The Florida Panthers are negotiating with Stephen Weiss in the hopes of inking him before he becomes an unrestricted free agent. "We're trying to get something done," Panthers GM Dale Tallon said. "You only get one shot at being a free agent and we're trying to do the best we can for both parties. If I can come up with the right number, well, that's fine. We'll go through [Sunday] and then make a decision next week." Weiss had four points and 25 penalty minutes in just 17 games last season. Before that he had recorded between 49 and 61 points in each of his previous four campaigns.

It is believed the Maple Leafs are looking at free agent center Stephen Weiss as a potential replacement for Tyler Bozak. Bozak is also an unrestricted free agent this summer and is rumored to be seeking $5.5 million per season, a price Toronto is unlikely to pay. The contract demands for Weiss are not known, but given his recent injury history he can probably be signed for significantly less money if the team is willing to take on the additional risk. Working in Weiss's favor is the fact he has been fairly productive when healthy, save for his most recent campaign in Florida.

The Wings are taking a very close look at the Panthers' Stephen Weiss. According to Elliotte Friedman on "Hockey Night in Canada," the team has "inquired on the rights" to the center. The Stars and Maple Leafs have also asked the Panthers about Weiss. The 30-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent on July 5 and is coming off a a season in which he notched a goal and three assists in 17 games. He is a four-time 20-goal scorer, however.

Josh Cooper of The Tennessean speculates the Predators could target Stephen Weiss in free agency this summer. Weiss was struggling offensively before undergoing wrist surgery in March but is generally regarded as one of the best two-way centers in the NHL. That would fit coach Barry Trotz's style quite well, but, unfortunately for Nashville, there's been talk from both the Panthers and Weiss' camp that he'd prefer to re-sign with the Panthers. If Weiss isn't an option, Cooper also mentioned Derek Roy and Nathan Horton as potential targets up front with Sergei Gonchar as an option on the blue line.

Stephen Weiss has had the cast from his surgically repaired wrist removed. Weiss said there's mutual interest between him and the team to agree to a new contract in the off-season. "The consensus is they'd like to have me back; I'd like to be back, it's just a matter of the numbers game." Weiss will become an unrestricted free agent in July if a deal isn't reached to stay in Florida.

Stephen Weiss would like to re-sign with the Florida Panthers. "You know what? It would be awesome to finish my career here," he said. "I've been here for a long time. You don't see that too often nowadays, guys staying with one team for a long time. So that would be great. But saying that, first of all, are they going to want me back? And if they do, those will be decisions that I'm going to make here at some point. I'm going to look at all the options and decide what I feel is best for me moving forward. That's about it." He is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. GM Dale Tallon said previously that he wanted to wait until Weiss was healthy before discussing the possibility of a new contract. Now, Weiss is slated to miss the rest of the year following wrist surgery so it's unclear how that will impact any possible negotiations. He has been bothered by the ailment since last season and he had surgery on the same wrist following the 2008-09 campaign.

Stephen Weiss (wrist) refused to make injuries an excuse for his poor start this season, but teammate Tomas Kopecky admitted that the club was aware that Weiss could hardly grip his stick. "We knew even from the beginning of the year that he always had that problem," Kopecky said. "It's tough on him and it's tough on us as a team. He was our leader, he always sets an example. It's a big hole to fill." Weiss generated just one goal, two assists and a horrid minus-13 rating in 17 games. He is expected to be out for the remainder of the season following wrist surgery.

Stephen Weiss will need season ending wrist surgery according to GM Dale Tallon. That is not good news for the center as he will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He struggled mightily this season and his wonky wrist likely had plenty to do with it. It looks like he will end his Florida career with only one goal, four points and an NHL worst minus-13 in only 17 games.

Stephen Weiss has one goal in his last 15 games. Not the kind of production you want from a top-six player. Weiss has only four points on the season, and he's seen himself resigned to the bench at times -- such as against Boston two games ago. "It's never fun to be sat, and the easy answer is to play better. That's the bottom line,'' he said.

Stephen Weiss is slated to return to Florida's lineup Thursday night against Buffalo. He didn't play Tuesday because he was in Toronto to attend the funeral of his grandmother. Weiss has endured an unproductive start to the 2013 campaign with just one goal, four points and a minus-11 rating. Scott Timmins was sent back down to the minors to make room for him on the roster.