He got very unlucky, no injuries to our LD throughout the whole season, so never a real chance to prove himself again. OTOH Zito clearly did not risk to lose him through waivers, a good thing I guess (?)
Confirmed with Link: Panthers sign defenseman Uvis Balinskis to 1-year ELC (23-24)
- Thread starter batting1k
- Start date
GX
Registered User
- Dec 28, 2011
- 938
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Balinskis interview in a nutshell:
- Talks began already in October, Florida was following him the entire year
- His agent had been approached by other NHL teams, yet Balinskis personally only had talked with Florida
- Believes it is his best moment to attempt to make it to the NHL
sportacentrs.com
- Talks began already in October, Florida was following him the entire year
- His agent had been approached by other NHL teams, yet Balinskis personally only had talked with Florida
- Believes it is his best moment to attempt to make it to the NHL
Balinskis: "Ar Floridu sarunas sÄkÄs oktobrÄ«. ViÅi sekoja lÄ«dzi visu sezonu"
"VÄl pirms pÄris mÄneÅ¡iem neticÄju, ka tas ir iespÄjams." Ventspilnieks par NHL lÄ«gumu
sportacentrs.com
Krispy
Registered User
Best Czech Extraleague defenseman award: Hokejistou sezony je Sedlák! Mistr TELH získal čtyři individuální ceny, Furch dvě | Hokej.cz - web českého hokeje
GermanPanther
Foundation Defense
ProjectPanthers
Podcast discussing the Florida Panthers
I've watched what I can, his -2 came in the Canada game in which they lost 6-0.
He's Latvia's #1 d-man at this tournament and is playing about 20 minutes a game. Unfortunately they don't have much of a team at this year's tournament so offense is very hard to come by for anyone, but they did have an impressive 4-3 win over the Czechs yesterday.
They have upcoming games against Norway tomorrow, Slovakia on Friday and Kazakhstan on Sunday, all those teams are much more in the wheelhouse for Latvia so maybe more of his game can come out and shine in an even playing field.
Last edited:
lakai17
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- Aug 10, 2006
- 20,929
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Congrats on goal #1 in the NHL a few games ago!
Chaos2k7
Believe!
He is good enough to play no doubt, but he is going to be pushed out of the lineup here shortly.
TheImpatientPanther
Registered User
He could be the #6/7 option if Mahura prices himself out or looks for bigger role somewhere else.
Otherwise, he may be collecting frequent air miles between AHL/NHL since he doesn't need to clear waivers until next season.
Been impressive so far, plays to his role of defensive D but will join the rush or pinch to keep play in OZ. Happy to see him net his first goal, his post game interview shows how much it meant to him and his family.
WaitingForThatCab
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He's clearly an NHL caliber defenseman, but it's hard for me to predict how the Panthers D corps is going to look next year, given that Montour/Forsling need to be re-signed and I think they are going to look at moving Ekblad.
Two4Fighting
Registered User
- Oct 17, 2007
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Mahura will be gone and he will be the 6-7 defenseman, from what I have seen so far, he has the potential to be better than that, but for now, he is still in the process of adjusting to the NHL, he has better tools than a 6-7 defenseman.
BabyBennettov
Registered User
He has looked great ! I’m so much rooting for him !
Problem is… Mahura has been here longer and so reliable, Mikkola has the contract and size, OEL has the pedigree and production, Kulikov is the coach’s and the fans’ favorite, while Forsling is probably our best defenseman…
The battle will be incredible !!
Problem is… Mahura has been here longer and so reliable, Mikkola has the contract and size, OEL has the pedigree and production, Kulikov is the coach’s and the fans’ favorite, while Forsling is probably our best defenseman…
The battle will be incredible !!
Dread Clawz
LAWSonic Boom
CHGoalie27
Don't blame the goalie!
The consensus seems to have been he's obviously name number 1 on the sit list, but I don't dislike him whatsoever.
Mahura I defend to the death for how he proved himself for us. I don't know if mgmt feels the same way, but past Ek Goose and Montour, it's his spot to lose to either of OEL or Kuli.
The best news is we got some real damn good trade bait, if necessary, yessir ::spits, wipes chin with sleeve::
Monty
Fors
OEL
Mikk
Ek
Balls
Kuli
Mahu
That’s my order from most to least important in the D group.
Fors
OEL
Mikk
Ek
Balls
Kuli
Mahu
That’s my order from most to least important in the D group.
TotalHomer
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- Jan 3, 2022
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I think Ek is going to have a monster year if he can stay healthy. You can't take Mikkola over him, come on
He would look great on the second pair.
Zito is a godsend transforming this defense, cant pinpoint any serious weakness in that group, feels so good after not having much for so long
Too bad that we will lose OEL for sure if he continues playing like he did so far. Just not enough cash around except if Zito performs a miracle with Ek and/or Bob. Bals would be the one having the potential to fill OEL's spot in his 2nd NHL year
bobs contract hurts bad but if he keeps locking it in the playoffs thats somewhat ok.
Hope they can do something with Ekblad, but yeah regardless i think OEL is gonna get a nice retirement contract somewhere else, however at least this year we look solid. Gonna be worrisome next year with all these one year deals though, although i thought the same this year.
Maybe, OEL is making 2 Mil+ a year from the Canucks for a bit, that could help us in negotiations. Especially if it continues.
Two4Fighting
Registered User
- Oct 17, 2007
- 1,221
- 701
Two4Fighting
Registered User
- Oct 17, 2007
- 1,221
- 701
Had Zito given EK a multi-year, he would have been given "Man of the year" award here. Ek is gonna bounce so hard out of Florida while pushing a wheelbarrow full of millions into his bank account.
BabyBennettov
Registered User
Could see him sign a 3/3.5M per year for three years with us…
OEL and Zito both talked about how WINNING is the only thing of interest for Oliver.
At this time of his career, being aware of his club situation (Montour and Forsling to extend), OEL strikes me as the anti-Giroux kind of guy… Meaning being willing to accept a lesser offer just to stay with us !
One comment about Balinskis. When training camp started, it took a while before I heard anything about the guy and then he was skipped over the first couple of preseason games. When he did play, he showed some poise and willingness to jump on offense too. TBH, he’s taken me by surprise. In a good way. Great job by the scouts/Zito.
I think in the modern NHL, mobile Dmen with offensive instincts are the winning type at least in the regular season. But Balls seems to have some toughness to mix it up too, so I’ve got high hopes for him for playoffs too. He’s a bit like Monty in that respect.
I think in the modern NHL, mobile Dmen with offensive instincts are the winning type at least in the regular season. But Balls seems to have some toughness to mix it up too, so I’ve got high hopes for him for playoffs too. He’s a bit like Monty in that respect.
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