Gudbranson sad to leave after helping Panthers build buzz

Erik Gudbranson's no longer a member of the team, but he's still mindful of how the Florida Panthers do business.

Traded to the Vancouver Canucks for Jared McCann in late May, Gudbranson's still in South Florida working out in preparation for the season, and made a point to take off his hat when he met with the Miami Herald's George Richards.

"(Team president) Dale (Tallon) would kill me if I wore a backward hat on camera," Gudbranson said.

The 24-year-old was drafted by the Panthers in 2010, third overall. Florida's the only club he's ever known. A lot of emotions come with a trade, especially to a city about as far away as one can get from Miami, and especially after the Panthers had their best-ever season.

"There's a buzz around hockey here now and I'd like to think that, as part of the Panthers the past few years, we created it," Gudbranson said. "It's sort of sad to leave, but hopefully this thing continues to grow and hockey becomes the prominent sport down here."

But, hey, to new beginnings: Gudbranson's from Ottawa, Ontario, and he's looking forward to playing in a market that breathes hockey.

"I was surprised about the trade, but Vancouver is a huge hockey market and I'm excited to be going there," he said. "It was a shock to be traded, I didn't see it coming. But it's a business. I'll keep going."

Gudbranson's under contract for one year at $3.5 million, a deal he signed as a Panther before being traded. He'll play an integral role on Vancouver's blue line this coming season and will be a restricted free agent on July 1, 2017.