Mar 12, 2013; Sunrise, FL, USA; Florida Panthers goalie Jacob Markstrom (35) fails to stop a goal by Tampa Bay Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier (not pictured) in the first period at the BB

When the Panthers face off against the Boston Bruins tonight there will be added gravitas to the matchup. The NHL Board of Governors approved the proposed NHL realignment plan which will now go into effect for the 2012-13 season. The plan will see the league stick to the two conference system but the conferences will now be split into only two division apiece. Under the new plan, the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets will play in the Eastern Conference while the Winnipeg Jets will move to the Western Conference. The Florida Panthers will play in a division with Tampa Bay, Detroit, Boston, Montreal, Toronto Ottawa and Buffalo. So yes, the Panthers and Bruins will face each other tonight as future division foes. Let the rivalry begin!!! You can read more about the realignment, how the schedule will break down and how the playoffs will work over at NHL.com.

Afternoon Nips:

• If you haven’t heard, Kris Versteeg will undergo season ending knee surgery. Here is a look at how the Versteeg injury impacts the Panthers at the trade deadline.
• Scott Clemmensen is looking like he will start against the Bruins tonight.
• Kris Versteeg wasn’t the only big name to go down in Tuesday’s Panthers-Lightning game. Vincent Lecavalier is out indefinitely with an injury he sustained during the game.
• The latest on the Scott Timmins situation. Seem like Timmins is out after posting bail of $800.
• Hockeybuzz reports that the Flyers and Red Wings could be interested in Brian Campbell. This is just a mere rumor and I would imagine it would be a tough task for any team to take on Campbell’s $7 million plus per season contract.
• Its been tough for Panthers fans recently. Here are some vintage Cats highlights set to the musical genius of the Macarena to cheer you up.

Feb 26, 2013; Sunrise, FL, USA; Florida Panthers center Tomas Kopecky (82) reacts to his goal against Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tomas Vokoun (not pictured) in the first period at the BB

While NHL realignment was proposed last year, nothing really materialized. The league coming to a stand-still due to the lockout probably had something to do with that. Just recently the league proposed a new realignment plan, and while it is still a work in progress, the plan has many of the important details worked out. The current realignment plan is very similar to the one proposed last year. The league would go from six divisions to four which would result in a change in the playoff format. Here is a look at the proposed divisions:

Eastern Conference:

 Western Conference:

 So what does it all mean?

The realignment solves the biggest issue of teams playing in divisions and conferences out of their time zones. The Winnipeg Jets and Dallas Stars come to mind. The realignment should make travel easier for teams and viewing games a better experience for fans i.e. fans of the Stars won’t have to stay up till all hours of the night to watch divisional games against Pacific Coast teams.

The scheduling and playoffs will shake out as follows:

Feb 11, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Montreal Canadiens defenseman PK Subban (76) retrieves the puck against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre. The Canadiens beat the Maple Leafs 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

• Each conference will send 8 teams to the post-season
• The top 3 teams in each division will qualify and two wild card spots will go to the teams with the next best record. This means you could potentially see five teams from one division and three from another. Seems pretty fair.
• The top seed will play the lowest wild card team and so on.
• Teams will play opposing conference teams twice, once at home and once on the road.
• I’ll let NHL.com explain the scheduling: “In the seven-team divisions, teams would play intraconference foes three times per season and five of the six intradivision foes five times a season. The sixth opponent within the division would be played four times. In the eight-team divisions, teams would play intraconference opponents three times and intradivision opponents either four or five times per season on a rotating basis.”

What does it all mean for the Panthers?

Florida will lose some rivalries while gaining others. The Hurricanes, Capitals and Jets will no longer be divisional rivals. Is that such a big loss? I do not really think so, none of those rivalries were/are anything spectacular mainly because Florida has been bad for so long. Also even though they will no longer be divisional foes, Florida will still play these teams three times a season, more than enough for fans to get their ‘rivalry fix’. I think that while the biggest issue fans may have with the realignment is that it will do away with some rivalries I would posit that the only legitimate gripe would be losing the Red Wings-Blackhawks matchup. With Detroit moving to the East, the teams will only play each other twice a year.

What will be lost in terms of some rivalries, will be gained by the additions of others. The powers that be wisely kept the Panthers and Lightning in the same division and it whether done consciously or not, both Florida teams are in a division with a lot of teams that have large fan bases in Florida. As much as it sucks when Canadiens or Bruins fans are louder than Panther fans, it does mean their are butts in the seat and butts in the seats mean money. Hopefully more money means an increased payroll but I’m getting ahead of myself here. For now, it is exciting to just think about the possibilities of the rivalries created by the proposed realignment.

When the plans start processing more and more towards being official, we will take a closer look at what is being gained and what is being lost by the realignment. For now feel free to share any thoughts below.

Doesn't poker require concentration and focus? Source: Playnow.com.

Today’s music video is Young Blood by Naked and Famous.

The Florida Panthers returned eleven players to their minor league affiliates yesterday as the need for 57 players is no longer necessary, especially with Monday’s doubleheader now past us.  There were a few early surprises, but all in all if these players weren’t going to make the team anyway, they are better off joining their teams now.  Players like John McFarland and Adam Comrie were probably the biggest surprises to be let sent off this early, however there really is very little room this year, and there’s no rush for these players either.

While it’s been said by head coach Kevin Dineen that no one is guaranteed a job, there really aren’t many spots available.  I figure that there are two or three forward positions up for grabs and really one defensive spot that needs to be grabbed.  Players that I think have an outside chance to take someone’s job are Nolan Yonkman, Jacob Markstrom, and of course Jonathan Hubedeau.  This of course assumes that Erik Gudbranson makes the team.   The team continues with practice both today and Thursday from 9 to 12 with the next games coming this weekend.  A home and home matchup with our cross state rivals the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Practices are free and open to the public so check them out if you get a chance.

(more…)