The trade winds are blowin'

It's late and I'm tired, but I can't sleep. My Florida Panthers just blew a two goal lead against the Colorado Avalanche and lost in OT, AGAIN! I am completely and thoroughly frustrated right now.

We've gone from being third in the East to eighth. We blew a 9 point lead in the SE and we are dangerously close to not making the playoffs at all.

We've fallen into old patterns again.

The passes that were tape to tape earlier in the year are missing their marks.

Goaltenders are getting caught misplaying the puck behind the net.

Defensemen are pitching in and staying in deep too long leading to odd-man rushes. Defensemen are not shooting on net as much from the point. Instead, they are banking their shots behind and around the goalie. Why can't the shots be put on net?

Forwards keep passing, and passing and passing and sometimes refuse to shoot the puck. And when they have the puck and shoot, they're leaving the rebounds to be scooped up by the opposing defensemen.

Our power play, good grief our power play, is back to where it was during the Jim Hulton days (God help us). Mikael Samuelsson on the point is NOT the answer. It's nothing against Sammy. I don't like ANY forwards on the point during a power play, but that's a discussion for another time.

Our physical play has dropped. I don't know what the criteria for counting a hit as a hit, but I disagree with our hit count. Some of our hits are barely a "how do you do" to the opposition.

The boys refuse to bring the puck into the zone and opt instead to dump and chase watch or dump and go for a line change.

Three words: Clear The Crease.

On the flip side of clearing the crease, it would be nice to go just one game without shouting, "Get in front of the net." Screening the goalie or being there for the tip in doesn't happen as often as it should. And heaven forbid we go for the garbage goal. Everyone is looking for that highlight reel goal that looks so pretty and so cute on the NHL Network. Well, I have news for you, garbage goals count just as much as the highlight reel goals do. As a matter of fact, one of my favorite goals this year happened when we played the Vancouver Canucks and came off the stick of Marcel Goc after a flurry of shots. It was a messy, dirty, textbook garbage goal and I LOVED it because it was earned with a lot of hard work.

That's what this team was known for at the beginning of the year. HARD WORK! Somewhere along the way, we lost that. Why? Did we get too cocky? Did we start reading the papers a little too much? Did we just stop trying? What happened? I want to know. I need to understand why we are where we are.

:::sigh:::

Whatever happened, the fact is, that no one on this team should feel safe. Everyone is up for grabs in a possible trade. We've been falling in points a little too steadily for my taste and I can only imagine that Dale Tallon is none too happy either.

My first thought is Kris Versteeg. A fan favorite who has been off his game for a while and has met with the ire of Coach Dineen. Dale Tallon could use the "He needs a change of scenery to get back his game" angle to sell him for a higher price.

That said, anyone on the top line is really up for grabs and that includes Stephen Weiss. Sure, he scored his first goal since early December and he DID play his 600th game tonight, but as I said, no one should feel safe, even if I personally would love to see him wearing a "C" on his chest.

The goalies are also up for grabs, but in that case we'd have to get a goalie back (unless the traded goalie was Scott Clemmensen. I think that Jose Theodore and Jacob Markstrom could hold down the fort if need be.

Any of the defensemen could go in a trade, but our highest valued players would be Jason Garrison and Brian Campbell. I'd include Mike Weaver in there because he's so steady, but he tends to fly under the radar and unless you watch the team regularly, you wouldn't really know his true value. I'd also include the injured Ed Jovanovski (ACK) as a possible trade. Injured players have been moved between clubs before. (See the aforementioned Samuelsson). I wouldn't exclude Erik Gudbranson either. If the price is right, I could see Tallon pulling the trigger. Just because he's supposed to be part of our future, really means nothing.

Just ask David Booth. Who would have predicted that trade? Not me. So like I said, ANYONE could be shipped out.

Honestly the only Panther I can see that is UN-tradeable is Stanley C.

This team is taking on water fast. There's a giant hole somewhere that needs to be filled, not just patched up. Personally, I'd like to see our power play addressed. Otherwise, this year will be exactly like every other year. The Panthers will not make the playoffs and the fans will once again deal with an extended off-season.

I am not prepared for that. In my mind, this season was a done deal. We were going to the playoffs. Anything less than the playoffs just makes me sick.

Blu