More on the Panthers
	Team page '00-01 Schedule '99-00 Results '99-00 Roster '99-00 Team stats Message board

As teams determine which players to retain -- and which ones they want to sign via free agency -- ESPN.com looks at the Panthers. We briefly review '99-00 and the stellar year Pavel Bure had, along with the bitterness of a first-round sweep to the evential Cup-winning Devils. Then, there's the question of what must happen for the Panthers to win the Southeast Division and see more playoff success.

Season Review: Russian Rocket sputters in playoffs

	Bure

With 58 goals in 74 games, Pavel Bure showed the NHL that he's worth every penny of his $8 million a year. And when he was in the lineup, the Panthers were always a threat. Florida couldn't win consistently enough to fend off Washington for first in the Southeast; however, a 98-point season is impressive. That is, until the playoffs are factored in. The Devils held Bure to one goal, and no one picked up the slack for the Panthers, begging a major question: Is Bure the whole team?

If a positive outlook is taken, the answer is a resounding, "No." Ray Whitney scored 29 goals and had 70 points en route to an All-Star appearance. Viktor Kozlov assisted on most of Bure's goals. Whether he should receive credit for all of them is up for debate, but his talent isn't. Scott Mellanby and Mark Parrish produced consistently, so there seemed to be an ample amount of weapons.

Unfortunately, they didn't pick Bure up at the most crucial time.

In goal, the Panthers had two solid veterans in Mike Vernon (2.63 GAA, .919 save percentage) and Trevor Kidd (2.63, .915). But when Kidd returned from a freak shoulder injury -- which prompted Vernon's acquisition in the first place -- both wanted to be the No. 1 goalie. Vernon started all four playoff games, but going with one clear starter didn't help much.

Open Market: Already heating up down South
Any offseason talk must begin with the draft when the Panthers acquired goalie prospect Roberto Luongo, who before the Islanders picked Rick DiPietro had been the highest drafted goalie ever. Luongo has star potential, and with Vernon gone, Florida has a formidable tandem in Luongo and Kidd. Then, the Panthers added another Russian player, aging but savvy Igor Larionov.

	FREE AGENCY
	Key unsigned free agents: Ray Whitney, Rob Niedermayer, Peter Worrell, Ray Sheppard Signings/offseason acquisitions: Igor Larionov, Roberto Luongo

Of course, Parrish and Oleg Kvasha were lost in the frenzy, but to get talent, some is always given up. Parrish and his 50 goals in two seasons will be missed, but if Larionov can be the playmaker he was when on his game in Detroit, the Panthers are a better team.

The big issue with restricted free agents is left wing Ray Whitney. Coming off a career year, he is asking for about $1 million more than the Panthers want to pay him. That had holdout written all over it until Whitney filed for arbitration, assuring his presence in camp. However, locking him up for either two or four years, as has been reported, would be good because stability will only help Whitney. If Ray Sheppard was a bargain, bringing him back can only help; he actually played pretty well the latter half of the season.

After that, the most glaring need may be on the blue line, a unit Vernon once said allowed too many open chances on him. Whether or not that was sour grapes, acquiring another solid defenseman would be smart. Unfortunately, there aren't many out there and most NHL teams also could use one. Garry Galley or Mathieu Schneider could be decent fits at the right price.

How to improve: Start ruling the road
The Panthers may not be on the cusp of winning the Cup, but they're closer to that goal than they are of falling out of playoff contention. More balanced scoring is one place to begin, and it will be interesting to see whether it's Larionov or Kozlov who plays with Bure.

A team issue is playing on the road. The Panthers were five games below .500 on the road, and a few wins away from home would have been enough to win the division. Of course, in the East, that doesn't seem to be a huge edge in the playoffs. The larger component of that issue is that the Southeast remains relatively weak. If the Panthers beat up on the conference cream puffs and go .500 against the Devils of the world, they'll be in the running all season.

Brian A. Shactman is the NHL Editor for ESPN.com.