It didn't take the Panthers much of a sell to bring Radek Dvorak back into the fold this past summer.

Why it took until July 1 for the two sides to agree to a new deal remains somewhat of a mystery. Dvorak said he always wanted to come back to the Panthers. Coach Pete DeBoer said re-signing Dvorak was a top priority in the offseason.

Regardless, on July 1 -- not long after the free agency period had begun -- the team announced it had signed Dvorak to a two-year deal. Dvorak said he didn't want to test the market, and a deal was hammered out quickly.

Both sides seem very happy Dvorak is back home with the Panthers.

``We told them that I wanted to re-sign before then because I like it here, I like the team,'' Dvorak said Monday.

``I met a lot of good people in Florida, have made it my home. This was my first team and it was a great five years before I got traded. This is home. I always consider Florida home.''

Florida made Dvorak the 10th overall pick in the 1995 draft. The fresh-faced rookie from Tabor, Czech Republic, made his NHL debut a few months after the draft and helped the Panthers win the Eastern Conference title in his rookie season.

Dvorak remained with the Panthers until goalie Trevor Kidd got hurt in a team skill competition in December 1999. On Dec. 30, the Panthers sent Dvorak to the Rangers in a three-way deal with San Jose. The Panthers got Sharks goalie Mike Vernon in return. Vernon finished the season with the Panthers, but after Florida was swept out of the first round of the playoffs, Vernon was left unprotected in the expansion draft and was claimed by Minnesota. Dvorak also spent time with Edmonton and St. Louis, helping the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006.

He returned to the Panthers as a free agent in the summer of 2007.

``I'm glad I signed here again a few years ago,'' Dvorak said. ``We had a good run last year, took a big step forward and that's why I wanted to come back. The biggest point for me was I wanted to finish the job here. We've been out of the playoffs for eight seasons, but I think we have a chance. I want to help this team make the playoffs, keep moving forward.''

His return to the Panthers has been a success. Dvorak's 15 goals last season were his most since he scored that many with the Oilers in 2003-04. This year, he has two goals -- both short-handed -- in as many games. The goals have been a huge lift to a Florida team that is struggling to score. Friday night's goal turned out to be Dvorak's 18th game-winning goal of his career. His 14 short-handed goals is also the Panthers' franchise record.

``He has a knack of doing that at the right times, scoring late in games when he finds teams are a little bit flat,'' DeBoer said. ``He wanted to come back, and we really wanted him back. It was at the top of our priority list. He plays the way we want our team to play: with speed, doing the right things, coming to the rink ready to compete for 60 minutes.''

• DeBoer said goalie Scott Clemmensen would make his second start Wednesday against the visiting Sabres. Clemmensen made his Florida debut Friday, stopping 25 of 27 shots in the Panthers' 4-2 victory.

• Ex-Florida goalie Craig Anderson was named one of the league's three stars of the week for the second time this season. Now with Colorado, Anderson recorded four consecutive road wins as the Avs got off to a very surprising 6-1-1 start. Anderson won at Boston, Montreal, Toronto and Detroit. He is 6-1-1 this season with a 2.09 goals-against average and has stopped 94 percent of the shots he has faced.

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