Young talent, proven veterans aim to return Panthers to playoffs
Even after finishing last and next-to-last in the overall standings the past two seasons, the Florida Panthers feel that a return to the playoffs may be coming sooner rather than later.
Opening the 2014 offseason by selecting defenseman Aaron Ekblad with the No. 1 overall pick at the 2014 NHL Draft, the Panthers continued to make headlines throughout the summer by being one of the most active teams in the league during free agency.
Already loaded with young talent from years of selecting near the top of the draft, general manager Dale Tallon made it a priority to acquire not only veterans, but players with a winning pedigree.
Locking up six total players, including former Stanley Cup champions Willie Mitchell, Shawn Thornton and Dave Bolland, Tallon hopes an injection of proven veterans into the Panthers budding young lineup will not only put the team in a position to contend for a playoff spot this season, but also instil a winning attitude in the locker room.
"That's why we brought these guys in here, to show them how to win," Tallon said. "We have six Stanley Cup champions if you count (Willie) Mitchell, (Shawn) Thornton, and Dave (Bolland). It's going to change the attitude of our locker room, even for the veterans here that haven't won. The young guys coming up are going to be learning a lot from these guys."
While the transition from cellar dweller to playoff contender may prove to be difficult, even in a wide-open Eastern Conference, the Panthers believe they found the right man to lead the team back to the postseason in new head coach Gerard Gallant.
An assistant with the Montreal Canadiens during the 2013-14 season, Gallant knows firsthand how quickly a team's fortunes can change.
Falling short the playoffs in 2011-12, Montreal returned the postseason the following year and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final in Gallant's first season with the team.
Serving as a head coach in the NHL for the first time since 2006, Gallant believes the Panthers are poised for a similar turnaround.
"You look at their roster and you look at their core players, and I think this is a great opportunity," Gallant said during his introductory press conference on June 23. "The league is so close, the teams are so close together, you can turn things around in a hurry. That's what I see with this Florida team."
KEY LOSSES
D Tom Gilbert (signed with Montreal), D Ed Jovanovski (buyout), D Mike Mottau (unsigned), F Jesse Winchester (signed with Colorado), F Krys Barch (unsigned), G Scott Clemmensen (signed with New Jersey)
KEY ADDITIONS
F Jussi Jokinen: The Panthers signed the former Pittsburgh Penguins forward to a four-year, $16 million deal on July 1. Jokinen, 31, had 21 goals and 36 assists in 81 games with the Penguins last season.
F Dave Bolland: The Panthers signed the former Toronto Maple Leafs center to a five-year, $27.5 million deal on July 1. Bolland, 28, had eight goals and four assists in 23 games with Toronto last season. He will serve as an alternate captain during home games alongside forward Scottie Upshall.
F Shawn Thornton: The Panthers signed the former Boston Bruins forward to a two-year, $2.4 million contract on July 1. Thornton, 37, earned five goals, three assists and 74 PIM in 64 games with Boston last season. Replacing Krys Barch as the team's go-to enforcer, Thornton has amassed 906 penalty minutes in 559 career NHL games.
F Derek MacKenzie: The Panthers signed the former Columbus Blue Jackets center to a three-year, $3.9 million contract on July 1. MacKenzie, 33, tallied nine goals and nine assists in 71 games with Columbus last season. He will serve an alternate captain during away games alongside defenseman Brian Campell.
D Willie Mitchell: The Panthers signed the former Los Angeles Kings defenseman to a two-year, $8.5 million contract on July 1. Mitchell, 37, had one goal and 11 assists in 76 games with the Kings last season. His 128 blocked shots led all Kings skaters. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, he was named captain of the Panthers on Oct. 6.
D Aaron Ekblad: The No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, the Panthers signed the defenseman to a three-year, entry-level contract on Sept. 3. Ekblad, 18, finished last season ranked first in goals (23) and tied for fifth in points (53) in the Ontario Hockey League among players at his position.
G Al Montoya: The Panthers signed the former Winnipeg Jets goaltender to a two-year, $2.1 million contract on July 1. Montoya, 29, posted a 13-8-3 record with a 2.30 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage with Winnipeg last season.
PROJECTED LINEUP
BURNING QUESTIONS
1. Can Gerard Gallant fix the Panthers power play?
The first team in four years to finish last in the league in both penalty killing and power play percentages, the Panthers special teams seemingly has nowhere to go but up in Gallant's first year behind the bench.
With a full season of Roberto Luongo in net guaranteed to make an immediate impact on the team's ability to kill off penalties, Gallant's main focus will be on turning around the team's horrid power play.
A season removed from having the sixth-best power play unit in the league, the Panthers saw their power play percentage dip from 20.4 percent in 2012-13 to an abysmal 10 percent last season.
With many key players from the team's successful 2012-13 unit still on the roster, Gallant's approach to fixing the power play will likely be less about reinventing the wheel and more about getting the best out of his players.
2. Will Aaron Ekblad stick with the Panthers?
Originally considered a shoe-in to earn a roster spot with the Panthers after being selected No. 1 overall at the 2014 draft, Ekblad's prospects for the upcoming season are suddenly in doubt.
Competing in only three of the team's six preseason games, Ekblad's transition from junior hockey to the NHL has been more arduous than the organization may have anticipated.
Understanding the difficulties defensemen face in adapting to the professional game, the Panthers plan to take a game-by-game approach to Ekblad's development from here on out.
"He's an 18-year-old kid and we know he's going to be a great hockey player," Gallant said. "But this is a big step. A lot of people can attest that playing defense at 18 in the NHL means you have to be a special player. We're going to go game-by-game and see how he gets along. We're not going to rush anyone."
As per the rules of the league's current CBA, Ekblad may compete in nine games with the Panthers before the team needs to decide whether or not to send him back to his junior team in Canada. If Ekblad exceeds the nine-game threshold, he will still have the option of returning to his junior team at any time, however, he will have burned one year of his contract.
3. Can Nick Bjugstad avoid a sophomore slump?
The Panthers leading scorer last season with 16 goals and 38 points in 76 games, Bjugstad is hoping to avoid a sophomore slump similar to the one that plagued 2013 Calder Trophy winner Jonathan Huberdeau last season.
After earning 31 points in 48 games as rookie, Huberdeau significantly regressed during his sophomore season, scoring just nine goals and 28 points in 69 games.
"What we've talked about with (Bjugstad) is to not let what happened to (Huberdeau) happen to him." Tallon said. "It's easier said than done, but he's aware. Hopefully he learned from that."
Penciled in as the team's second-line center, Bjugstad believes that having already endured the grind of a full NHL season â opposed to Huberdeau's lockout-shortened rookie year â will serve him well as he looks for continued growth and success in his second year.
"You can't get too far ahead of yourself," Bjugstad said. "There's room to improve no matter who you are. I just try to get better each and every day. The confidence from playing one year helps. I know what's like to play 70-something games now and I'm going to know how to be able to pace myself and know what to do."
CAN'T MISS GAME
April 11: New Jersey at Florida
The Panthers may be playing for the postseason when they closeout the regular season against former head coach Pete DeBoer and the New Jersey Devils on April 11. On the verge of what could become an intriguing rivalry, Devils visits to the BB&T Center have been ripe with tension since Adam Henrique's double-overtime goal in Game 7 eliminated the Panthers in the first round of the 2012 playoffs.
FINAL THOUGHT
While a revamped roster has certainly put the Panthers in a better position than they were last year, the team is likey to go as far as goaltender Roberto Luongo takes them.
No longer playing under the cloud of a goalie controversy, Luongo will need to prove that he still can be an elite netminder in the NHL as he begins his first full season with the Panthers since returning to Florida in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on March 5.
Posting a .924 save percentage in 14 games with the Panthers last season, a similar showing from Luongo this year should have the Panthers playing meaningful games well into March.
"If we can stay relatively healthy and we progress like we should be progressing, I think we should be in the mix," Luongo said. "That's all you can ask for. You want to be in the mix. You want to be competing for a playoff spot come March and April."
You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.
