Word is current assistant GMs Bill Zito (Columbus) and original Florida captain Scott Mellanby (Montreal) will be among those under consideration.
Former NHL GMs such as Ray Shero, Ron Hextall, Peter Chiarelli (won won the Stanley Cup with Boston) could also draw some interest from the Panthers.
One interesting name out there is former Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka who resigned on the eve of the postseason after a dispute with ownership regarding another job opportunity.
That does not mean Chayka is a free agent; according to the Coyotes, he resigned while under contract. He signed an extension with the team that runs through 2023.
If the Panthers were to have interest in the forward-thinking Chayka, it would probably have to work out a deal with the Coyotes to move forward.
Whomever does become the new GM of the Panthers has a number of roster decisions to make.