SUNRISE — The next few days will be very busy for the Florida Panthers after winning the Stanley Cup on Monday.
The NHL Draft starts Friday, free agency on Monday.
One week after capturing the Stanley Cup – and just a day after the victory parade — some may not be Panthers anymore.
Eleven players become unrestricted free agents on July 1st.
One soon-to-be team dilemma will be to designate the names to be engraved on the Stanley Cup.
The rules for player inclusion are pretty specific, although the league has a procedure for bending the rules when conditions warrant.
The team is entitled to 52 names engraved on the Cup.
That includes players, trainers, coaches, hockey operations, and front office staff.
For a skater to qualify for his name on the Cup, he must have played in a minimum of 41 regular-season games or one game in the Stanley Cup Final.
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This can be problematic for players who were frequently healthy scratches but were integral to the team.
Steven Lorentz spent much of the season as a healthy scratch but will get his name on the Cup. He played in 38 regular season games but appeared in three games in the Cup Final.
On the other hand, Josh Mahura, who played 82 games last season and all of the playoff games, was unable to get back in the lineup after an early-season injury and did not appear in the playoffs.
Under normal circumstances, his name would not be on the Cup; however, there is an exception.
Mahura was shy of the minimum with only 30 regular-season games, but if a player spends the entire season with the team but is out injured, he is entitled to the honor of having his name engraved on the Cup.
There is a fine line here because, technically, he was only out injured for 13 games and was a healthy scratch for the others.
The league might not consider him eligible, but the Panthers could petition for his inclusion.
Jonah Gadjovich, who was so valuable early in the season, is at a much closer 39 games, and Uvis Balinskis and William Lockwood each played 26 games.
None appeared in the playoffs.
The situation here is a little trickier because all three spent time in the minors.
Gadjovich played only three games with Charlotte as a conditioning assignment after missing the first 14 games due to injury. Like Mahura, this could qualify him without a special request, but it is subject to league review.
Balinskis and Lockwood spent most of the season in the AHL.
The Panthers would have to petition the league for their names to be included in the engraving.
The rules for goaltenders are naturally different, so Anthony Stolarz’s name would be on the Cup without question.
A backup goalie must dress for 41 regular season games or appear in the finals.
It’s a moot issue for Stolarz because he appeared in one game in the final round.
Mackie Samoskevich, Justin Sourdif, Tobias Bjornfot, and Spencer Knight were around to enjoy the celebration but do not qualify to have their names on the Cup.
Hey, there is always next year.
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