Panthers Ink Bryan Allen to Five-Year Extension

[Thrillhouse]

SUNRISE, Fla. - Florida Panthers General Manager & Head Coach Jacques Martin announced today that the club has agreed to terms on a five-year contract extension with D Bryan Allen.

"Bryan proved to be one of our top four defensemen last year and he will continue to play a vital role in our team's future success," said Martin. "He is a very talented and physical player with a tremendous work ethic, who is an asset to our organization both on and off the ice. With the signing of Allen, we now have assembled a core nucleus of defensemen for next season that includes Jay Bouwmeester, Ruslan Salei and Mike Van Ryn."

Allen, 26, completed his first season with the Panthers last year setting career highs in assists (21) and points (25). He was one of just six Panthers to appear in all 82 games last season, while also recording a career-high four-game point streak from Feb. 17-24. He notched three goals and 11 assists with a +10 rating over his last 30 games played during the 2006-07 campaign.

"Furthermore, the signing of Allen marks another significant step in our plan to bring continued stability and success to the Panthers," said Martin. "Bryan's high character, along with his commitment to hard work and devotion to winning are some of the essential qualities that we strive for in our players. He joins a growing list of players who have signed multi-year deals with the team that include Olli Jokinen, Ville Peltonen, Salei and Van Ryn."

The Kingston, Ontario native has played in 298 NHL contests for both Florida (2006-07) and Vancouver (2000-06) scoring 18 goals with 39 assists and 400 penalty minutes. He was originally drafted by the Vancouver Canucks with their first choice (4th overall) in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.

[JKidd]

Good resigning by the Cats. They need to keep Allen around, as he is deffinately getting better and better as the years go by. As always, just wish he'd develop more of a nasty streak for his size.

[ProbieRules]

Good to see a guy like this resigned to 5 years...shows an appreciation for his overall game...including toughness. This guy is a solid D-man and has alot of potential.

[BrianTheAdsFan]

Smart move to keep a core of D-Men together. He should get better and better.