Once upon a time -- way back in 1996 -- the Florida Panthers were third-year expansion darlings who made a stunning trip to the Stanley Cup finals, much to the delight of their plastic rat-throwing fans.

	2001-02 by the numbers
	Record: 22-44-10-6, 60 points (28th overall, 14th East, 4th Southeast) Goals for: 180/2.20 (27th overall) Goals against: 250/3.01 (27th overall) Differential: -70 (28th overall) 20-goal scorers: Kristian Huselius (23), Pavel Bure* (22) 50-point scorers: Sandis Ozolinsh (52) * - traded to N.Y. Rangers

Since then, however, the Panthers haven't won a playoff series. In fact, they've failed to qualify for the postseason in four of the last five seasons. The last two years have been particularly dismal for the Panthers, who were 44-82-23-15 in that span. Last season, only the Blue Jackets and Thrashers had fewer total points.

The awful on-ice product has caused more than a little turnover in the club's management. Since December 2000, Bryan Murray, Bill Torrey and Chuck Fletcher have held the title of general manager. On May 10, the club hired ex-Senators and Lightning GM Rick Dudley to replace Fletcher, who had replaced Torrey on Dec. 3, 2001.

Dudley inherits much-traveled head coach Mike Keenan, who is working behind his seventh NHL bench. Keenan replaced Duane Sutter on the same December day that Torrey got the axe. Sutter, who was rehired as the club's director of player development by Dudley in June, had taken over for Terry Murray less than a year earlier.

Florida's ownership group, which has had some in-fighting since purchasing the club in 2001, hopes Dudley and Keenan can restore some stability to the franchise.

The Panthers took a major step in rebuilding the team by dealing one-way, goal-scoring right winger Pavel Bure -- and his $10 million per season contract -- to the Rangers on the eve of league's March trading deadline. The move, which netted over-priced veteran defenseman Igor Ulanov, impressive junior defensive prospect Filip Novak and three draft picks, created mucho budget space for the club. How Dudley uses that extra money will go a long way in determining just how long it will take the Panthers regain their bite.

Looking at next season
First, the good news.

The Panthers return 23-year-old Roberto Luongo, a potential franchise goalie who stands among the best young puckstoppers in the game. Last season, night after night, Luongo gave the offensively-challenged Panthers a chance to compete. Amazingly, Luongo recorded an impressive .915 save percentage, a 2.77 goals-against average and four shutouts before suffering a season-ending ankle injury on March 20.

With Luongo in goal, Dudley only needs to construct a team around him.

The new GM started his work on the backline, trading for Leafs veteran Dmitri Yushkevich and Islanders prospect Branislav Mezei, signing free agent Sven Butenschon, and selecting highly touted prospect Jay Bouwmeester with the third overall pick in the 2002 draft.

Yushkevich, Mezei and Bouwmeester will battle for playing time among a group that includes offensive-minded (that is an understatement) Sandis Ozolinsh, Brad Ference, Lance Ward, Paul Laus, Lukas Krajicek, Ulanov and, perhaps, Novak.

Though more than two months remain until opening night, one thing is clear about the defensive corps -- Yushkevich and Ozolinsh will get a ton of ice time.

Of course, Dudley still has to sign Yushkevich, who came to South Florida (for the now-he's-retired, now-he's-not Robert Svehla) as a restricted free agent just one year away from unrestricted status. The GM will likely sign Yushkevich to a one-year deal with the hope that the Russian-born defender will enjoy playing in a sunny climate.

Certainly a player of Yushkevich's abilities and experience will help Bouwmeester during his rookie season. Because of his skating ability, Bouwmeester shouldn't be blown away by the speed of the NHL game. Still, he'll have a lot to learn. And, he'll be learning on the job. Hopefully, Dudley and Keenan will have patience with Bouwmeester. The Panthers, under old management, didn't have enough patience with young defensemen Ed Jovanovski and Rhett Warriner, who've blossomed in Vancouver and Buffalo, respectively.

Up front, Keenan is going to have to get a lot out of a little. Centers Viktor Kozlov, Olli Jokinen, Byron Ritchie, Ryan Johnson and recently-signed journeyman Jeff Toms don't scare anyone.

Both Dudley and Keenan will be hoping that 19-year-old center Steven Weiss, the club's top pick in the 2001 draft, can earn a roster spot in training camp. Weiss, who picked up two points in seven games late last season, impressed Dudley during the club's offseason camp for prospects. If Weiss can be the club's No. 2 center, behind Kozlov, that will be a big help. But, right now, it's just a big "if."

On the wings, the Panthers have a worldly group, which includes Russians Valeri Bure and Ivan Novoseltsev, Ukranian-born Denis Shvidki, Swedes Marcus Nilson and Kristian Huselius, and Finland's Niklas Hagman, as well as North Americans Peter Worrell, Pierre Dagenais, Eric Beaudoin.

The Panthers hope Bure can stay healthy and productive this season. Injuries limited him to just 31 games and eight goals last season, two years after scoring a career-high 35 goals for Calgary.

Huselius, 23, proved to be one of the few bright spots for the Panthers last season, scoring 23 goals and 45 points. More impressive may be his minus-4 rating, a decent finish for a rookie on a terrible team. For his efforts, Huselius finished third in the Calder Trophy voting behind Atlanta's super rookies Dany Heatley and Ilya Kovalchuk.

With Luongo, the Panthers will have a chance to win even when they don't play well. If they can generate some more offense (doubtful) and play better in their own zone (possible), they'll have a chance to compete for the final playoff spot in the East. Realistically, they'll likely miss the postseason for the third straight season. But, with some good young players and prospects in place, a return to the playoffs might not be too far down the road.