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The Florida Panthers entered the season with a strange mix of youth and veteran leadership, and despite some early ups and downs, haven’t looked too bad. The re-acquisition of Roberto Luongo last season has worked wonders, as the veteran netminder has been a steadying presence for the young skaters and has kept the team in almost every game this season.
No team in the league has lost as many overtime games as the Panthers have, and while they’re getting points, their youth and inexperience has surely cost them a few close games. As the season goes on, look for Florida to win more of these close games and begin showing even more signs of growing together into a cohesive unit.
Veteran acquisitions such as Willie Mitchell, Jussi Jokinen and even David Bolland before he got hurt have brought a winning pedigree to the locker room and helped change the attitude in the locker room. The team’s young players, such as Aaron Ekblad, Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trocheck and Rocco Grimaldi, are showing signs of being big-time players for years to come. The biggest surprise for me has been former Chicago Blackhawks prospect Jimmy Hayes, who despite being in and out of the lineup, has solid 10 points in 14 games, two off the team lead despite missing seven games.
While I still think they’re a long-shot to make the playoffs, that’s more a result of their division with such contenders as the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens blocking their path. As frustrated as Panthers fans have gotten with the “future” and “potential” narratives, this could be the time the team finally got it right and is positioned for a very bright future. It’ll surely take just that for the weary fans to start coming back and the team’s attendance problems to be solved.
Grade: B-
They’re not exactly contenders, but they’re not pushovers either. Look for the team to be an interesting factor in the Eastern Conference playoff picture for the rest of the season.
