Hockey fans who would like to see defenceman Jay Bouwmeester in their city should keep a close eye on him and the Florida Panthers this season. The Edmonton native, who turns 26 in four days, rejected a contract extension from the Panthers in the summer in favour of a one-year deal, which would make him a free agent at the end of the season.
Your agent happened to be at the Panthers training camp last weekend (for a Bryan McCabe column) and caught Bouwmeester's first public statements since he turned down the extension. While Bouwmeester was diplomatic enough to imply he has an open mind about re-upping with the Panthers, depending on how you parse his statements, he made it clear the team has to improve for him to stick around.
“You're always starting from scratch,” Bouwmeester said of the constant player changes with the Panthers, who have never made the playoffs in his five NHL seasons. “It's tough. If you don't make the playoffs, it will be a tough decision. We'll see.”
There were lots more changes this year, too, although Bouwmeester will be the top dog on a much-improved defence. Coming south along with McCabe were Nick Boynton and Keith Ballard.
Bouwmeester seemed to like the additions but he wants to see how the season plays out before he makes up his mind. Under NHL rules, he and the Panthers cannot start negotiating a new contract until January 1.
“It's got to be a good situation,” he said. “If you're going to sign long-term, you have to make sure it's good for you and your family. This summer, with all the changes, I wasn't sure what was going on.”
Bouwmeester has talked about going to a city where hockey is the No. 1 sport, but Toronto Maple Leafs fans better not get any ideas. The Panthers' former Leafs, McCabe and Wade Belak, did not give Bouwmeester a glowing report on Leafland.
“You go to some markets where it's just ridiculous,” Bouwmeester said. “The guys from Toronto can tell you about that, how everything gets blown out of proportion.
“That's no fun. So, anywhere you go, there are pros and cons. It doesn't make a whole lot of difference.”
