No. 1 line. The rest of the lines are patchwork efforts, with Jokinen slotted in as a right winger rather than his natural center position. Injured to Greg Adams, Scott Mellanby and Mike Sillinger have upset the lines. The Panthers are, in general, a poor faceoff team, with Barrie, a journeyman, getting much of the work. The Panthers are barely able to put one good offensive line together and one strong defensive pairing.
Bure is a true superstar who often sulks and hangs around in the neutral zone.
One wonders if he is maximizing his ability on many nights. Larionov centers Novolseltsev and Nilsson, two youngsters with upsides as creative attackers. Niedermayer is a plodder who doesn't skate well enough to be a dangerous forward. Worrell is a feared enforcer and a tough hitter and Simpson plays a rugged game on the back end. The Panthers, however, have a lot of soft size in Niedermayer, Jokinen, Kozlov and Eriksson.