The Hockey News Archive
The NHL playoffs have a number of legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, including the Florida Panthers. And in this feature story from The Hockey News’ April. 26, 2021 edition (Volume 74, Issue 5), contributing writer Erin Brown wrote an in-depth profile on the Panthers and their rise to prominence.
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The Panthers rallied to the Cup final last season, but in 2021, they were still finding their stride. Florida lost star defenseman Aaron Ekblad to injury at the time this story was published, but the Panthers rallied around the team concept and came out the other side
“The effort they’re putting into this – physically, emotionally – is really something,” Panthers GM Bill Zito told Brown. “You really have to give significant credit to this room, so we did feel an obligation to help them as much as we could. We’re never going to replace Aaron Ekblad, but there were players available to help, and we did feel a responsibility to make our team a little bit better, a little more competitive.”
Ultimately, the Panthers would go on to be eliminated in the 2021 post-season in the first round, but shortly thereafter, Florida began to build a winning team. And Zito, the architect, wasn’t satisfied with his team being just a decent squad.
“We want this team to challenge,” Zito said. “We want this team to compete. We want this team to grow and get better every single day. The expectation is to go as far as we can in the playoffs.”
READY TO POUNCE
By Erin Brown
The Florida Panthers were cruising to a second straight victory over Dallas when Aaron Ekblad went down. Having collapsed with his full weight on his left leg, he threw off his equipment and writhed on the ice. One night earlier, the Panthers were buoyed by the Norris Trophy contender’s overtime heroics to snap their first three-game skid of the season.
A day later, Florida learned its top defenseman would be lost for the season. “You could hear him scream. It must have hurt so bad,” said Jonathan Huberdeau. “I didn’t really see it. I don’t really want to see it.”
At the time of Ekblad’s injury in late March, Florida was steamrolling its way toward its first back-to-back post-season appearance since 1997. Building on a young core in its prime, off-season moves to fill voids on defense and a commitment to coach Joel Quenneville’s system, the Panthers were off to one of their best starts in franchise history.
Ekblad, who shared the league lead in goals among defensemen and was averaging more than 25 minutes of ice time, was a big part of Florida’s rise. Sasha Barkov and Huberdeau remain key offensive cornerstones, but the influx of talented players seeking to prove their worth has been a catalyst for the once underachieving team.
Carter Verhaeghe, who struggled to break into Tampa Bay’s top six, has become a prolific contributor on Florida’s top line along with Barkov and fellow cast-off Anthony Duclair. Patric Hornqvist and Alexander Wennberg have filled out Florida’s productive second line with Huberdeau. “All the guys we brought in are assets to the team, and all brought a little something different,” said center Noel Acciari. “It was an easy transition having these guys put into the lineup. We challenge ourselves to match whatever they bring.”
Playing alongside Ekblad was MacKenzie Weegar, who, as Quenneville noted, has brought his game to another level. Outside the top pairing, Gustav Forsling and Radko Gudas have had a transformative effect on Florida’s defense. Forsling, a waiver pickup who played for the Cats’ coach in Chicago, has shown the flexibility to excel in various roles. Gudas, meanwhile, has given Florida a personality with his physical play.
And tying it all together behind the bench is Quenneville, who is among front-runners for the Jack Adams award as the NHL’s top coach. “I could talk about everyone’s contribution, but we’re getting a little bit more from more players, more defensemen,” Quenneville said. “There’s been more consistency. Our D-zone coverage – not just the ‘D’ – as a group of five has been improved along with the goaltending.”
For the first time since 2017-18, Panthers netminders have registered a combined goals-against average below 3.00 and a save percentage above .900. Sergei Bobrovsky’s rebound from a disappointing first season in Florida and journeyman Chris Driedger’s rise have given the Panthers the luxury of dressing two starting-caliber netminders. “He’s a guy when he’s called upon, he brings his A-game,” said defenseman Keith Yandle of 26-year-old Driedger. “For us to have two goalies like that to count on every night is a huge advantage.”
In an era of uncertainty, the Panthers have also managed to maintain a modicum of normalcy. While most teams were forced to limit indoor team activities due to the coronavirus, Florida shifted team meetings and workouts outdoors, where winter temperatures hover in the 70s. Players are still required to exercise in small groups, but it has offered a little extra time for bonding. The team has also kept COVID-19 cases away from its ranks despite South Florida being a hot zone. As of mid-April, Florida had lost just three man-games to players entering the league protocol. “The effort they’re putting into this – physically, emotionally – is really something,” said GM Bill Zito. “You really have to give significant credit to this room, so we did feel an obligation to help them as much as we could. We’re never going to replace Aaron Ekblad, but there were players available to help, and we did feel a responsibility to make our team a little bit better, a little more competitive.”
In the two weeks leading up to the April 12 trade deadline, Zito followed the familiar plan to bring in hungry talent to keep Florida’s hopes for a third division title and even a Presidents’ Trophy within reach. The Panthers bolstered their defense by signing undrafted North Dakota senior Matt Kiersted, who immediately jumped into the lineup. A week later, Zito acquired center Lucas Wallmark and defenseman Lucas Carlsson from Chicago for Riley Stillman, Brett Connolly and Henrik Borgstrom.
Just when it appeared the Panthers would move forward with a defense by committee in Ekblad’s absence, Zito sent a third-round pick in 2021 to Buffalo for Brandon Montour. The 27-year-old, who was on Florida’s radar at the deadline two seasons ago, checks many of Florida’s needs. He is a right-handed shot capable of playing big minutes in all situations and contributing offensively. In the Panthers, Montour sees a team that may finally let his strengths show through. “There’s some high-end talent up front,” Montour said. “The defense like to move their feet and get in the play. My strengths lean toward that.”
Florida also signed former KHL scoring champion Nikita Gusev to boost their offense and traded for a proven playoff performer in Sam Bennett, who has 19 points in 30 career post-season contests. “I’ve always been a guy that tends to get up for big games,” Bennett said. “It’s physical, it’s fast. It complements my game.”
And while Florida does not need help in net, recently signed phenom Spencer Knight is lurking on the roster, just in case.
With this post-season being an extension of divisional play, the path to the franchise’s first Cup will likely force Florida to go through both Carolina and defending champion Tampa Bay. A tough task, no doubt, but after many years of rebuilding and falling short, the Panthers may finally be in a position to prove the product on ice is as good as it looks on paper. “We want this team to challenge,” Zito said. “We want this team to compete. We want this team to grow and get better every single day. The expectation is to go as far as we can in the playoffs.”
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- Archive: Panthers Were Building A Stanley Cup Front-Runner In 2021
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