It's a Canadian Game

Yea a better coach wouldn't hurt. As for Huberdeau he should put up great numbers as long as he doesn't hit the sophomore slump, but I think playing a full 82 game season will be great for him and give him a lot of chances to hit that next step.

The NHL preseason wrapped up on Sunday night and with that hockey fans and players alike now wait for the official opening to the regular season this Tuesday. After a shortened season brought on by the lockout teams will be happy to get a full 82 games season in and a fresh start. One team that will really be hoping to have a fresh start is the Florida Panthers and with some interesting offseason transactions the Panthers may surprise. No doubt the most intriguing signing the Panthers have made is in goal with the signing of former Boston Bruin and Vezina Trophy winner, Tim Thomas. Thomas returns to the NHL after taking the entire last season off for ‘personal reasons’. Thomas joined the team on a professional tryout basis and after impressing the coaching staff signed a contract with the team. The Panthers were obviously very determined to sign a high calibre goalie after they sent tryout offers to not only Thomas, but also to Jose Theodore and Ilya Bryzgalov. Last season Jacob Markstrom played the bulk of the games for the Panthers playing in 23 games and posting an 8-14-1 record. However, after compiling just a 0.901 save percentage and a 3.22 goals against average, it is clear that the organization does not feel that the young Swedish netminder is ready to handle starting goalie responsibilities just yet. Another interesting signing for the Panthers was that of former 40 goals scorer, Brad Boyes. Ever since hitting his peak in St. Louis in 07-08, Boyes has never been able to eclipse the 40 goal plateau again. However, while with the Islander last season Boyes put up a respectable 35 points for the Isles good enough for third on the team behind only John Tavares and Matt Moulsn. So, with a fresh start and a bigger role as a veteran on a growing team, Boyes could be a very valuable asset. The most recent transaction that Florida has made heading into the regular season was signing veteran defenseman Ryan Whitney. After putting up 17 points in 34 games for the Oilers last season Whitney joined the St. Louis Blues this training camp on a professional tryout. After being cut by the team Saturday, Florida wasted no time signing Whitney to a one year $900,000 deal. Whitney brings a lot of playoff experience with both the Anaheim Ducks and the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he was even fortunate enough to hoist the Stanley Cup in 2009. Whitney knows what it takes to win and though he is on the back end of his career, by accepting a professional tryout he had made it clear that he still has a passion to play. Besides bringing in veteran players to the lineup, the Panthers will also look for big contributions from their young guns as well. Johnathan Huberdeau finished last season with 14 goals and 31 points finishing second on the team in scoring behind Thomas Fleischmann. So, looking ahead Huberdeau would like to improve on his Calder Trophy-winning season and prove to the team that though he is young he can be counted on to lead the team offensively. Next to Huberdeau is 2012 first round draft pick, Aleksander Barkov. Barkov was one of the most intriguing names in this year’s draft as many scouts believed that of all the skaters in the draft he was the most ‘NHL ready’ player. In fact some scouts even had Barkov ranked as high as number one in the draft, which makes it no surprise he was chosen ahead of Tampa Bay Lightning’s Jonathan Drouin and Nashville defenseman Seth Jones , who was believed to go second overall (where Barkov was ultimately selected). Besides these names the Panthers have a solid core with the likes of Kris Versteeg, Thomas Fleischmann, Thomas Kopecky, and Brian Campbell. Last season was pretty dismal for the Panthers, with just a few shining moments to look back on. However, management has proved that they are serious about bringing a winner to Florida. Many people may not have a lot of hope for the Panthers after last season, but this is a team that may turn a lot of heads this season. Follow me on Twitter @Craig_Hagerman

Just days after announcing the signing of winger Mason Raymond, the Maple Leafs finally came to terms with restricted free agent defenseman Cody Franson on Thursday. The contract is a one year $2 million dollar deal which seems to have come somewhere in the middle from what both Franson and Nonis had been looking for. Throughout the contract stalemate, it was made public that Nonis and the Leafs management were very adamant about signing Franson to a multi-year due to the fact that in this upcoming off-season Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf, Dave Bolland, Nikolai Kulemin, Jake Gardiner, and now Franson will see their contracts expire. So, the Leafs were hoping they could take one of these names off the list of contracts to negotiate next season. However, for Franson he understood the cap had dropped $6 million dollars this year, that it would be going up next year, and that the Leafs were up against the cap. So, Franson believed that it was in his best interest to sign a one year deal to prove his worth and then look to sign a contract next season for a pay increase. In the end the Leafs gave in to Franson’s request for a one year deal, but made sure that the dollar amount was exactly where they wanted it, a compromise that both parties believe to be fair. So, with Franson now signed for the 2014 season there are a few things that are going to have to happen in the next week before the season opens October 1st. First, Franson will want to get his feet wet in pre-season action as the only on ice workouts he has had lately have been at practices with the Ryerson Rams. It is believed that Franson will play in the Leafs remaining two pre-season games Friday and Saturday both against the Red Wings. The second thing that is going to need to happen is figure out which defensemen will make the final roster and who will be sent down. It is expected that Dion Phaneuf and Carl Gunnarsson will stick together, Franson will rejoin his partner Mark Fraser, and that Jake Gardiner will be paired up with either Paul Ranger, John-Michael Liles, or rookie hopeful Morgan Reilly. As it stands it seems as though Reilly will likely be the odd man out and sent back to his junior team in Moose Jaw. In saying that, Carlyle mentioned Thursday that the Leafs may look to keep the youngster around for the first 10 games of the season before doing so. So, that final spot could still be wide open. Finally and likely the biggest and most important thing the Maple Leafs are going to have to try and do in the next couple weeks is make some cap space. With the signing of Franson the Leafs are now roughly $1 million dollars over the salary cap. In order to make room it is expected that the Leafs will put injured tough guy Frazer McLaren on the injured reserve meaning that McLaren would have to miss at least 10 games, but in the process the Leafs would be able to dump some salary. The other thing it is expected the Leafs will do is start the season with an 18 man roster rather than 23 to also allow them to play under the cap. Both these moves however, are only short term so it looks as though the Leafs are going to have to move bodies in order to make space. The move that likely makes the most sense for the team is moving defenseman John- Michael Liles. Liles, who is also pushing for a roster spot would likely fit outside of the Leaf’s top six and with a cap hit of just under $4 million dollars, moving his contract seems like the most viable option for the team. For now it seems like the Leafs will be able to get away with playing with their cap problems to at least start the season, but moves will need to be made. Regardless of what needs to happen it is clear that the organization is very thrilled to have their most offensive producing defenseman back in a Maple Leafs uniform. Follow me on Twitter @Craig_Hagerman

The Toronto Maple Leafs made more news on top of all the mayhem that has been surrounding them after Sunday’s bloodfest, by signing left winger Mason Raymond to a one year one million dollar contract. The signing came as no surprise after the great camp that Raymond has had. Raymond came into camp after signing a professional tryout with the Leafs the day before the opening of training camp. The former Vancouver Canuck went the entire summer without being signed by anyone, but seems to have found a new home in Toronto. The 28 year old came into camp determined to show the Leafs and the rest of the league that he can be a very important piece to the right team. For Toronto it seems like that could very well be the case. This off season the Leafs said farewell to forwards Clarke MacArthur, Mikhail Grabovski, and Matt Frattin, all very speedy forwards. However, Raymond has shown throughout camp that he may be the fastest of the bunch. Raymond helps to bring speed to a lineup that has certainly gotten slower this off season. Besides his great speed, Raymond also provides great leadership and can bring a veteran presence to a very young Leaf squad. Though Raymond is only 28 years old, the Cochrane, Alberta native has been to the playoffs in each of his six seasons in the NHL with the Canucks and after coming just a game away from winning the cup in 2010 it is clear that Raymond knows what it takes to be a winner. This pre-season Raymond has been one of the most productive players on the team tallying 2 goals and 2 assists in three games. Raymond’s best season was in 2009-2010 when he lit the lamp 25 times and given the chance, he looks destined to do it again. Early indications suggest that Raymond will likely find himself playing on the third line alongside Dave Bolland and Nikolai Kulemin, a line that could prove to be very physical while also being very capable of chipping in offensively if needed. However, with the recent escapades that took place in Sunday night’s game against Buffalo and the impending 10 game suspension that will be dished out to David Clarkson, Raymond could even find himself playing on the second line with Nazem Kadri and Joffrey Lupul. Earlier in the week Sportsnet’s Doug Maclean reported that the Maple Leafs and Raymond had already worked out a deal that would pay the winger $925,000 for the year as long as he made the team. That numbered turned out to be a bit larger and now with this signing things have become a little tighter on the Cody Franson side of things. The signing of Raymond now brings the Leafs cap hit up to $63.7 million. General Manager Dave Nonis and company continue to try and find a way to sign defenseman Cody Franson. The Leafs might have to look at making space if they are still serious about trying to bring the defenseman back. One possible option might be trading away defenseman John-Michael Liles. Liles’ contract brings a cap hit of $4 million dollars, which would more space to sign Franson. One team that might be interested is the Carolina Hurricanes who learned last week that defenseman Joni Pitkanen will miss the entire 2013-2014 season with a leg injury. Raymond came into camp determined to make an impression on the Leaf coaching staff and battle for a spot on the team and he has done just that. With just three exhibition games left before the season kicks off on October 1st expect the Leafs to trim down the roster to what it will likely look like come opening night. This could mean Raymond on the second line, a far cry for a player who came into camp on a tryout basis. Follow me on Twitter @Craig_Hagerman