"Jay Bouwmeester spoke publicly Saturday for the first time since officially rejecting long-term contract offers from the Panthers and instead opting for a one-year deal that allows him to be a free agent this summer.

Bouwmeester said he was keeping an open mind regarding all the changes made by the Panthers this offseason, although Florida's constant change is one reason he didn't want to commit long-term.

''You're always starting from scratch,'' he said. ``It's tough.''

Bouwmeester added ''no doors have closed'' regarding him staying with the Panthers beyond this season, adding that although Florida hasn't made the playoffs in any of his five seasons with the team, ``I'm partly to blame for that.''

And as far as speculation goes that he would like to play in a more traditional hockey market, Bouwmeester said there are pros and cons to every situation.

''Obviously, there are differences no matter where you go,'' said Bouwmeester, whose 27:28 minutes of ice time last season was the most in the NHL. ``This isn't a hockey market by any means. But, at the same time, we do have good fans, and when we do well, people show up, and this is a fun place to play. Most of that is our fault because we haven't been good for a little while. . . . You go to some markets where it's just ridiculous. The guys from Toronto can tell you about that, how everything gets blown out of proportion.

``That's no fun. So, anywhere you go, there are pros and cons. It doesn't make a whole lot of difference.''

By league rules, the Panthers cannot officially offer Bouwmeester a new contract until Jan. 1. Bouwmeester said knowing that means the contract issue is not a distraction, and that gives him time to evaluate his position with the organization.

On Friday, a number of teammates as well as coach Peter DeBoer and general manager Jacques Martin said Bouwmeester's situation would not negatively affect the team this season.

''It's not going to be,'' Bouwmeester said. ``It's done. I have a year, and you can't do anything until January anyway. It's no distraction. When the time comes, we'll deal with it. Over the summer, I wasn't prepared to sign a longer-term deal. There were a lot of changes and everything else. At that point, I didn't feel it was time. We'll see what happens. Nothing can happen until January. We'll go from there.''"