The Panthers inked their top defensive defenseman to a two-year contract extension on Dec. 30, ensuring Weaver won’t spend the next couple summers as he had been – looking for a job.

“I think that’s a real settling thing for him and his family,” coach Kevin Dineen said. “I think stability is a great thing in our world.”

Weaver’s career has been nothing short of transient. He chose to pursue a college degree instead of playing major junior hockey. Undrafted as an 18-year-old, the 5-foot-9 defenseman had to play for a contract nearly every year of his professional career.

To put Weaver’s situation into perspective, entering this season, he had signed more contracts (seven) than he had scored NHL goals (six).

“It’s nice to know the organization is behind me. It’s nice to get recognized,” he said. “I am glad it is over and done with, and now I can focus on hockey. I am still going to do the same thing I’ve always done, keep battling and keeping it simple.

“It’s amazing it goes by so quick, in a blink of an eye.”

A seventh-round pick of the Guelph Storm in 1995, Weaver declined the opportunity to play in the Ontario Hockey League to maintain his NCAA eligibility. He played out his junior career in the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League with the Thornhill Islanders and Bramalea Blues.

As Bramalea’s team captain during his final junior season, Weaver averaged just over a point per game and led the league with a plus-62 rating to capture best defenseman honors. In the spring, he led his teammates to a Dudley Hewitt Cup championship.

Weaver’s efforts captured the attention of Michigan State coach Ron Mason, who offered the 18-year-old a scholarship.

Heading into the 1996 NHL Draft, however, Weaver’s scouting report failed to impress:

Height: 5-foot-9. Weight: 170 pounds. A powerful hitter. Solid in his own end defensively. An adept penalty-killer. A developing offensive talent.

“Sometimes, some people get overlooked. With me, I could understand.” Weaver said. “It was the old NHL. They were typically looking for guys over 6 feet. Five-nine defensive defensemen weren’t a real priority.”

Still, Weaver traveled to St. Louis to attend the draft. He went to support friends who were likely to be selected while holding out a little hope one team would take a chance on an atypical defenseman. After two days, nine rounds and 241 picks, Weaver remained in the stands at the Scottrade Center. He became a free agent, allowing him to focus on his college career while enabling any NHL team to sign him in the future.

“I think the draft is too much hype,” Weaver said, reflecting on his experience. “It’s actually nice to be undrafted because you choose where you want to go.”

Unwilling to be disappointed, Weaver headed to East Lansing, where he racked up accolades as a four-year letterman at Michigan State.

Weaver tallied four goals and 22 assists in 44 games as a sophomore, continuing the style of play he displayed during his junior career. The next two seasons, he totaled just one goal and 14 points.

Numbers can be deceiving, though. During his junior and senior campaigns, Weaver transitioned his game to a more defensive style. The change resulted in back-to-back CCHA Best Defenseman awards, two CCHA First All-Star Team and two NCAA West Second-Team All-American nods. He capped a productive college career by graduating with a degree in telecommunications and specializations in virtual reality, software development and web design.

This time, however, he was not overlooked by NHL scouts. Atlanta general manager Don Waddell took a chance on the smallish blueliner, signing Weaver to his first professional contract in June 2000. When Weaver joined the Thrashers in September for his first training camp, the jersey in his locker indicated he might not be staying for long.

No. 43 hung in the stall, a digit often reserved for short-term players or tryouts. It was a far cry from the No. 5 he wore during four years at Michigan State.

Weaver approved of the awkward prime. In fact, he’s kept No. 43 for all but two NHL seasons, wearing No. 8 during his second season with the Los Angeles Kings and No. 18 during a 55-game stint with the Vancouver Canucks. When he signed with St. Louis and later Florida, Weaver requested the number that welcomed him to the NHL.

“Every single level, I have to push the boundaries,” Weaver said. “I have to be better than any guy there. I had to impress but not do too much out there. [No. 43] reminds me of the tough times and the battles I had to stay in the NHL.”

Weaver failed to crack the Thrashers’ lineup in 2000-01, spending his first pro season with the International Hockey League’s Orlando Solar Bears. There, he played a role in the team’s Turner Cup championship – the last before the IHL folded. The following season, he appeared in 16 games with Atlanta but again found success in the minors, winning a Calder Cup title with the American Hockey League’s Chicago Wolves.

Although he earned a few more callups with the Thrashers, it appeared Weaver was destined to be a minor league journeyman until the 2004-05 NHL lockout. When the league returned from a canceled season, on-ice rule changes favored his style. With a more open surface and a crackdown on obstruction, size didn’t matter as much. A quick, intelligent and positionally sound defender could make just as much of an impact as a hulking, physical defenseman did in the “old” NHL.

“When you look at the prototypical defending defenseman, you’re looking for size,” Panthers assistant coach and former NHL defenseman Gord Murphy said. “You’re looking for a big, Hal Gill-type guy. Mike does a lot with his size. You can’t measure a guy [by size]. It’s more the size of his heart than it is the size he is on the chart on the wall. That stands true for Mike.”

Weaver’s professionalism and adoption of techniques that compensate for his lack of size have been his keys to success, Murphy suggested.

“He’s got great anticipation, he’s very intelligent defending. He’s got extremely long arms, so he’s able to use a long stick, which really helps him defending. He keeps people at bay and keeps them at a good distance because of his long arms and long reach. He’s kind of like a defender in basketball who has those long arms. He’s able to use that to his advantage in hockey.

“With some guys, they just develop later than others. It took a while for him to hone his craft and learn how to play that way, and he’s done an exceptional job of it.”

For a team that experienced a great deal of upheaval during the 2010-11 season, the Panthers found a steadiness in Weaver’s game. He was one of only six regulars from that squad who remained following the dramatic offseason overhaul. Murphy called Weaver “a rock” for Florida as it trudged through hard times.

Playing all 82 games, Weaver led the Panthers in even-strength and shorthanded ice time, often playing against the league’s top scoring threats. His penalty-killing skills have not been overlooked, either.

Prior to Weaver’s arrival, Florida killed 79.4 percent of its penalties, seventh-worst in the NHL. The following season, Weaver’s first with the Cats, the Panthers improved to sixth at 84.6 percent.

“He’s taken our penalty-kill to a new level since he came last year,” Murphy said. “He’s one of the main guys. You talk about a quarterback on the power play, well, he’s our quarterback on the penalty-kill. You can’t say enough for the job he’s done in those areas for us.”

Weaver also took on the role of elder in a relatively young Panthers locker room. He doesn’t wear a “C” or “A” on his sweater, but sharing the secrets of his craft with less experienced teammates has proved invaluable.

Last season, the veteran mentored 26-year-old Jason Garrison, who – like Weaver – was an undrafted player trying to stick in the NHL. Weaver taught Garrison the finer points of protecting his own end and the pair evolved into Florida’s most dependable defensive unit, logging big even-strength and shorthanded minutes.

“He’s taught me how to be in the right position,” Garrison said. “Just watching him, how he uses his body, his stick to get to pucks first and defend their top lines, it was a big help for me playing with him last year and learning his attributes and what he does well in the game.”

The evolution of Garrison’s game elevated him to the Panthers’ No. 1 pairing, where he plays alongside All-Star Brian Campbell. Garrison also leads all NHL defensemen with 12 goals.

“[Weaver] has helped me tremendously to get to where I am,” Garrison said. “I definitely wouldn’t be where I am or the player that I am without his help.”

The Panthers have continued to rely on Weaver’s tutelage this season as 21-year-old Dmitry Kulikov and 19-year-old Erik Gudbranson develop.

“Once in a while, the younger guys have questions that are often not asked,” Weaver said. “You’ve almost got to go up to them, give them a pat on the back and say, ‘Keep on going.’”

Dineen often pairs Kulikov with Weaver at even strength.

“He’s a real good person,” Kulikov said. “It has been a pleasure playing with him all year. He does what he needs to do on the ice – take care of his own end. He plays big minutes, too.”

For Gudbranson, the third overall pick in 2010, Weaver is never more than a couple of seats away for a chat.

“He’s the easiest guy to talk to,” Gudbranson said. “He’s been a great vet to someone like me. If I’m bothered by something, he’s the first guy to come over and tell me what to do or give me a little pick me up. I have nothing but respect for him.”

And while Gudbranson appreciates the advice he’s received about his own game, he’s also learning about all sorts of technology from Weaver. The veteran, who still tinkers on the web and loves the latest gadgets, is a product developer with iSpaces, a cloud-computing operating system.

“I’ve learned a lot about iSpaces, the cloud, iPads and MacBooks.” the rookie joked.

Weaver’s role as a teacher extends beyond the NHL. Every summer he hosts Defense First hockey camps in Toronto and Michigan with former Spartans teammate Jon Insana. On the ice, players between 11-18 years old are taught the skills Weaver honed on his way to becoming a premier defender.

But Weaver’s advice to his students about pursuing the NHL dream is equally important.

“We have a topic discussion and it is all about enjoying the journey, especially the [camp] we have in Toronto,” Weaver said. “Hockey is pushed on these kids so young and there is so much pressure there. These kids don’t have time to enjoy their childhood, enjoy being a kid. We teach the kids just to enjoy it.”

Living by the mantra that the journey is the reward is something from which Weaver does not intend to stray. His road ahead may be clearer than the one behind, but the trek continues.

While most of the NHL continued to enjoy its relatively short offseason this past weekend, the Panthers hosted the “Weekend of the Rat,” which reunited 18 members of the squad that took South Florida on an unforgettable run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996.

The former Eastern Conference champions skated to 9-5 triumph over a team comprised of members of the Panthers Alumni Association during an exhibition game Saturday.

It marked the first opportunity for the group to play in the arena that they helped lay the groundwork for.

“It dawns on me every time I drive by here. That ‘96 team built this building,” former Panthers coach Doug MacLean said. “A month into that season, we were moving to Nashville. It was a done deal. This team kept hockey in South Florida.”

Before the contest, a team representative noted about 6,000 fans were expected to attend the event. They drew nearly double that amount, which packed the entire lower bowl and two-thirds of the club level of the BankAtlantic Center.

“For events like these, you never know what to expect,” said Dallas Stars center Stu Barnes, who played with the team from 1993-96. “But it was nice to see a lot of people out there looking for autographs. It seemed like the crowd had fun out there during the game.”

“It was a real fun day, a great environment to be in,” MacLean said. “The support they got from the fans, I don’t know that you’d see that in many other cities. It shows there are tremendously passionate fans in South Florida.”

For a couple of hours, the 1996 Panthers gave fans a reason to forget the dysfunction that has enveloped the team in recent years.

Florida has missed the playoffs in each of its past six seasons and has not won a postseason game since 1997. They have not retained the same coach and general manager in back-to-back seasons since 2000. On the ice, only Olli Jokinen, Jay Bouwmeester and Stephen Weiss have played for the Panthers in each of the past four seasons.

“I think this weekend here is a big step in the right direction to get this team back in the forefront down here in South Florida,” said Brian Skrudland, Florida’s first captain. “We know you only get 20,000 people in this rink and it’s not comparative to whatever they’re drawing at Dolphins games, Marlins games and Heat games.”

Skrudland recalled the franchise always faced the daunting task of proving ice hockey could thrive in this region.

During the offseason before 1995-96, doubts began to surface as discussions with local municipalities about a new arena stalled. Rumors suggested the team would be moved to Nashville if an arena deal could not be reached.

But on Oct. 8, 1995, a rodent scurried through the Panthers’ dressing room at the Miami Arena and changed everything. Scott Mellanby one-timed the vermin into the wall, killing it, then went out to score two goals that evening in a win against the Calgary Flames.

Goalie John Vanbiesbrouck dubbed Mellanby’s effort hockey’s first “rat trick.” MacLean cites it as the start of Florida’s incredible run.

“We lost our first game, then won five in a row and never looked back after that,” MacLean said. “By the end of that five-game stretch, we were as good as any team in the league.”

By the end of that season, Panthers fans had made their mark on the NHL by creating on-ice infestations with rubber rats. Florida secured a playoff berth and gave the area its first taste of a professional championship run since 1985, when the Miami Dolphins lost in Super Bowl XIX.

The frenzy also brought light to the Panthers’ possible relocation, which resulted in a couple cities bidding to build a new arena.

Only 11 players instrumental in the Cup run were still with the team when the building opened in October 1998.

“We were here for the ground breaking and then we all left,” said Vanbiesbrouck, who signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Flyers the summer before the arena opened. “We knew special things were happening, but to see it now, the stadium is something special, knowing we were a part of it.”

The Panthers were unable to replicate the same energy they created in 1996 on Saturday, but they didn’t disappoint. For the first 10 minutes of the contest, though, fans nervously squeezed their rubber rats as the ‘96 squad fell behind 2-0. It wasn’t long before Barnes finished off a quick pass by Mellanby, which sent the rodents flying.

“Honest to God, I got chills,” MacLean said. “When they came out, it was pretty neat, pretty special.”

While fans relished the opportunity to take part in a tradition now banned by the NHL, members of the ‘96 team used the weekend to reflect on their accomplishment and what made the group so special.

“For us to make the Stanley Cup as a three-year expansion team, it’s really quite a feat,” said Mark Fitzpatrick, Florida’s backup goalie from 1993-97. “No one really expected us to win. I don’t even think we expected we could do it.”

“I think the word character has been used so much this weekend,” Skrudland said. “It wasn’t necessarily an overabundance of talent or an overabundance of one thing.”

For MacLean, the gathering served as a great opportunity to express his appreciation for the team that played a significant role in his future as general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

“Like I said to these guys last night, I wanted to thank them because this group made my career,” he said.

And like wiser elders, the group didn’t hesitate in offering their thoughts about the current state of the franchise.

Vanbiesbrouck cited offseason moves by GM Jacques Martin as reason to think better days were ahead. MacLean believes the addition of goalie Tomas Vokoun will have a huge impact next season. Skrudland noted the young, skilled nucleus as a positive.

All were in agreement, however, that developing the character and chemistry of the 1996 team is what the current squad should focus on.

“It never hurt to look into the history of any business, any sports franchise to see where the true successes came from,” Skrudland said.

If this weekend was any indication, the Panthers already have.

Selected as an All-Star reserve on Jan. 27, Jokinen and his wife had to cancel their planned trip to the Bahamas. Playing as a hometown hero was something the 24-year-old didn’t want to miss, but he’s been hesitant to fully experience the weekend.

Rather than join the rest of the league’s All-Stars at a swanky, Hollywood Beach resort, Jokinen made the decision to remain at home and spend the extra time with his family.

“I decided to stay at home, spend a little time with my daughter, wife,” Jokinen said. “Why bother to come to a hotel when you can stay home? We spend enough days at a hotel during the year. We decided to stay home and relax there.”

The decision is one many might be shocked to hear coming from the Finnish center. Considered a premiere player in the Finnish Elite League before heading to the NHL in 1997-98, Jokinen garnered a reputation of being overly self-confident early in his career.

Playing as a 17-year-old with IFK Helsinki, he earned the nickname “boss” from his veteran teammates for his cocky attitude. After becoming the highest drafted Finn in 1997 when the Los Angeles Kings chose him third overall, he compared himself to superstars Peter Forsberg and Eric Lindros.

Given the scrutiny the aforementioned players faced early in their careers, the comparisons were prophetic statements Jokinen now regrets making.

“When you’re young, you say some things you don’t mean to say,” Jokinen says. “It’s hard to compare to who you are because players are different. That time, at my age, I was a big guy, as big as anyone else in Europe. But when I came here, I had to lift the weights more than I was doing. All the guys were bigger and stronger and it’s not easy to play in this league when you’re 18.”

Jokinen’s swagger extended to his appearances with the Finnish National Team. Named captain of the nation’s junior team in 1997, Jokinen tallied four goals and two assists in six games as Finland captured gold on home ice.

The Finnish media captured Jokinen’s post-game celebration in the locker room, specifically of their captain smoking a cigar and sipping champagne. It was an image that left a negative impression on fans, especially since many never seen hockey heroes Jari Kurri or Esa Tikkanen act in such a manner.

“Finland is such a small country,” said Finnish hockey journalist Mauri Forsblom. “Everyone knows each other in hockey circles. You can’t be cocky in Finland.”

When it came time to produce in the NHL, Jokinen spent more time complaining about ice time than he did scoring goals. He received little sympathy from the Finnish media and fans, who watched their superstar-in-waiting collapse under the pressures of the NHL.

“When you get drafted high and you get a chance to play on pretty good lines in your first training camp, you think it’s not that difficult,” Jokinen said. “But when the season starts, you really see who you are. The guys pick it up for games. When you’re 18 and you’re from a different country, it’s not just better hockey. It’s everything else, too.

“I couldn’t handle that the first couple of years. I think a lot of young players go through that.”

But two humbling experiences changed Jokinen for the better.

The first was the coaching of Mike Keenan, which has turned the long-considered first-round bust into one of the league’s top goal scorers and emerging leaders.

“I definitely was one of his targets when he came here,” Jokinen said. “When I look back now, I am happy with that. He gave me a challenge and he still does. He’s letting me know if I have a bad practice or a bad game. I like that. He tries to push you to work harder.”

Offered more ice time and a challenge to produce from Keenan, Jokinen wasted no time trying to prove his worth. The 24-year-old opened the season with a career-high four-point night in Florida’s second game, then averaged a point-per-game over the next 25 contests.

By the All-Star break, Jokinen had pushed himself into the top 10 goal scorers and more than doubled his career numbers with 44 points through the All-Star break.

“When he has bad times, he’ll still keep pushing himself to the next level,” former Team Finland teammate Teemu Selanne said. “I am so happy to see him do so well because of what he has been going through, playing without confidence. Now, he’s finally found his confidence. He has always been that kind of player in Europe and now he’s found it here.”

Jokinen also credits his appearance at the 2002 Olympics as a confidence builder. In four games, he tallied two goals and an assist and led Team Finland with a plus-4.

“When you can play there and you can play against those guys, it gives you confidence,” Jokinen said. “It was just a great experience over there for 18 days and I really enjoyed it. Even after that, I started playing more and that really helped.”

“I think that showed good signs he is going to have a good year,” Selanne said. “It really helped that he could be around veteran players who had played so many years. I think it was good for guys like Olli and young guys.”

And now, with an All-Star appearance added to his small list of accomplishments, Jokinen already knows what Keenan’s next challenge will be.

With the recent trade of defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Jokinen is one of five remaining regulars in the Panthers locker room who have at least five years of NHL experience.

“I’ll still be wearing the ‘A,’ I’ve been wearing it all year. Sandis was one of them and he’s gone now. I think everybody needs to bring leadership in the room and I’m definitely one of those guys who has to step up.”

Through 51 games, he has.