Most likely, Roberto Luongo is not high on most fantasy poolies lists these days being the number 1 net minder for the Florida Panthers. After winning the Southeast division title in 2011-2012, the Cats have missed the playoffs as they continue to rebuild as GM Dale Tallon is masterminding the Florida resurgence that is to come.  Remember that he rebuilt the Chicago Blackhawks team that won the Stanley Cup in 2009-2010 with most of the core players still around for their second Cup win in 2012-2013 When Dale Tallon took over as GM of the Florida Panthers in 2010, you knew the game plan was to restore the Cats to being a more competitive team while stockpiling the cupboards with fine, young talent. After his first season as GM where the Panthers finished last in their division for the second consecutive year, Tallon's patchwork team worked wonders and the hot start of a line consisting Kris Versteeg-Stephen Weiss-Tomas Fleischmann catapulted the Florida Panthers to their first Southeast division title ever, restoring enthusiasm at the rink.  The past two years haven't been so kind to the Panthers but Tallon still held true to his vision and has selected some fine young talent at the entry drafts while continuing to acquire fine young talent wherever possible. What does all this have to do with Luongo? Well, Luongo returns to Florida where his NHL career began so there is familiarity to the team and location.  Secondly, his wife is from the Miami area so there is the serenity of home life that it brings as well.  Although the team is not projected to do very well this season by a lot of critics, there is hope on the horizon.  Just look at what Tallon has done with the defense alone.  At the beginning of the "Dale Talon era", The Florida Panthers chose 3 defensemen in the first round in the past 3 of 5 NHL Entry Drafts and in the other two drafts selected big center men in Jonathan Huberdeau (6'1" 171) and Aleksander Barkov (6'2" 205). Big, hulking defensemen such as 2010 draftee Erik Gudbranson (6'5" 210), 2011 draftee Michael Matheson (6'2" 189), and last year's Number 1 overall pick Aaron Ekblad (6'3" 216) were all brought in to complement Dmitri Kulikov (6'1" 196), drafted in 2009, to form a solid foundation in front of a goalie who had come within one game of winning the Stanley Cup in 2011. The future looks bright in sunny Florida, but what can you expect for this season? At first glance, you would think that Luongo isn't going to be seeing a lot of wins this season but his numbers shouldn't be that bad overall which could entice a few rotisserie fantasy players In need of a second or third goalie.  But upon further look at the beginning of this season, things might not be so bleak for Luongo owners.  Did you know that the Florida Panthers have a record of 2-2-3 and that 5 of those games have been on the road?  The 2 losses came at home, one of those a 5-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils, so there is room for improvement there. Luongo's metrics aren't that bad either with a 2.57 GAA and a .917 SP.   The Cats have only given up 16 goals in 7 games and if you take away that stinker against New Jersey, the defensive play of the Panthers isn't so bad.  True they have only played one powerhouse in Tampa Bay to open the season, but so far their competitive play has been eye-opening. The Panthers will play 6 of their next 11 on the road, and with a relatively young team, you never know what to expect, but one thing that should remain constant is Luongo in net. If somehow the Panthers can continue their fine defensive efforts, and start to gel on offense with the weapons that they possess, the Florida Panthers might be a place to look for fantasy help in the second half of this season, but you can start now with Luongo. POST MARKS: OH DARLING!! --- Congratulations to Scott Darling (brought in only because of Crawford's injury) who made his NHL debut on Sunday, October 26th and won as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Ottawa Senators at home. At home is right as the 25-yerar old net minder grew up in nearby Lemont, Illinois.  What a sweet debut for the kid!....MILLER HIGH LIFE --Ryan Miller seems to feel right at home in Vancouver as he raised his record to 5-1-0 (2-0-0 at home). Miller wasn't around for last year's circus but he is benefitting greatly for the more inspired play under new Head Coach Willie Desjardins....MUSIC TO OUR EARS! ---He was ranked 3rd in our Draft Guide amongst NHL goaltenders, even though he still didn't establish that he was fully recovered from his hip infection but Nashville G Pekka Rinne has answered all questions about his health and has returned as an elite goaltender option in fantasy hockey. All Rinne has done is gone 5-1-1 with a 1.81 GAA and a .932 SP.  Can you dig it?