LUONGO

New general manager Rick Dudley eyed his team's 2.97 GAA -- a result of defensemen liking offense better -- and picked up defensemen Dmitry Yushkevich, Branislav Mezei, Sven Butenschon and highly touted draft pick Jay Bouwmeester. That'll make the Panthers a lot tougher … to spell, if nothing else. If the D-overhaul works, supergoalie-to-be Roberto Luongo will have an easier time taking care of business.

	The Big Question
	Q: What's the over/under on how long before the first trade is made? Florida's first trade will be made as soon as they lose patience with one of their defensemen. The Panthers No. 1 pick, ???, has had a very good camp. It looks like he's going to stick. But they've been disappointed in Brad Ference and Lance Ward throughout training camp. They've got three veterans and three young guys. Mike Keenan has always had a tendency to lean towards veteran players and if some of the younger guys aren't ready, Florida won't fall behind the eight ball and not make a deal until December. Keenan is an aggressive manager, if things aren't going well early, I can see him making a deal soon. He'll make sure that team stays competitive as the young guys develop experience. -- Ray Ferraro
	Good: While you can't tell from his wins total, Roberto Luongo turned in a solid campaign in goal. While we don't expect the Panthers to win a ton, Luongo's 2001-02 save percentage might be a harbinger of all-around numbers to come. Bad: Three seasons removed from a 53-assist season, Viktor Kozlov has disappointed since then. The main problem for the the 6-5 Russian is health, which has caused him to play only 101 games the last two years. Another is the loss of Pavel Bure? Who is there to feed the puck to? -- Eric Karabell
	Top Prospect
	Denis Shvidki, RW Russian-born winger has size and speed, but his development slowed last year due to concussion problems. He needs a solid season at this level to regain his confidence.
	Minors Outlook
	San Antonio Rampage After an AHL hiatus brought on by a disastrous stint in Louisville, the Panthers are going to try another city with a sketchy hockey history. No ones is sure what to expect, but the most recent similar story was the Islanders in Bridgeport last year, and they made it to the Calder Cup finals. -- Bill Ballou

Forwards Part of the Panthers reasoning in trading away Pavel Bure was why pay a player $10 million when you don't have anyone to play with him. That about says it all. Valeri Bure played just 31 games last season because of a knee injury. Kristian Huselius, who will miss the start of the season after injuring his knee in the first training camp session, and Niklas Hagman are promising young talents. Stephen Weiss, picked fourth overall in 2001, has been compared to Steve Yzerman, but it's too early to know what to expect. With Viktor Kozlov and Olli Jokinen as the most experienced centers returning, and with Mike Keenan behind the bench, you get the feeling you'll be seeing plenty of recently acquired wingers Jim Campbell and Stephane Matteau-Matteau-Matteau, who is a leading candidate to be named captain. Eastern Conference Position Ranking: 15th Defensemen Trading the rights of Robert Svehla for Dmitry Yushkevich could turn out to be the team's best trade in recent memory, provided the hard-nosed former Leaf is clear of the blood clot in his leg. Yushkevich and offensive-minded Sandis Ozolinsh are a solid NHL combination. Unfortunately, with a 50-50 chance that Paul Laus will return -- ever -- there is little depth. Jay Bouwmeester (19, think Pronger and Coffey), the third overall pick in this summer's draft, and Lukas Krajicek (19, think offense) are wild cards -- if they make the team they could see plenty of playing time. Eastern Conference Position Ranking: 11th Goalie For the first time in a long time, there isn't a goalie debate. Roberto Luongo owns the No. 1 job. After Pavel Bure was traded last season, he was the only reason for fans to keep showing up. Wade Flaherty is a decent backup, but if Luongo is sidelined for a significant amount of time, the Panthers are in trouble. Eastern Conference Position Ranking: 8th

Rankings: 13th Overall
Forwards | Defensemen | Goalies

RECORD: 22-44-10-6, 60 points Rank: 28th overall 14th East 4th Southeast Playoffs: None Home: 11-23-3-4 Road: 11-21-7-2 2001-02 results 2001-02 statistics 2002-03 schedule 2002-03 roster OFFENSE DEFENSE GOALS FOR/AVG. Overall: 180/2.20 (27th) Home: 96/2.34 (27th) Road: 84/2.05 (27th) POWER PLAY Overall: 14.7/50-341 (22nd) Home: 18.7/35-187 (5th) Road: 9.7/15-154 (30th) GOALS AGAINST/AVG. Overall: 250/3.05 (27th) Home: 131/3.20 (30th) Road: 119/2.90 (20th) PENALTY KILL Overall: 80.7/76-393 (29th) Home: 78.4/44-204 (29th) Road: 83.1/32-189 (19th) STATS LEADERS GOALS Kristian Huselius (23) Pavel Bure (22)* Marcus Nilson (14) ASSISTS Bure (27)* Huselius (23) Robert Svehla (21)* POINTS Bure (49)* Huselius (45) Nilson (32) PENALTY MINUTES Peter Worrell (352) Brad Ference (254) Jason Wiemer (178) PLUS/MINUS Darren Van Impe (+3)* Paul Laus (+1) 4 tied (0) GAA (MIN. 20 GP) Roberto Luongo (2.77) SAVE PERCENTAGE Luongo (.915) * - no longer with team