Panthers add speed, size and goalies
SUNRISE — Panthers general manager Dale Tallon was beaming with satisfaction after the NHL draft concluded Saturday afternoon at the BB&T Center, particularly about the, “home run,’’ he hit in the first round when gritty, goal-scoring left wing Lawson Crouse surprisingly dropped into his lap at No. 11.
But although Tallon addressed his pre-draft positional needs by selecting two teenage goalies with two of his eight remaining picks, one sensed that he struck out in his attempt to fortify the net in the immediate future when the Oilers beat him to the punch in acquiring Rangers blossoming backup goalie Cam Talbot.
The Oilers, who already struck it rich with overall No. 1 pick center Connor McDavid, sent three draft picks (57, 79 and 184) to the Rangers for the 209th pick and Talbot, who helped New York win the Presidents’ Trophy (most points in the regular season) when he stepped in for injured starter Henrik Lundqvist and posted a 21-9-4 mark with a 2.21 goals-against-average.
“We identified a lot of our needs, speed, scoring, sand-papaper as they say, size and we got a little bit of everything in this draft,’’ Tallon said. “We were one of the finalists in the Talbot deal. It came down to the wire between us and Edmonton but I think they probably wanted him to go out west more than they wanted us to play against them. We tried hard to make the deal.’’
According to the New York Post, the Panthers offered restricted free agent forward
Jimmy Hayes and draft picks as part of the package towards Talbot. Hayes scored a career-high 19 goals last season and his younger brother Kevin plays for the Rangers.
It didn’t help Tallon’s cause to not own a secondround pick. Including Talbot, seven NHL goalies changed addresses Saturday: Vancouver’s Eddie Lack, Senators’ Robin Lehner, Kings’ Martin Jones, Sharks’ Antti Niemi and Hurricanes’ Anton Khudobin. A team source said the Panthers also inquired about Ducks’ backup netminder John Gibson.
Tallon made it clear that his dogged pursuit of Talbot, who’s 27 and has one more year at $1.45 million, had nothing to do with a lack of confidence in starting goalie Roberto Luongo, 36. The same can’t be said about backup Al Montoya, who has one more year left on his contract, but is coming off an inconsistent season in which he went 6-7-2 with a 3.01 GAA and .892 save percentage.
“We want Montoya to come back and play well but we’re looking at [Luongo’s] heir apparent,’’ Tallon said. “This has nothing to do with [Luongo], but about shoring up our future and Lou handing off the baton.’’
Tallon may search for a goalie when free agency begins on Thursday as the list of available under-30 netminders will include Jake Allen, Jhonas Enroth, Jonathan Bernier and Braden Holtby.
Once the deal fell through, Tallon selected 6-foot-3 goalie Samuel Montembeault with his first pick in the third round (77th) and later added 6-4 Johnstown (NAHL) goalie Ryan Bedard. Whereas Bedard is at least five years away and will attend Bowling Green in 2016, Montembeault, 18, was ranked third among North American goalies by Central Scouting. So he could be fast-tracked after another year in the QMJHL and one in the AHL before joining the Panthers.
“He’s big, athletic, competitive, plays the puck real well, good rebound control,’’ Panthers scouting director Scott Luce said. “He’s got a lot of upside.’’
Montembeault hopes to follow in a long line of NHL goalies from Quebec, including former Panther Jose Theodore and Luongo.
Montembeault, who posted a 2.59 GAA for Armada last season to go with a team-record 33 wins.
“I grew up watching Roberto and he’s one of my favorites,’’ said Montembeault through a thick French accent.
The Panthers added to their stable of young, tall defensemen by taking 6-3 Thomas Schemitsch at No. 88. He’ll return to Owen Sound (OHL) where the converted center notched 14 goals and 35 assists.
“It’s a dream come true,’’ said Schemitsch, whose brother Geoffrey was drafted by the Lightning in 2010. Tallon said his fourth-round pick, 5-8 center Denis Malgin from Zurich, could be, “the sleeper of the draft.’’
“I saw him play in the under-19 championships in Switzerland and he was a dominant player every time he was on the ice,’’ Tallon said.
The Panthers traded their first fifth-round pick to the Islanders for their 5th-round pick in 2016.