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Morning Skate: The Panthers are shaking up their front office after a great year
That may not be a bad thing.
Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Lace ‘em up. Time for the Morning Skate.
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SHAKING THINGS UP
The Florida Panthers enjoyed one of the best seasons in franchise history. So, naturally, they're firing people and getting a new general manager.
Tom Rowe is in as GM, while Dale Tallon shifts to a President of Hockey Operations role. They’ve also fired an assistant coach and their director of hockey ops.
But why? Speculation is that they want a bigger focus on analytics, but the simple answer is probably that the new ownership just want “their guys” front and center. That phrase occasionally pre-empts bad things for a franchise. After all, Tallon did just accumulate a group of players and coaches who led the Panthers to their first division title. It’ll be interesting to see if change for the sake of change pays off for a Florida team on the rise.
SAFE AND SOUND
The San Jose Sharks wasted no time getting rid of that ominous black cat roaming around their arena: she was adopted and shipped off just in time for the Western Conference Final to start.
TOO BAD THEY LOST
Yes, the kitten managed to lay one last curse before it left. San Jose played admirably but still fell to the Blues in Game 1. Brian Elliott was simply too much for the Sharks to overcome.
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PUCK AND BEARD THEFT
It ran rampant last night. Joe Thornton made a puck disappear into his pants, so David Backes tried to rip his beard off. That's not an entirely accurate sequence of events but it makes for a better story.
TONIGHT’S PLAYOFF FUN:
NEWS AND NOTES:
- Jamie Benn wants to sign an extension with the Stars very soon.
- The Leafs need a goalie strategy heading into the offseason.
- Senators fans wrote an open letter to their new head coach.
- The Islanders have a goalie conundrum.
- How much should the Devils pay Kyle Palmieri?
- Should the Rangers keep or dump Eric Staal?
- The youth of Arizona's new GM is not concerning.
- Darryl Sutter would be a terrific fit as coach of the Flames.
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