On Friday morning, two days after returning to the Florida Panthers, Radko Gudas met with the local media wearing a popular t-shirt from the hockey clothing company Violent Gentlemen.<\/p>\n
Yes, it is a fitting name for a company that Gudas embodies. <\/p>\n
And, so did the message on the front of the black shirt. <\/p>\n
Nobody Likes Us. We Don\u2019t Care<\/p>\n
That about sums up the Florida Panthers, eh?<\/p>\n
The Panthers have become the team that only their fans could love, a hard-hitting, drive-you-crazy kind of team which brought Gudas back into the fold this past week not long after reuniting the Tkachuk Brothers with a trade for Brady. <\/p>\n
Florida also brought in hard-hitting Garnet Hathaway to a team that features Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk, and Brad Marchand. <\/p>\n
Gudas cannot wait to rejoin his Florida teammates to continue raising havoc and to chase the Stanley Cup championship he missed by a year. <\/p>\n
now he\u2019s back in Florida and ready to be part of a Cup-winning team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really thrilled to join them again for the ultimate goal,\u2019\u2019 said Gudas, who spent three seasons with the Panthers from 2021-23. \u201cI would love nothing more than to help the guys with the ultimate goal.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was a little bit of chatter regarding Gudas returning to the Panthers <\/a>after three years away with the Anaheim Ducks.<\/p>\n Gudas, 36, was one of the first players signed by Bill Zito after he took over the Panthers in 2020, and he was a big part of the team\u2019s rise through the Eastern Conference from 2021-23 culminating in Florida\u2019s first trip to the Stanley Cup Final since 1996. <\/p>\n Not long after the Panthers lost to the Vegas Golden Knights, Gudas left for a nice contract in Anaheim \u2014 and after his first season, was named captain of the Ducks. <\/p>\n But as a free agent, there were always whispers the Panthers would love to bring him back if they could fit him in. <\/p>\n Last Monday, the Panthers traded the negotiating rights to A.J. Greer for the rights to talk to Gudas. <\/p>\n A deal quickly came together. Gudas was expected to get something in the neighborhood of $3 million per season, so the Panthers gave him $1.5 million \u2014 but at six years. <\/p>\n So, Florida\u2019s six-year deal is worth $9 million which is about what Gudas would have received on the open market over three years.<\/p>\n The low average salary allows the Panthers to get Gudas under the salary cap. They\u2019ll worry about the length of the deal later. <\/p>\n Regardless of how it all worked out, Gudas is glad it did. <\/p>\n \u201cI got to meet some great people along the way,\u2019\u2019 Gudas said. \u201cI still think about a lot of the times I spent there. That is one of the reasons why I\u2019m back.<\/p>\n \u201cSeeing their success, seeing them \u2026 playing with more mojo and being the team to beat is awesome to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Zito is glad to have Gudas back as well, saying he \u201cfits like a glove.\u201d<\/p>\n Gudas said he got a lot of calls and text messages from his old friends and he and his family are excited to get back to South Florida and pick up where they left off. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s nice to have him back,\u2019\u2019 Zito said. \u201cHe might be more valuable to us than to many other teams.\u201d<\/p>\n ON DECK: FLORIDA PANTHERS\u00a0OFFSEASON<\/p>\n NHL Free Agency:\u00a0Opened Wednesday<\/a><\/p>\n Panthers Rookie Camp\/Tournament:\u00a0Late August\/Early Sept.; Site TBA<\/p>\n Panthers Training Camp:\u00a0Early\/Mid September; Fort Lauderdale\u00a0<\/p>\n