Canucks Trade Bure To Panthers

High-scoring, high-priced holdout Pavel Bure, who told the Vancouver Canucks he would never play for them again, got his wish Sunday when he was sent to the Florida Panthers in a seven-player deal.

The three-time 50-goal scorer, who has spent the entire season at his home in Moscow, will join the Panthers in New York for games Wednesday against the Islanders and Thursday against the Rangers.

"He can lift people out of their seats with his speed and flash," Panthers general manager Bryan Murray said. "We're also confident he'll lift the play of some of our younger players."

The Canucks also sent defensemen Bret Hedican and Brad Ference to Florida for defenseman Ed Jovanovski, centers Dave Gagner and Mike Brown and holdout goaltender Kevin Weekes.

The Panthers also will send a first-round draft choice to Vancouver in either 1999 or 2000. At that time, the Panthers will get a third-round pick from Vancouver.

Bure, 27, is a four-time All-Star who immediately gives Florida its most electrifying scorer since it joined the NHL six years ago. No Panther has scored more than 32 goals in a season, by Scott Mellanby in 1995-96 and Ray Whitney last year.

"There's nothing like shooting the puck on goal," Panthers coach Terry Murray said. "He has the opportunity to be a threat every time he's on the ice. I hope he'll also have an effect on some of our other players."

Whitney has been the Panthers' top scorer this season with 14 goals. Only eight teams have scored fewer than Florida's 103 goals.

Terry Murray said he would start Bure on the right wing with center Viktor Kozlov, a fellow Russian. The possibility of an all-Russian line with Bure, Kozlov and rookie Oleg Kvasha also intrigues him.

"That'something I'm interested in seeing myself," the coach said. "If Kozlov and Kvasha can step up to the next level, I think it'll be a dynamite line."

Bure won the 1992 calder trophy as the NHL's rookie of the year, scoring 34 goals in 60 games. He followed that with consecutive 60-goal seasons, leading the Canucks to the 1994 Stanley Cup finals with 16 postseason goals in 24 games.

"He said management and the organization had not backed him up in the past," Canucks president Brian Burke said. "He also did not like the fish-bowl effect here in Vancouver. Those were the reasons he gave me. As I said to our fans, I don't think anyone listening to those reasons at this point will conclude that they add up to a refusal to play in Vancouver."

Bure has also been frustrated by contract squabbles he's had since signing his last deal with the Canucks in 1994. He is in the last season of a five-year deal that would reportedly pay him about $8 million.

Bryan Murray said he's already had preliminary talks with Bure's agent, Mike Gillis, about a contract extension. He expects something to be done before the end of the season.

"I wouldn't trade for a player I anticipate having any problems with. I can tell you that," he said.

Amid swirling speculation of an impending trade last week, Burke had said he would trade Bure by Monday or hold off until the March 23 trading deadline.

"We've beaten this thing to death," Burke said. "This has involved shopping trips to try and jack the value up. Trading a player like this is not easy. ... If I thought I could've received a better deal, I would've waited."

Jovanovski, 22, has been a defensive mainstay since Florida took him with the No. 1 pick of the 1994 draft. He had three goals and 13 assists this season, recently playing some of the best hockey of his career.

"I'm excited," Jovanovski said. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to play with one of the best players in the game, with Mark (Messier). And there's a lot of young talent there."

Gagner, 34, has four goals and 10 assists this season. Squeezed out by the Panthers' young talent, he will become the Canucks' No. 2 center behind Messier.

Burke also was high on goaltender Weekes, himself a holdout since refusing a two-way contract from the Panthers, which would pay him at different levels based on whether he was in the NHL or the minors.

Weekes has been playing for Detroit of the International Hockey League, going 14-3-6 with a 2.09 goals-against average.

"We wanted to get the goaltender in," Burke said. "That was a holdup and then there was a holdup on my insistence that we get a first-round pick as well."

Bryan Murray said he would not give up a first-round pick unless he got something in return, so they agreed Sunday on the third-round pick as compensation.

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