Sunrise, Florida: It was a busy Tuesday afternoon for Panthers GM IronMike. He and his staff put the finishing touches on the 2012-2013 Florida Panthers and Jacksonville Jokers rosters.
Signing with the Panthers are two veterans, Mike Knuble and Craig Rivet. Obviously the first round exit last season did not sit well with Panthers top brass. The players acquired today bring recent playoff experience into the room. Both players will provide depth, leadership and experience to the Panthers club. Rivet played last season for Montreal and appeared in ten playoff games, scoring two points while being a plus-three.
Mike Knuble last season played in Detroit where he was part of a deep playoff run with the Red Wings. Playing in 16 playoff games for Detroit, Knuble chipped in two goals in a checking role.
"We see a fit for Mike on our third and fourth lines," explained the GM. "We lost two forwards and bringing in Whitney for scoring and Knuble for checking addresses that concern."
As for Rivet, the GM was quite excited to bring someone with his pedigree to South Florida. "Our plan was to stay away from the free agent defenders, we thought the talent was good but we also knew the bidding would be fierce," said IronMike. "Craig was our only target, outside of bringing back Ranger, and i'm thrilled that we signed a player of his caliber. He helps in so many different ways, moving the puck and defending while being great in the room."
The farm club also got a jolt of new blood today when the Jokers announced the signing of a pair of players. Nathan Paetsch joins the team on defense after skating for Wilkes Barre-Scranton last season. "Nathan skates very well and will bring some toughness to our blue-line," said the GM.
The club also signed Eric Nystrom to a multi-year deal. The 29 year-old Nystrom is the youngest of the players signed today. He was in the Ottawa Senators system last season and gets a fresh start to his career in Florida.
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