In Short Time, Dale Tallon Revitalizes Florida Panthers

by Christopher Botta

Filed under: Panthers, NHL Draft

LOS ANGELES -- On the sheer force of one man's charisma, determination and ability, the Florida Panthers are back in business in the National Hockey League. It this wasn't clear before last weekend, brand new general manager Dale Tallon proved it at the draft in Los Angeles.

"This should be a fun game," Tallon said on the floor of the Staples Center in Los Angeles after the draft on Saturday afternoon. "We're in the entertainment business. If you can't have fun playing or being part of hockey, something's wrong with you. Now, how do you have fun? By working together and winning. That's how we're going to do it. Let's enjoy it."

To get started, the GM had some house-cleaning to do over the weekend. Tallon shipped out Nathan Horton, a skilled young forward who didn't want to be part of his revitalization project, along with the $14 million owed to him the next three years. He relinquished a commitment of another three years and more than $12 million to defenseman Keith Ballard.

By getting rid of Horton and Ballard -- "Out of necessity," he called it -- Tallon may not have made his team better for 2010-11, but he set the table for a strong rebuild while setting the stage for the brand of hockey he wants for South Florida. "I saw a lot of our games last season," said Tallon, who has a residence in the state. "We were too easy to play against. That's going to end."

 

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