On the Florida Panthers …
Harvey Fialkov: Hearing the Panthers are not interested in bringing Jiri Hudler back.
Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel: The 44-year old Jaromir Jagr led the Panthers in scoring with 66 points this past season. Jagr hopes to be back with the Panthers next year.
“I just talked to him and he wants to come back,” Tallon said. “Time will tell. I’m sure we’ll come to an agreement of some sort. It’s a win-win for all of us. He’s been great.”
Jagr reached most of bonuses and ended up making close to $5 million.
“We’ll see what happens. My agent will talk to Dale,” said Jagr, who notched two assists in the series. “Of course, I had a great year. I’m just very upset about the playoffs. I didn’t play it for three years, and sometimes it’s just the confidence.”
AP in ESPN: The Panthers are not expecting Willie Mitchell back next season, and a close friend thinks his career will be over due to concussions. GM Dale Tallon said he’ll sit down and talk with Mitchell about his future.
“When I first talked to him and found out what was going on with him, we got a good cry,” said Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad, an All-Star in each of his two NHL seasons to date. “It’s a tough thing for a player. Everyone experiences it at some point, that point where you can’t play anymore. … Willie’s really lucky to have had such a great career and do so many great things.”
On the Ottawa Senators …
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: After being fired by the Ducks, Bruce Boudreau is near or at the top of the Senators candidate list. They have already interviewed Mike Yeo.
The Senators will likely ask the Ducks permission to talk with Boudreau. The Wild might be interested as well.
Other Senators candidates could include Guy Boucher, Marc Crawford, Kevin Dineen, Brad Shaw, John Stevens and Randy Carlyle. It’s not known if the Kings would allow teams to speak with Stevens.
