SUNRISE, Fla. -- When Roberto Luongo learned he wouldnt be starting the Heritage Classic, the disappointed goaltender asked agent Pat Brisson to call Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis just to get a read on his future. When Gillis gave Brisson permission to seek out a potential trade partner for the goalie and his massive contract, the attention turned quickly to the Panthers -- and not just because Luongo calls South Florida home. "It had to be a hockey move," Brisson said. "Roberto wants to play, wants to win. He wants to compete and win. ... When Roberto asked me, I said, I do believe that theres a light at the end of the tunnel for (the Panthers)," Brisson said. "I do believe theres a place where this team is going to go in the right direction." While the Canucks head in the direction of a rebuild, the Panthers look like a team on the upward climb thanks to new owner Vinny Viola and a cadre of young prospects GM Dale Tallon has assembled in the NHLs southernmost market. Through two games with his new team, Luongo has already caught a glimpse of what he and many hockey people believe is a bright future for the Panthers. Luongo sees potential stars in Jonathan Huberdeau, Nick Bjugstad and a handful more young players around the locker-room. At 34 years old, he wants to contribute to the revival of the franchise rather than riding coattails. "Its all about making a commitment to bringing some people in and trying to build a winner," Luongo said Sunday night after facing the Boston Bruins. "Thats what its all about for me. Im not here to fade into the sunset. I want to be part of something special coming here." Something special in the short term might just mean making the playoffs after missing in 11 of the past 12 seasons. Even as the Panthers head toward another early off-season, Bjugstad hopes its just "growing pains" as part of an important learning experience. Thats to be expected for a team whose top players include 18-year-old Aleksander Barkov, 20-year-old Huberdeau, and 22-year-old Erik Gudbranson. Players were on a bus in Boston when they found out Luongo was coming and represented something of a safety valve for mistakes of youth. "Any time you can have a solid goaltender behind you, it gives you confidence that you can make some plays," said 20-year-old forward Vincent Trocheck, who made his Panthers debut the same game Luongo returned. "If you do make a mistake, you know that hes back there to save your butt, basically." Yet in the larger scope, Luongo is not being asked to save a franchise by himself. It is, however, Tallons hope that trading for him "sets the tone" for the organization. The message of taking on the final eight-plus years and over US$28 million of Luongos contract was that the Panthers are willing to spend. Hours after making the move, Tallon said it was about making good on all the talk about wanting to win a Stanley Cup because "talk is cheap." Doing so could be expensive, but its not out of the realm of possibility that Florida has a better chance of winning a Cup in the next four or five years than Vancouver. "You never know," Luongo said. "Its tough to say. You hope so. Thats why Im here. I think the pieces are definitely here, just a matter of making sure that we bring the right piece to complement these young guys that are talented and theyre going to be stars in this league." Tallon has a plan. After already taking the goaltending gamble that was Jacob Markstrom out of the equation and getting Luongo, he has his sights set on signing, drafting or trading for two power wingers to support Barkov, Huberdeau, Bjugstad and Trocheck. The Panthers payroll is the lowest in the league at just over US$50 million, but with Viola in charge, Tallon expects to be "a cap team or close to a cap team" next season. Having almost $30 million of cap space could help the Panthers continue down the path to being a contender, but it also helps to have Luongo as a salesman and a symbol of the clubs all-out push to get better. "Its hard to recruit anybody if they dont think youre doing the right thing," Tallon said. "I think the commitment of making that deal and the commitment that Vinny Violas going to make ... will really influence a lot of decisions as far as players wanting to come here, seeing that were really committed to winning." Luongo didnt keep close tabs on the Panthers rebuild while he was playing for the Canucks because he didnt expect to get traded, let alone back to Florida. But Brisson, who just negotiated a two-year extension for winger Brad Boyes, had a good sense of what was happening. New ownership meant a new opportunity for Luongo. "If it was back to the former ownership where they werent sure what they wanted to spend, what they wanted to do, I wouldnt have recommended it at the time -- absolutely not," Brisson said. "If you look at good ownership and willingness to spend and the right chef, so to speak, the right cook in the kitchen, its an attractive place for Roberto and the players that are there." Tallon is that chef, and he has quite the recipe on his resume. Even though Stan Bowman was the general manager when the Blackhawks won the 2010 Stanley Cup, Tallon orchestrated much of the turnaround in Chicago. "It went well for them," Bjugstad said. "Thats kind of what were banking on." For every Blackhawks success story theres another example like the Edmonton Oilers, who are set to miss the playoffs for the eighth straight season despite three straight No. 1 picks and six in the top 10. They provide a cautionary tale for the Panthers, even as Tallon rattles off prospect after prospect who could make a difference. Each one of those young, unproven players represents essentially a raffle ticket for Florida, another chance to hit it big. But theres plenty of risk and uncertainty in that. "Obviously weve got to prove ourselves before we can get too excited," Bjugstad said. "Theres a ways to go." In Luongo, the young Panthers get a goalie who is already established. Even if his play is not Vezina Trophy-calibre, he could instill plenty of confidence on and off the ice. "I think maybe as more of an experienced guy in the locker-room to bring whatever I have learned over the years and maybe help them out along the way as far as just being a pro and all that kind of stuff to help their development," Luongo said. That team-wide development and progression toward a playoff team is still in the "early" stages, according to Tallon. Luongos addition speeds it up, but theres still no set goal on when he figures the Panthers will get over the hump. "I dont put numbers on that," he said. "I just let the players start to develop and see when theyre ready to make a real hit on the team as far as moving forward. And when they all come together as a group, as a team, not just in a group of individuals, thats when you pretty well know when youve got something special." Nate Allen Raiders Jersey . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. Donald Penn Raiders Jersey . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. http://www.theraidersfansclub.com/Black-Jihad-Ward-Raiders-Jersey.html?cat=913 . 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Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. "I just kept telling myself go up there and knock them down, make them pay," Howard said. Chandler Parsons added 20 points for Houston and James Harden had 17 for the Rockets, who never trailed and led by as many as 23. It was a welcome change from several of their recent games when they built big leads only to see them evaporate in the second half. The Nuggets tried to get back in it with about 5 1/2 minutes left by intentionally fouling the centre every time Houston had the ball. The plan backfired and Howard, who entered the game shooting 49 per cent from the line, finished 17 of 24 on free throws. Howards 24 free throw attempts were the most by a Rocket since Sleepy Floyd went 22 of 27 in February of 1991. Nuggets coach Brian Shaw lamented using the tactic after the game. "That goes against everything Im about," Shaw said. "I dont believe in that and I dont think its in the spirit of the game. So that is exactly what I get for doing that. Im glad he made his free throws and it shows me to just be true to who you are." They were too slow in fouling him one time and Parsons dunked on a fast break on the other end. The play was reviewed and Houston got the basket and a foul shot by Howard. Denver finally scrapped the defence with about 3 minutes left, to wild applause from the home crowd. Harden took advantage of the change to immediately knock down a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 118-101. Howard was surprised when they stopped fouling him, standing with the ball for the couple of seconds waiting for them to do it. He said he doesnt get irked when hes intentionally fouled, but he knows its not very popular with the crowd. "Its annoying to the fans," Howard said. "I know they dont want to see that. We dont want to have to go through that. But its a partt of the game.dddddddddddd" Ty Lawson had 28 points and a career-high 17 assists to lead Denver. "We just didnt come out ready to play," Lawson said. "It was our defence and our effort. We just didnt play any defence in the first half." Lawson started despite sustaining a corneal abrasion to his right eye on Friday night after taking a hand to the eye. Lawsons eye was almost swollen shut after Fridays game, but Shaw said before the game that only a little swelling remained. Terrence Jones tied career highs with 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets. The Nuggets outscored Houston 11-0 during a 2 1/2-minute stretch early in the third quarter to cut the lead to 66-59 with about 8 minutes remaining. Lawson got things going, hitting the first two baskets and Randy Foye added a 3-pointer during the run. Howard went to the bench near the end of that run when he picked up his fourth foul on an offensive charge. The Rockets rediscovered their offence after that, and used a 14-2 spurt to push the lead to 80-61 a couple of minutes later. Jones was great in those minutes, with two dunks and six points. Houston led by 15 entering the fourth quarter. Howard, who sat out the last eight minutes of the third, was back on the floor for the start of the final period and immediately went to work. He was fouled when he made a nifty reverse layup and made the free throw to push the lead to 93-75. The Rockets led by 10 points with 10 minutes left in the second quarter before scoring 12 straight points to push the lead to 50-28 with about 5 1/2 minutes left in the half. Donatas Motiejunas scored seven points in that stretch and Harden capped it with a 3-pointer. The Nuggets used a 13-7 run at the end of the first half to whittle the lead to 63-46 at halftime. NOTES: Former Rockets star Yao Ming watched the game from a courtside seat. He received a standing ovation when he was shown on the video boards during a timeout in the first quarter. ... Houston C Omer Asik, who has been the subject of recent trade rumours, was not in uniform for the game. Coach Kevin McHale said it was because he was "under the weather" but he didnt elaborate. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Auston Matthews Maple leafs Jersey ' ' '