Vinnie Viola and Doug Cifu said they have “no plans or intention” to move the team even though the Panthers and their arena, BB&T Center, have lost “tremendous amounts” of money.
They pointed to the acquisition of goalie Roberto Luongo and his hefty contract, as well as a bunch of free-agent signings, as signs of commitment to the market. In fact, capgeek.com lists the Cats’ payroll as 17th in the NHL at $64.4 million. Impressive, given the club finished 29th in average attendance last season, ahead of only the Coyotes.
“We look forward to a winning season and bringing a Stanley Cup to South Florida,” they wrote (via Kukla’s Korner). The Panthers were 29-45-8 last season and finished 15th in the 16-team East, ahead of only the abysmal Sabres. They’ve made the playoffs once since 2000; they got there three times in their first seven seasons.
