Outlook:

The Florida Panthers have not made the playoffs since 2000, and while they were in the playoff race during the last week of the 2008-09 season, don’t expect head coach Peter DeBorer and company to have similar results in 2009-10.

While it is true that the Panthers have a lot of young and up-in-coming talent on the roster, particularly at forward, they’re still going to be hit hard at defense, with the departure of Jay Bouwmeester.

Not all news is bad news however at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise. The Panthers went out and signed goaltneder Scott Clemmensen during the summer, filling the void left by Craig Anderson, who signed with Colorado. While Tomas Vokoun might be the No. 1 goaltender right now (and deservingly so), lets not forget that Clemmensen did a great job filling in for the winningest goaltender of all time—Martin Brodeur—last year in New Jersey.

Two other notable additions to the Panthers are forward Steven Reinprecht and defenseman Jordan Leopold.

Reinprecht, who was last wearing a Coyotes uniform, might not be the most exciting player on the ice, but he brings a lot to the table, especially on special teams.

A former Hobey Baker winner at the University of Minnesota, Leopold had his best year with the Flames in 2003-04 during their run to the Stanley Cup. The ex-Flame and Avalanche has not seen similar success in the post-lockout era, but he’s a good playmaker on the blueline nonetheless.

As mentioned before, the young and up-and-coming forwards on the Panthers roster could shine this year. David Booth led the team in goals last year and should benefit from having Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss with him on line one. Michael Frolik had a solid rookie season in 2008-09 and should improve on that with Reinprecht and Cory Stillman beside him on line two.

There are still a few question marks however with the checking lines. Can Radek Dvorak remain consistent? Will this be a breakthrough year for Gregory Campbell? Which veteran forward will step up? All these questions, obviously, still need answers.

Defensively, the Panthers of course lost Bouwmeester, Nick Boynton and Karlis Skrastins during the offseason. While they only added Leopold, the losses of Boynton, Skrastins and Jay-Bo will hurt significantly, at least for now.

Bryan McCabe, who was acquired via trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs last year, is back. Keith Ballard, after spending the first three years of his career in Phoenix, had a solid first season in Florida. Bryan Allen returns from injury and his presence will help, and former Nashville Predator Villie Koistinen, should see more playing time with the Panthers.

That leaves one spot left on the blueline. Many believe that will go to Keaton Ellerby, a first round pick of the Panthers from 2007. Jordan Henry should also compete for that spot, but Ellerby has more upside.

The departure of Jay-Bo will hurt the Panthers in 2009-10 and right now there is not enough goal scoring on the roster, despite having Booth, Horton, and Frolik on the roster. Those three are up-and-coming stars don’t get me wrong, but they still need additional goal scoring.

And while Vokoun and Clemmensen make a good goaltending combination, opposing offenses will be firing at will on these two goaltenders.

The Panthers have gotten a bit worse, and will still have to wait to make their first trip to the playoffs since 2000.

Prediction: Fourth in Southeast Dvision, 13th in Eastern Conference

Projected Lines:

David Booth – Stephen Weiss – Nathan Horton
Cory Stillman – Steven Reinprecht – Michael Frolik
Rostislav Olsez – Gregory Campbell – Radek Dvorak
Michal Repik – Kamil Kreps – Shawn Matthias

Bryan McCabe – Keith Ballard
Jordan Leopold – Bryan Allen
Villie Koistinen – Keaton Ellerby

Tomas Vokoun
Scott Clemmensen