from Harvey Fialkov of the SunSentinel,

"You’d like to have your team back as a coach but at the same time there’s salary-cap issues that come into play,’’ Gallant said. “It’s different than it used to be before. I definitely was a little bit surprised but overall we got a pretty good club. You put it on the board and you’re pretty excited.’’

Gallant, who watched development camp from the sidelines with his new assistants, Dave Barr and Scott Allen, said he’s not overally concerned about incorporating four new defensemen into the lineup.

“I wanted us to be a better team and we are going to be a better team,’’ he said. “On paper I think we are but you got to do it on the ice. There’s some good players we signed. They’re puck-moving guys and skilled guys.

"Let’s put it together and see what happens. I’m not taking anything away from last year’s 103-points. We were a really good team that took big steps. We got to be better again.’’

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