Tampa Bay Lightning Rival Report: Florida Panthers
By Will Clewis
As the NHL off-season moves into August, I’ll be taking a look at what the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Atlantic Division opponents have done thus far in the off-season. First up, let’s review what the Florida Panthers has done.
At this point in the NHL off-season, most teams, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, have already made most of their big moves and look to get ready for the upcoming season. Some teams have traded away their valuable assets for big name players or made a splash in the free agency market, while others have remained relatively quiet during the summer months.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a look at what the Lightning’s divisional opponents have done in the off-season thus far. There have been some moves within the division as well as blockbuster trades and questionable acquisitions among the eight teams in the Atlantic.
The first team that we’ll look at is the new-look Florida Panthers and what they’ve done this summer after a franchise-best 103 point season and playoff appearance in 2015-16. The organization’s top management has done well in the draft and developing young players while bringing in top-name free agents and role players.
Before last season, the Panthers lacked somewhat of an identity and were scrambling to make it in a fairly tough Atlantic Division. During the 2014-15 season, the young guns from South Florida made a strong push for a Wild Card spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs but ultimately fell short.
In comparison to the season prior, though, the Panthers improved by nine wins and 25 points led by the first overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, Aaron Ekblad, 2013 Calder Trophy winner, Jonathan Huberdeau, and late season acquisition and ageless wonder, Jaromir Jagr.
The following season was when the Panthers would really show their true colors to the rest of the league. In 2015-16, they stormed to a 47-win season (with a +36 goal differential) and won the Atlantic Division title for the second time in franchise history. Jagr led the team in points with 66 in 79 games played and the young defenseman in Ekblad anchored a solid core of blue liners.
Goaltender Roberto Luongo, whom the Panthers re-acquired in 2014 from Vancouver, led the team with 35 wins, a .922 save percentage, and four shutouts. He was the type of veteran presence the young club needed for a run at a playoff spot and he provided just that for them. It appears the 37-year-old goaltender will man the net in Florida for a couple of more years.
Though the Panthers bowed out in the first round to the New York Islanders, they still fought hard in a close six game series that featured one overtime and two double-overtime periods, including the series clincher in game six.
With all that said, let’s take a look at what Panthers General Manager Tom Rowe and President of Hockey Operations Dale Tallon have done so far this off-season in order to bolster a roster primed for a deeper run in the playoffs this coming season.
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Major Transactions
On May 5, the Florida Panthers re-signed leading point scorer and 22-year NHL veteran Jaromir Jagr to a one year contract. Jagr scored 27 goals and had 39 assists in 79 assists during the 2015-16 season and two assists in six playoff games. The Kladno, Czech Republic native passed the late Gordie Howe for third in all-time points with 1,850 and Brett Hull for third all-time in goals with 741. The 44-year-old forward will enter his second full season with the team in 2016-17. [Florida Panthers]
The Panthers traded defenseman Erik Gudbranson to the Vancouver Canucks for forward Jared McCann on May 25. McCann was sent with a 2016 second round and fourth round draft pick in exchange for Gudbranson and a 2016 fifth round draft pick (which was acquired by the Islanders). The 19-year-old forward played in 69 games with the Canucks last season and recorded 18 points. [Florida Panthers]
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About a month later, the team announced that they had acquired defenseman Keith Yandle from the New York Rangers and signed him to a seven-year contract, though further details were not disclosed. Yandle scored five goals and had 42 assists in 82 games last season and to the dismay of Rangers fans, he is no longer with New York. The Boston, Mass. native will round out a solid crop of defensemen for the Panthers in 2016-17.
On the first day of free agency, the Panthers made several notable moves, including locking up their number one defenseman, Aaron Ekblad, to an eight year extension. He scored a career-high 15 goals and finished with 36 points in the 2015-16 season, which led all defensemen, and is developing into one of the NHL’s top young talents.
The team also signed goaltender James Reimer from the San Jose Sharks to a five year contract and forwards Colton Sceviour (from Dallas) and Jonathan Marchessault (from Tampa Bay) to two year contracts on July 1.
One day later, the Panthers signed defenseman Jason Demers from the Dallas Stars to a five year contract. Demers scored seven goals and racked up 23 points in 62 games for the Stars last season and will look to be a key piece for the Cats next season.
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On July 3, forwards Vincent Trocheck and Reilly Smith were signed to multiple year contract extensions. Trocheck, who scored 25 goals and 28 assists for 53 points, which was good for fifth on the team in points last season, was re-signed to a six-year contract. Smith, who scored 25 goals and had 25 assists last season, was signed to a five-year contract extension after his first season with the team. He also led the team in points during the six-game series against the Islanders with eight in total.
Forward Derek MacKenzie was also re-signed to a two-year contract extension on July 6. The 35-year-old Sudbury, Ontario native led the Panthers in faceoff win percentage and hits in 2015-16.
Minor Transactions
May 3 – Florida Panthers sign defenseman Linus Hultstrom
May 10 – Florida Panthers sign goaltender Samuel Montembeault to a three year, entry-level contract
May 11 – Florida Panthers re-sign forward Shane Harper to a one-year contract
June 10 – Florida Panthers acquire forwards Paul Thompson and Graham Black from the New Jersey Devils for a 2018 second round pick and Marc Savard (essentially, the picked up his contract with a cap hit of around $4 million) [Florida Panthers]
June 23 – The Panthers received goaltender Reto Berra from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for forward Rocco Grimaldi. Berra will likely battle Reimer for the backup spot behind Luongo and spend most of the season with the Panthers’ new AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.
June 25 – Florida Panthers acquire defenseman Mark Pysyk and a 2016 second and third round pick from the Buffalo Sabres for defenseman Dmitry Kulikov and a second round pick.
June 27 – Florida Panthers sign forward Connor Brickley and goaltender Sam Brittain to one-year contracts [Florida Panthers]
June 29 – Florida Panthers sign forward Greg McKegg to a one-year contract
July 1 – Florida Panthers sign defenseman Ian McCoshen to a three-year, entry-level contract
July 20 – Florida Panthers re-sign forward Logan Shaw to a one-year, two-way contract
July 21 – The Panthers re-sign defenseman Jonathan Racine to a one-year, two-way contract
July 25 – The Panthers sign forward Denis Malgin to a three-year, entry-level contract
Draft
At the 2016 NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo, NY, the Florida Panthers made five selections, including two selections in the fourth round. Let’s take a look at who the team drafted in June.
1st round – (23rd overall) Henrik Borgstrom, Center, Hifk Jr. (Finland)
3rd round – (89th overall) Linus Nassen, Defenseman, Lulea Jr. (Sweden Jr.)
4th round – (94th overall) Jonathan Ang, Center, Peterborough Petes (OHL)
4th round – (114th overall) Riley Stillman, Defenseman, Oshawa Generals (OHL)
6th round – (175th overall) Maxim Mamin, Center, CSKA (Russia)
7th round – (195th overall) Benjamin Finkelstein, Defenseman, Kimball Union (U.S. East)
Conclusion
After a breakout season in 2015-16, the Florida Panthers have definitely arrived and will look to advance past the first round for the first time since 1996. The team has an excellent crop of young, talented players and league-tested veterans who can provide leadership and stability. In the coming years, look for the Cats down south to continue contending for the Atlantic Division crown and maybe even the Stanley Cup.
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The 2016-17 season should be an interesting one for the Panthers and the rest of the division. As expected, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be towards the top of the standings as well and push for playoff positioning throughout the regular season. In my next rival report post, I’ll take a look at another divisional opponent and what that team has done in the off-season thus far.