Steeger at least two months away from playing
 

This was GRs tweet today:

GeorgeRichards: #FlaPanthers Kris Versteeg said he wouldn't be ready for training camp anyway, could be 2 months away from playing after hip surgery

Its going to be tough to start the season w/out Steeger and Gudbranson, so Im kinda hoping the season starts a bit later. With the lack of scoring already, losing Steeger for that time period puts us in a big whole. Its imperative that we start the season like we did last year, and the slow starts we were accustom to.

The Lockout may be a lifeline for the Panthers Playoff hopes considering the injuries. By the way, I think the lockout may last a long time and we could lose the whole season if rumors of the NHLPA going all in after the NHL locks them out and demanding the end of the Salary Cap. Fehr does have a point in saying the one professional sport that has avoided a work stoppage over the last two decades is Baseball, which doesn't have a Cap. Heavy luxury taxes on the Big Spending teams with the money collected going to the low revenue teams would serve the same purpose as a Cap and revenue sharing.

I think the lose of a cap would be devistating to a team like the Florida Panthers. Plain and simple, we do not have the money to go against the heavy spenders. Baseball is a poor example because the revenue difference between the two leagues is night and day. The NHL needs a salary cap, period.

Wow, 7 months to recover from the surgery? He had it done at the start of May so I guess he had a setback or it was a little more serious than I thought.

Disagree if the luxury tax is heavy enough. Cap really means nothing. See Wade Redden making almost $7mil a year playing in the AHL.

I actually love the cap. I think it separates hockey from all other sports in terms of competitiveness. MLB is the same few teams every year (although that's slowly changing), and some teams have nearly 30 year playoff droughts. NBA is a joke, 5 team league vs. 25 team D-league. NFL, I love, but it really is the same teams for a while now.

In hockey, you never know what's going to happen (Kings anyone?). I just love the parity. I hope the cap stays.

Thing is, there is a Cap in name only because teams like the Rangers can bury players in the AHL without them counting towards the Cap. Would rather have overpaid players like Redden playing for the Rangers and NY being doubly penalized by being taxed with the money collected going to teams like Florida. The wealthy teams want a Cap because there are always a way around it where they can continue to spend but not share their wealth with low revenue teams.

What does that have to do with the Cap though? NBA and NFL have a cap too...

Correct, only Sport without a Cap, Baseball, which also has been the only sport without a work stoppage in 20 years.

Not a hard cap in the NBA. That's a huge difference. The NFL's is pretty high but the implementing of it has definitely seen parity grow.

baseball seems to be dominated by the teams that pay the luxury tax, ie. yankees, boston,etc. i think we need a hard cap for parity and an even playing field!

Well then, lockout till November/December is fine with me. Lol

wow were already ****ed and we haven't even seen a sheet of ice. Im not sure which is more depressing the prospect of a lockout or the prospect of this team playing without steeger or guds.

That's actually not true at all.

noooo I want hockey at all costs !

I think this team could start the season short Guds and Versteeg. We've got a little more depth, and it's a good chance to see a couple of the minor league prospects in real game action.

Pissed at the lockout just 8 years after the last one.:rant:

I dont want to lose a single game of NHL hockey, but the Panthers would be a team that benefits if time is lost. It gives our golden pool of prospects to more to time develop, without the team potentially not doing so well on the NHL level (which is what i think would happen if we were to play). This year would be looking like a "bridging" year, we may not have to go through it.

I repeat, dont want to lose a second of play, just throwing something out there.

I agree with this. Nobody want's a lockout. But if there is a bright side for the Panthers it's prospects getting more time to develop and the fact that we have key injuries. But that being said, I want to start the season Oct. 13, raising the banner, Huberdeau in the lineup, and so on.

While it's good for a young team like ours, it's bad in terms of momentum of a fan base. Coming off such an exciting season, the casual South Florida observer knows who we are finally. Now they'll turn away again with the lockout.

However, if we've learned anything, they'll be back when we start winning again.

Interesting thing is that Versteeg will not be locked out, i.e. he will get his salary, at least during the treatment. Injury happened during the last season.

JOL

anyone know why it's taking so long for steeger to heal? any complications? i thought he would be available for the start of the season and it was a routine procedure.