Joe Nieuwendyk News

Offseasons are marked one constant -- change. That held true with management, coaches, players, philosophies, you name it; everything was up for audit this summer.

Wade Belak would welcome the addition of Bryan McCabe to the Panthers. Why stop at Bryan McCabe? Why not bring a few more Maple Leafs down to the Sunshine State with him, Wade Belak asked last night? "Caber ...

So exactly what is Mike Vernon going to do for the Lightning? He will be based in Calgary, where he was a star goalie for all those years and won the 1989 Stanley Cup title.

The Panthers secured forward Anthony Stewart for one more year Wednesday and also added a pair to their coaching staff.

Stewart, 23, accepted the team's qualifying offer and will have another chance to shed his underachiever label.

The Panthers' first-round pick (25th overall) in the 2003 draft, the Toronto native has five points in 46 career NHL games. He was recalled from the AHL eight times last season and posted one assist and a minus-1 rating in 26 total games with the Panthers.

General Manager Jacques Martin said Stewart, whose NHL salary last season was $600,000, was retained as a restricted free agent because 'we've spent a lot of money and time with Anthony and it's our benefit if he succeeds.' Martin, who has criticized Stewart's fitness and commitment in the past, said Stewart is moving to South Florida to work with a personal trainer.

Forward Anthony Stewart accepted the Panthers' one-year qualifying offer on Wednesday.

Joe Nieuwendyk, pictured as player with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2004, has returned to the team as a special assistant to the general manager.

The makeup of the Leafs' roster came further into focus yesterday with the acquisition of 24-year-old Mikhail Grabovski, who could be one of two new faces the club will have at centre come opening night in ...

No sign yet of Bob Gainey, Arcade Fire or even Youppi in a delegation of Montreal celebs winging to Stockholm to sell Mats Sundin on the city.

Panthers General Manager Jacques Martin said todaythat he has received permission to speak with former Toronto coach Paul Maurice about the vacant Florida coaching job.

Former Stars GM Doug Armstrong, left, is expected to chat with the Maple Leafs. It doesn't appear the Toronto Maple Leafs are any closer to hiring a new general manager, but the process is heating up.

Key jobs in the Maple Leafs' new front office, including a head coach, might be chosen by the old guard before the next general manager is hired.

More than seven weeks have passed since the Toronto Maple Leafs last played a hockey game, but there's barely been a day when the team hasn't found itself in the news in Canada's largest media market.

Toronto Maple Leafs interim GM Cliff Fletcher has confirmed reports that he is interested in adding Joe Nieuwendyk and Doug Armstrong to the club's new management team.

Sources tell TSN the Toronto Maple Leafs have been shutdown by yet another team in their quest to rebuild management.

When new Vancouver GM Mike Gillis hired former Panther captain Scott Mellanby as a consultant last week, the move didn't make many waves outside of northwest Canada.

Tuesday's announcement that Jacques Martin will return as GM was a good start to the offseason for the Panthers. via The Palm Beach Post

“I've talked with the ownership and I'll stay on as the general manager”

Jacques Martin will return as the Florida Panthers ' general manager. Another bad move Nice job by the Florida Panthers to further deepen their hold on "worst-run franchise" in the NHL honors. via ESPN

“I haven't slammed Alan Cohen. I haven't slammed Jacques Martin”

The Panthers aren't sure yet whether Jacques Martin will return as general manager, but they know Joe Nieuwendyk won't be back.

Nieuwendyk, who was hired as special assistant to the general manager last summer, told the Sun-Sentinel in a telephone interview Friday afternoon that he resigned this week.

An Internet report by TSN, citing anonymous sources, claimed Nieuwendyk was 'extremely disillusioned' with the direction the franchise is going in.

Nieuwendyk said that's not true, and cautioned that people should not look 'too deep into' his decision. Read more

“Right now I'm in a good situation because of my contract”

In yet another strange turn of events for a franchise that has had more than its share of them, Panthers majority owner Alan Cohen in effect yanked both the coaching and general manager jobs away from Jacques ... via Palm Beach Post

Jacques Martin shouldn't buy any real estate in Florida in the next couple of months. via London Free Press