The NHL Panthers' front office is "getting a bit of a shakeup," and Tom Rowe, who was "brought in as the team's associate general manager in late December," will be the new GM, according to George Richards of the MIAMI HERALD. Dale Tallon, the team's GM since '10 who signed a three-year contract extension through '19, "will remain with the organization atop the hockey operations department" as President. Eric Joyce, who served as GM of the Panthers' AHL affiliate Portland Pirates last year, will be "promoted to one of two assistant general manager positions." Steve Werier, who was VP/Legal & Business Affairs and "specializes in contracts and the salary cap ... will be the other." The Panthers were "leaning toward changing their management structure as the season came to a close because the team wants to incorporate more mathematical analysis when it comes to making roster decisions." Tallon will "still have a say in how the Panthers are built moving forward, although now Rowe, Joyce and Werier will have more of a say than before" (MIAMI HERALD, 5/8). THE HOCKEY NEWS' Jared Clinton wrote the "most surprising thing about the changes" could be that they "come so soon after Tallon signed a long-term extension." While those who have followed Tallon’s career "may get the feeling that this is eerily reminiscent" of the Blackhawks’ front-office shakeup prior to the '09-10 season that saw Tallon replaced as GM by Stan Bowman, that "doesn’t appear to be the case at all" (THEHOCKEYNEWS.com, 5/8).
