PANTHERS: 3 QUESTIONS FOR 2011-2012

There was a sidebar in the Panthers 30-in-30 article titled "3 Questions for 2011-2012", and it highlighed goaltending.

1. Were all the moves made this offseason the right moves for the team?All of the Panthers moves were made in an effort to push the team back into the postseason for the first time since 2000. Without a doubt, Florida improved its team on paper, but will it be enough to make it a top-eight team in the Eastern Conference remains to be seen, especially with the loss of goalie Tomas Vokoun.

2. How will the team's goaltending fare?Although the team seemed to improve on forward and defense, Florida lost one of the top goalies in the League in Vokoun. His replacement, Jose Theodore, now on his fourth team in the past five seasons. In the four seasons, Theodore's teams have made the postseason three times. Theodore will be pushed by Scott Clemmensen, Vokoun's understudy in Florida.

3. Will Florida be able to improve its goals output?The Panthers' 2.33 goals per game ranked 28th the NHL last season. Although none of the acquisitions Florida made are most likely game changers on their own, the increased depth of the roster should facilitate goal scoring and help push the team toward a playoff spot.

-- Greg Picker
Carol's addition:
I have noticed that in all I read about the Panthers' upcoming season, the biggest doubt people have is goaltending. And that really bothers me. I understand that Vokoun is an outstanding goalie. I get that. But José is no slouch. And just because he's been on 4 different teams in the past 5 seasons doesn't reflect his skill, or lack thereof. It reflects the nature of free agency and the environment of goaltending in today's NHL. I forsee José doing great things in Florida. He proved the past couple seasons that he's still an excellent goalie. He just needs the opportunity to show that. He needs a coach that will have confidence in him and allow him to play stretches of games so he can get in a groove, even if he has a bad game in there.

I look forward to José proving all the doubters wrong!