The Tallon era has begun in Florida

Dale Tallon was hired as the Florida Panthers General Manager on May 17. However, June 22 will be noted as the day the Dale Tallon era in Florida officially began.

Amidst much speculation, star winger Nathan Horton was (finally) traded to the Boston Bruins. The return? Defenseman Dennis Wideman and the Bruins 15th overall pick at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. (Note: Gregory Campbell will accompany Horton to Boston and Florida also received a 3rd round pick for the 2011 Entry Draft).

Nathan Horton was traded to the Boston Bruins earlier today as part of the Panthers rebuilding process.

Jumping ahead for second… Friday’s 3rd overall pick in Los Angeles all but guarantees the Panthers adding a stud defenseman totheir organization (and perhaps to October’s opening night lineup). If I were a betting man, I’d bet Tallon and co select either Cam Fowler or Erik Gudbranson.

Now back to the Panthers… It seems clear Tallon’s priority is building a solid core of defensemen. I know Tallon was quoted as saying “[the Horton trade] didn’t matter if it was a forward or defenseman, it was whether we could make a good deal,” but I have to think Tallon is pretty happy with the Panthers defensemen right now, in addition to some of the up and coming defensive prospects in their system (namely Keaton Ellerby and maybe Jason Garrison). Take a look at their top defense pairings going into next season (assuming any future trades don’t affect this group):

Bryan McCabe     Dennis Wideman
Keith Ballard        Bryan Allen
Dmitry Kulikov   Ville Koistinen

Wideman’s presence should help a team who finished 19th in the NHL in goal against last season. It’s actually a pretty good group with a nice mix of offensive capabilities and experience. It’s worth pointing out four of these defensemen (Allen and Wideman are the exceptions) will require new contracts after next season. It’s also worth noting that the trade won’t immediately help the Panthers score more goals. As it stands right now, the trade hurts the Panther’s offense. But when looking ahead a few years, the potential impact of Fowler/Gudbranson, Kulikov’s development as an offensive defenseman and Ellerby’s skill, the future for Florida’s defense looks pretty good.

I like this trade for Florida. I’m impressed and a bit surprised Tallon was able to get as much for a player who never quite lived up to his potential. Wideman is a strong defenseman and will be missed by the Bruins. (Sidenote: this move makes me wonder what else Boston has planned this off-season. I doubt they’ll shy away drafting one of Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin, but their lack of depth in defensive players – both now and prospects – is of concern.) The 15th overall pick is a nice add-on too. Perhaps this is where Florida can begin to address some of their goal scoring needs.

Assuming players are drafted in similar order to the most recent ISS Top 30 2010 Prospect Rankings, the Panthers might have a shot at drafting a pretty skilled forward with this pick. Players like Brett Connolly (if still available – he might slide to a mid-round pick with concerns over his health), Alexander Burmistrov, Mikeal Granlund and Quinton Howden stand out as pretty good offensive mid-round picks. Connolly especially – that might be the steal of the first round like Tyler Myers was for the Buffalo Sabres a few years ago.

With five of the first 50 picks in this year’s draft, it goes without saying the 2010 Draft is a very important summer for the Florida Panthers. It will be interesting to see what else Tallon and the Panthers do between now and the start of the 2010-2011 season. I can’t remember ever thinking this about the Panthers in their relatively short existence in the NHL. Perhaps they aren’t in such bad shape after all? They still need to address goal scoring with a few different players, but they are on the right track. That’s a good thing.

Stay classy, Dale Tallon.

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