The Monday Rat Pack

Typically the first post of the week here was called Monday Morning Reading.  My way of giving you some links to articles from around the blogosphere not only here at the FanSided Network, but elsewhere.  Things have changed.

Starting today, this column will be called The  Monday Rat Pack.  It will contain about 10 items of interest in and around the NHL, not limited to Florida Panther News either.  Hell, I couldn’t come up with 10 items about the Panthers now if I wanted to!  I’m still going to post some links to stories from around the worldwide interweb, just not from FanSided.  The FanSided links will show up on our NHL main page, Too Many Men On The Site.  Which if you haven’t gone there, you should! No, you must!

Without further delay, here’s my Rat Pack Picks for last week:

* Continuing of course with the Miami Heat and LeBron James, et all saga.  I read yesterday in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, a column of news bites by reporter Greg Cote.  The three Miami Heat stars will now have the three area  tri-counties named after them.  Miami-Dade will become, Miami-Wade (Dwyane Wade).  Broward county will be called, LeBroward (LeBron James), and Palm Beach County will be named Palm Bosh, (Chris Bosh).  Hey Panthers, any way to match or top this?  Surely we can come up with something?  How about the community called Leisureville?  We can name it Loserville?  It’s close to the the stadium?  No offence to anyone that lives there of course!

* Speaking of saga’s, what the hell is going on with Ilya Kovalchuck?  Has he priced himself out of the market?  Has he waited too long?  Will he sign in L.A. or back in New Jersey?  At this point, do we care?  Unless this goes into August, the only way we’re going to remember he’s still out there is if he does have a news conference!

* Mikko Koivu’s contract extension with the Minnesota Wild.  $6.75 million.  Too much?  Seems like it to me, and I never thought the Wild would have gone that high.

* Hasn’t this been the longest month of July ever?  The news about free agent signings has been so slow, and so dull.  Oh, and you thought I was talking about just the Florida Panthers?  No, the entire NHL is what I really meant.  Dullsville.

* If you’re a Blackhawks fan are you worried about the roster going into next season?  Yes, they lost alot of players, but fact is, they have their core together, and fortunately, former general manager Dale Tallon did an excellent job of stocking up the youngsters.  People will step up.  Don’t worry.

* The chatter around Florida on the chat boards is tense.  People are looking for more moves and free agent signings and big deals.  Not going to happen.  Can’t trade what others don’t want.  Dale Tallon is not going to make any mistakes.  At least not any big ones.  Manage your expectations for this season.

* I find it pretty odd that Alex Auld would go to Montreal and play again for Jacques Martin.  The same Jacques Martin that in my mind, messed with this kids confidence after coming back form a knee injury his only year here with the Cats.

* Offer sheets.  Do you love them or do you hate them?  Do you think they make enemies amongst GM’s?  Personally, while it’s a good tool to force another team’s hand, I don’t like them.  Seems underhanded. Are you listening Doug Wilson?  Get rid of some of your soft forwards instead!

* Lockout talk is looming.  2012-2013 will be here before we know it.  I would cringe at the thought of it happening again.  Disastrous for the league if it did.  Hopefully, it comes to pass and things get ironed out, and it can be avoided.

* If you had to decide today, right now, do you feel as a Panther fan the team has improved, regressed, or stayed the same?  Curious to your thoughts.

Now links you should read:

First off, as always  Blades Of Funny  always has something offbeat for his readers.  Here’s an interesting letter he wrote found, that NHL commish GAry Bettman wrote to Cleveland Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert.  Brilliant!

Down Goes Brown compares NHL free agency with NBA free agency.

View From My Seats has s spin on what the NHL can learn from the BP Oil Spill.

Can hockey look like your office?  Stay Classy  thinks so.

Justin Bourne at Bourne’s Blog  has some insight to the Espy’s, Breakaway’s and other stuff you’ll enjoy!

That wraps it up for today.  Still open to suggestions for titles for this segment.  Got some really good ones.  Like:  What would Steve Bernier do?  The Steve Benier Chronicles. Chew on This. Things to chew on.

Nothing hit me really, so this is going to be a work in progress.  Any suggestions are still welcome.

Thanks for reading.

Your comments are always welcomed and appreciated.

Cheers