What Your Team Is Thankful For: Florida Panthers

As the holiday season approaches, PHR will take a look at what teams are thankful for as the season passes the one-quarter mark. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We’ll examine what’s gone well in the early going and what could improve as the season rolls on for the Florida Panthers (when it eventually resumes). 

What are the Panthers thankful for?

A resurgent Sergei Bobrovsky.

No team in the league can get by with a player making over $10MM and performing the way Bobrovsky did the last two seasons. He’s being paid like one of the best goaltenders in the league, and he posted a .902 save percentage over his first 81 games with the team.

It’s not that Bobrovsky is competing for the Vezina this year–his numbers aren’t that good–but a .917 has been good enough behind a powerful Florida lineup to result in a 12-3-2 record. Given Spencer Knight’s struggles in his first full season, it was absolutely imperative to have Bobrovsky take the net back.

Who are the Panthers thankful for?

Bill Zito.

Since Zito has arrived in Sunrise just over a year ago, the Panthers have, among other things:

• Added Patric Hornqvist, while moving out Mike Matheson’s contract in the process.
• Added Markus Nutivaara for a player that’s now in the KHL.
• Added Lucas Carlsson, while moving out Brett Connolly’s contract in the process.
• Added and extended Brandon Montour for a third-round pick.
• Added and extended Sam Bennett for a second-round pick and Emil Heineman.
• Added and extended Sam Reinhart for a first-round pick and Devon Levi.
• Cleared Anton Stralman’s contract from the books.
• Signed Spencer Knight, Anton Lundell, Maxim Mamin, Matt Kiersted, and other prospects.
• Extended Carter Verhaeghe, Anthony Duclair, and Aleksander Barkov.
• Won 55 of their 85 regular season games.

It’s been a pretty successful tenure for the former player agent and Columbus Blue Jackets assistant GM in his first go-round as the boss. The Panthers look like they’re set up for long-term success while also being a contender right now.

What would the Panthers be even more thankful for?

A healthy return for Barkov.

It was a brilliant start for the 26-year-old Finn. Barkov had five points in his first three games, 17 in his first 15. But then Scott Mayfield of the New York Islanders caught him with a knee-on-knee collision and things abruptly came to a halt. Barkov would return for one game, but end up back on injured reserve.

Now, as the Panthers are put on hold over the Christmas break due to COVID, Barkov has just played in just 16 of Florida’s 29 games. He doesn’t necessarily need to rush back, the team is good enough to stay in a playoff position without him. But for the Panthers to go on a deep postseason run, they’ll need their big center to be at full strength.

What should be on the Panthers’ Holiday Wish List?

Defensive depth.

There actually may be a case to be made for a better backup goaltender, given the team is currently going with Jonas Johansson behind Bobrovsky at the NHL level. But with Nutivaara on long-term injured reserve without a clear return, the defense could use a boost as well. The top three are locked. Aaron Ekblad, MacKenzie Weegar, and Gustav Forsling are going to continue to log huge minutes for the team when healthy. But Montour’s role has been diminished this year, Radko Gudas is probably playing more than he should, and beyond that, it’s a mix of inexperienced young players.

The idea of adding another legitimate top-four option, someone who can play in all situations and elevate the entire group, could make the Panthers one of the most deadly opponents in the league. A player like Jakob Chychrun–if he’s truly available–would be perfect, but even a lesser name like Ben Chiarot could potentially allow everyone to slot in a little better come playoff time.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images