By Michael Russo

With less than a month until the Panthers begin training camp, General Manager Rick Dudley said he's still interested in acquiring a veteran defenseman.

But there is a problem. So far, right wing Valeri Bure has declined to restructure the final year of his contract, worth $3.1 million. That puts an enormous strain on the Panthers' payroll.

"I don't think he's going to take the deal, so I don't know what that means," Dudley said.

What that likely means is Dudley will once again try to trade Bure, whom he sent to St. Louis in March but re-acquired in June when the Blues' intention to buy out Bure was going to cost the Panthers a lot of money.

Trading Bure will be no easy task. Bure missed 82 games because of injury the past two seasons and finished the season having not scored since Nov. 9. Bure's agent, Michael Gillis, could not be reached for comment, but it's believed Bure passed on the deal because the Panthers asked him to spread his salary over three years.

While the Panthers didn't offer him any more money, Bure would have been paid if there were a work stoppage after this season.