Keenan leaves questions in his wake
By: SBR Staff
Mike Keenan has never been one to stick with a franchise over the long haul, but his abrupt departure from the Florida Panthers’ front office over the weekend was still a pretty big surprise. Now, with training camps set to get underway, will the Iron Mike story steal the spotlight away from the changes the Panthers made to the roster in the offseason?
Florida improved to a 37-34-11 record last season, but still finished the year seven points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. One distraction throughout that campaign was the contract status of star goaltender Roberto Luongo, who was angling for a large, long-term deal. Talks between Mike Keenan and Luongo’s agents dragged on, with nothing getting accomplished.
So Luongo and young defenseman Lukas Krajicek were unceremoniously dealt to the Vancouver Canucks early in the summer in exchange for winger Todd Bertuzzi, defenseman Bryan Allen, and goaltender Alexander Auld. Veteran goalie Ed Belfour was also brought into the fold as a free agent, as was rugged defenseman Ruslan Salei.
Bertuzzi’s addition will certainly boost the team’s offense in the 2006/07 campaign, especially if he can return to his post-lockout form in a market where hockey isn’t the biggest thing in town. With Olli Jokinen at the top of his game, Nathan Horton and Stephen Weiss developing, and Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk still contributing, the Panthers should be able to improve on their low goal output (240) of the 05/06 season.
But, at the other end of the ice, will a tandem of Auld and Belfour be able to replace Luongo? Not likely. Auld had his moments for the Canucks last season, and Belfour has been able to bounce back in the past, but Luongo is one of the best in the game. The Panthers allowed only 257 goals last year, the lowest total in their division, but they gave up the second-most shots in the league. Without Luongo between the pipes in the upcoming season you can’t expect that goals-allowed number to do anything but go up.
And if goaltending does let Florida down, Keenan will get the blame no matter where he’s living or working. It won’t be his problem though. Immediately after Keenan’s departure the team announced that head coach Jacques Martin would take on the dual role of coach/GM, making him the only person in the league holding both portfolios. Martin has never held the post of general manager over the course of his NHL career.
Watch for more information about this move to come out of South Florida in the upcoming week. There had been speculation about a rift between old friends Keenan and Martin in the past - but they had both denied that their relationship was strained. Keenan became the team’s GM in May of 2004, and immediately hired the former Ottawa Senators boss and Jack Adams Trophy winner to step behind Florida’s bench.
Keenan began his NHL career as the head coach in Philadelphia in 1984, and he took the Flyers all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals twice (losing both times). He moved on to Chicago in 1988, the New York Rangers (and a Stanley Cup victory) in 1993, St. Louis in 1994, Vancouver in 1997, and Boston in 2000. Keenan became the coach of the Panthers in 2001, was fired from that job in 2003, but was later rehired as the team’s general manager. Keenan was also the GM in St. Louis, Vancouver and Boston.