Panthers fire head coach Kevin Dineen

[Armada]

Laviolette.

[NightHawkSniper]

Why does Paul Holmgren still have a job?

Probably friends with Snider

[Spoosh]

A bit off the topic at hand. But I was watching the Panthers game vs. the Oilers he other day. And the commentators were very happy with the amount of attendance at the game. A quick look at the seats revealed that a little more than 1/3 were filled.

I got a good laugh out of it. They said it was very good for a weekday game, very nice for a tuesday.

Now, with new ownership, their management, new staff rounding out. Changes in the line-up are inevitable. With the new management, and probably a new course of action planned - tit looked like they were just waiting it out to get a reason for making the coaching change. Nothing we haven't seen before.

What they need is a few guys in to get the fans interested. Somone like what they got in Bure, or could have gotten in Luongo... Definitely not hoping we move him now, or later tho. A few teams are grinding near the bottom that could make a bold move or two. Panthers have some good bargaining chips to play with...

They have a very exciting prospect pool to build around with Huberdeau, Bjugstad, Barkov, Shore, Markström, Howden and Kulikov.

Huberdeau and Barkov are sure to stay, but the last three could fetch a decent return in a package with some of the veterans.

[Canuck Surfer]

How different would their fortunes be if they had traded Luongo for Bjugstad or another decent (but not elite) prospect. They would probably actually be a decent team. We would certainly have bitten on something like that.

Add to that, having a player like Luongo who wants to be there and has good name recognition in their community and it would help the ticket sales too.

Sometimes the trade you don't make is worse than risking losing a trade.

Maybe it will happen in the offseason if Luongo decides he still wants out and we have eaten another year of his high (actual dollar) salary. We would then have to have Torts go hard to help land Lundqvuist.

Not that I want to move Lou at this stage; but getting a return on him and signing a tender like Lundqvist (or Hillier?) with no asset's going the other way would be such a coup...

New ownership trying to put their stamp on things and push for change. Dineen becomes the casualty of bigger problems.

Not unusual with new ownership or management.

Do the bigger problems include the hockey department, from a management standpoint?

I do reckon Talon has done a good job managing the team. Two years ago they jumped to the play-off's. Yes they were ahead of themselves. Yes, it was on the backs of overpaid (to reach the cap floor) veterans close to their decline, on long term deals. But Talon has flushed some of the bad deals and acquired a masterful (by most accounts) collection of young prospects and talent.

Not all projects have turned out. They were too heavily reliant on Markstrom, and he is flopping with an .877 save %. Clemmonson had a .874 save % last year. Go figure, a bad goalie and a rookie have struggled together?

You are right that sometimes you just need to pay a price to balance your team. Lou was available. And Bjugstad presumably should have been expendable when they scored Barkov? Perhaps greedy keeping that stable of young stud centers when they could have balanced the team? But consider that they were starting to reel burdened by aging veterans on big contracts and I don't blame them for not grabbing Lou. They probably would not have been a playoff team with Lou. Talon needs to copy TO and Tampa and acquire another young goalie as they grow. And Talon has gotten smarter adding veterans; Thomas who has not performed and Boyes who has been ok at least are on short term deals unlike Jovo, Upshall or Versteeg. In the end they have talent to work with, so management gets a pass.

Their real problem is revenue and their market. Despite having some talent, they are tied for league worst in goals against, its not all the goalies fault, and are 26th in goals for. Hard to argue a coaching change. They need to get some vigorous play, development and excitement out of their younger players while they are still on ELC's. In their market you can go to the beach, BFBN (basketball, football, baseball and Nascar) are all cultural and there is more inspiration to be had tailgating a college football game (or spring break party) than the Panthers have offered.

A coaching change was warranted. They have to be exciting and playing hard to get anyone to show up for their games (generating cash) before they take on big dollar investments like Lou.

[Bure1994Mclean]

Honestly thought Claude Noel would be the next coach gone.

If for nothing else, he deserves to get canned for being such a downer during interviews. I swear I get depressed just listening to him speak.