What Your Team Is Thankful For: Florida Panthers
As the holiday season approaches, PHR will look at what teams are thankful for as the season nears the quarter point of completion. There also might be a few things your team would like down the road. We take a look at what’s gone well in the first month and what could improve as the season rolls on. So far we’ve covered ANA, ARZ, BUF, CGY, CAR, CBJ, COL, DET, LAK, NSH, NJD, NYI, STL, TOR, VAN, VGK and WSH.
What are the Florida Panthers most thankful for?
The upcoming 2018 draft class.
It’s not that the Florida Panthers are already out of playoff contention. They’re not. It’s that even if this season doesn’t turn around, and they do end up finishing where they are right now—that is, 28th out of 31 teams—they’ll be in fine shape at next year’s draft. The team already has some solid pieces up front, and two impressive young defensemen locked up long-term in Aaron Ekblad and Mike Matheson, but they need more on the back end and they know it. Luckily, this year’s draft class has several potential franchise-changing options on defense.
Rasmus Dahlin, projected at the moment to go first-overall is already a star in Sweden and could make his country’s Olympic squad before he turns 18. Adam Boqvist, another Swede, is just about as impressive and oozes elite offensive upside. Quinn Hughes and Ryan Merkley are both puck-rushing dynamos, though similarly undersized. If the small, mobile defender isn’t your thing, Noah Dobson, Jared McIssac, Bode Wilde and Evan Bouchard all carry more weight and two-way ability, though in different ways. In a nutshell, this year is loaded with defensive talent.
Florida has an extra thing going for them in the draft. While they don’t have their own second-round pick, they do have Arizona’s. Since the lottery only moves picks in the first round, and Arizona looks poised for another stint at or near the very bottom of the league, the Panthers are looking at selecting their second player somewhere in the early-thirties regardless of what they do for the rest of their season. There should still be plenty of talent in the early second.
Who are the Panthers most thankful for?
Quite simply, Barkov is a superstar. Not only is he well on his way to a career-high in points, currently sitting at 26 in 27 games, but he should receive Selke votes as one of the league’s best defensive forwards for the fourth straight year. Though he’s never won the trophy, it’s important to note that he’s still just 22-years old and already playing 23 minutes a night as one of the best two-way centers in the league. Not to mention that he’s signed for just $5.9MM for four more seasons and is on pace for his first 30-goal season. There’s no doubt that Florida has made some mistakes over the past few years, but signing Barkov long-term immediately wasn’t one of them.
Surrounding Barkov are Vincent Trochek and Jonathan Huberdeau, two other young stars not yet even halfway through their twenties. Both are basically point-per-game players this season, and though the Panthers clearly rely on those three more than a winning team should need to, they represent an excellent core to build around. All three are signed through at least 2021-22, giving the team more than enough time to give them the support they need.
What would the Panthers be even more thankful for?
A do-over at the Expansion draft.
It was obvious when Dale Tallon regained control of the Panthers that he didn’t agree with some of the decisions made by Tom Rowe and his more analytical-driven team. One of those decisions was Reilly Smith‘s $25MM extension, which Tallon jettisoned at the expansion draft just before it was set to kick in. To rid their books of Smith’s contract, they left Jonathan Marchessault available for the Vegas Golden Knights to select, handing over a 30-goal scorer that was owed just $750K this season. Though it was considered a budget-slashing move at the time, just a few weeks later the Panthers signed Evgeni Dadonov to a three-year, $12MM contract and then handed Radim Vrbata $2.5MM on the open market.
Sure, Dadonov has been a very good player for the Panthers this season and Vrbata doesn’t come with the same long-term risk that Smith’s deal represented, but after watching the duo rack up 46 points through the first part of the season on playoff-bound (for now) Golden Knights there has to be some regret. Florida had to lose a player, as every team did, but sending Smith, allowing Marchessault to be selected, and receiving just a fourth-round pick in return looks like a huge blunder at this point. At the very least, Marchessault would have been worth much more than that as a rental player if this season had still ended up poorly.
What should be on the Panthers’ Holiday Wish List?
A bubble to keep Roberto Luongo healthy after he returns.
The Panthers are without their starting goaltender once again, as Luongo is out for some time with what is expected to be a groin injury. While James Reimer was signed for this very reason, he hasn’t been nearly good enough this season to inspire much confidence. Luongo, 39 in April, has been having his best season in years between injuries, recording a .928 save percentage and generally looking as sharp as ever. Reimer on the other hand has just an .892 mark (easily the worst of his career) and hasn’t been able to find his game just yet.
It’s likely that Reimer rebounds at least somewhat to the .914 goaltender he’s proven to be throughout his career, but if the Panthers are to make any run at a playoff spot this year they’ll need this to be the last injury of the season for Luongo. If Barkov and company can drag them a bit closer, perhaps the veteran goaltender can lead a late-season surge towards respectability.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Injury Updates: Luongo, Manning, Fleury
It looked bad when Roberto Luongo was forced out of Monday’s game with an apparent lower-body injury, and the update won’t be very comforting to Florida Panthers fans. Head coach Bob Boughner told reporters that Luongo will miss an “extended period of time,” going as far as claiming five weeks could be a possibility. The Panthers wouldn’t confirm what the injury exactly is, though it’s believed to be the goaltender’s groin.
The 38-year old was playing exceptional this season, and carries a .928 save percentage on the season. While his play hasn’t suffered, injury was always a risk for a goaltender at his age as he showed by missing a large chunk of the season last year, and already being held out with a hand injury in the early going this season. The Panthers will turn to James Reimer and Harri Sateri for the time being, who will have to try and turn things around to keep the team in the playoff race. Florida currently sits seventh in the Atlantic, with just 24 points through 27 games.
- Brandon Manning will be out three to four weeks with an upper-body injury, while Michal Neuvirth is out for just one. The Philadelphia Flyers made two recalls to fill their spots this morning, and GM Ron Hextall also told Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer that Samuel Morin and Philippe Myers would be back from their own injuries in a week or so. Either young defenseman could get the call when they’re deemed healthy, though T.J. Brennan will get the first crack.
- Marc-Andre Fleury was back on the ice again at Vegas Golden Knights practice according to David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and was already having fun pranking his teammates. Fleury hasn’t played since October 13th, but seems ready to get back in the net for Vegas in the coming days. The Golden Knights already have Malcolm Subban back and playing well, giving them a legitimate tandem once Fleury gets back to game action. The Golden Knights, who are still fighting for first place in the Pacific Division, have found success even while dressing their fifth-string goaltender.
Minor Transactions: 12/06/17
As always, we’ll keep an eye on all the minor moves around the league today. One thing to keep an eye out for is teams releasing young players for the World Juniors, though it’s not clear if it will happen for anyone this year. Clayton Keller, Jesper Bratt and others have already been skipped over.
- The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled T.J. Brennan and Alex Lyon from the AHL, as they place Brandon Manning and Michal Neuvirth on injured reserve. The team will be relying on Brian Elliott for the time being, though Lyon is an interesting goaltending prospect for the future. The 24-year old has struggled this year at the AHL level, but has all the skills to succeed at the professional level.
- The Florida Panthers have recalled a goaltender of their own, bringing up Harri Sateri to replace Roberto Luongo. Luongo was forced from the game against the New York Islanders on Monday night, and could be out for some time. James Reimer will take over the starting duties for the time being.
- Rocco Grimaldi has been sent back down by the Colorado Avalanche after just a day with the club. Grimaldi played just nine minutes in last night’s game, but will return to the AHL to continue his development. The 24-year old has 10 points in 14 games for the San Antonio Rampage this season.
- Joel Eriksson Ek is back up with the Minnesota Wild, after showing that he can dominate the AHL. The 20-year old forward had seven points in seven games for the Iowa Wild, and looked dangerous on nearly every rush. Expected to play a big role on Minnesota this season, he got off to a slow start with just three points in his first 20 games and was forced to spend some development time in the minor leagues.
Mike Keenan Fired By KHL’s Kunlun Red Star
Once Mike Keenan was stripped of his GM role this week, it was only a matter of time before the veteran coach was out of a job entirely. The KHL’s Kunlun Red Star made it official today, relieving Keenan of his coaching duties. The KHL’s first and only Chinese team had dropped nine straight games and is struggling to get out of the basement of the KHL’s Eastern Conference. Keenan, who joined the team last month and has been coaching in the KHL since 2013, was clearly not the answer for a team still looking to make a dent as a franchise. The evidence: Kunlun won their first game without Keenan behind the bench today.
Keenan of course is well-known for his time as a coach in the NHL. A tough personality to deal with, Keenan found much success in the NHL, but never with the same team for very long. His first head coaching job in the league was with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1984-85. Keenan spent four years with the Flyers, the next four years with the Chicago Blackhawks, one year with the New York Rangers in 1993-94, in which he led the team to their most recent Stanley Cup title, then three years with the St. Louis Blues, two years with the Vancouver Canucks, one year with the Boston Bruins, three years with the Florida Panthers, and, in his final NHL job to date, two years with the Calgary Flames ending in 2008-09. Keenan made the jump overseas in 2013 to join Metallurg Magnitogorsk and won a KHL championship in his first season. Keenan joined the Red Star after being fired by Metallurg in 2016.
Keenan’s job with Kunlun now goes to his assistant, former NHLer Bobby Carpenter, with other assistants and former pros Cliff Ronning and Igor Kravchuk sticking by as well. The trio have nearly 3000 games of NHL experience between them and, as almost any coach to ever follow Keenan has found, should be able to relate better to the Red Star players.
Mika Zibanejad Out With Concussion
The New York Rangers, fresh off a loss at the hands of the Florida Panthers have confirmed that Mika Zibanejad—who missed that game with an upper-body injury—has suffered a concussion and will not practice with the team. New York did add a center in Peter Holland earlier today, but it was expected that he’ll remain in Hartford for at least the time being.
Zibanejad was scratched from the Florida game just before it started, but according to head coach Alain Vigneault (via Matt Calamia of NHL.com) he suffered the concussion during last Friday’s game against the Detroit Red Wings. Symptoms didn’t present themselves until Tuesday morning. It’s a huge loss for the Rangers, who already had depth issues at center ice after trading away Derek Stepan in the offseason. Zibanejad had taken over as the top option in the middle and led the team in scoring through 25 games.
If he’s out for an extended period of time, Holland or even Filip Chytil could potentially see time in the middle once again. Chytil did begin the year with the Rangers but has been playing in Hartford for some time. The first-round pick 12 points in 13 games for the AHL club, but is still a raw prospect at just 18 years of age.
Minor Transactions: 11/27/17
The NHL is back at it for another week of action, starting with a set of five games on Monday night. With less than a month before the Christmas break, things are heating up in the trade markets. We’ll keep an eye on all the small roster moves made today right here.
- The Florida Panthers have recalled Denis Malgin from the AHL, after Evgenii Dadonov was ruled out for the time being with a shoulder injury. Malgin hasn’t yet scored in his five NHL games this season, but is a point-per-game player in the minor leagues. The undersized forward came over from Switzerland last season and has bounced up and down as he tries to prove his capability in North America.
- Goaltender Eric Comrie has been recalled by the Winnipeg Jets after Steve Mason was forced from the team’s last game with an upper-body injury. Interestingly, the press release does not indicate that Comrie is up on emergency conditions. With Comrie, the team had 24 players on their active roster. According to Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun, they’ll place Mason on injured reserve to make room.
- Seth Griffith, having cleared waivers, has been assigned to the Rochester Americans of the AHL. The talented offensive forward has put up huge numbers during his time in the AHL, but can’t seem to stick around whenever given an NHL opportunity. He had just three points in 18 games this season for the Buffalo Sabres, his fourth organization since being drafted in the fifth-round in 2012.
- Jordan Szwarz has been sent back to the AHL after appearing in just one game on emergency loan with the Boston Bruins. The 26-year old forward has three points in ten games for the Bruins this season, but will head back to Providence to wait for his next opportunity.
- With Jared Spurgeon sick for the Minnesota Wild, defenseman Ryan Murphy is hurrying to Winnipeg where the team plays tonight as an insurance policy. Murphy has been playing for the Iowa Wild this season, where he as 11 points in 18 games. The 12th-overall selection in 2011, Murphy had just 151 career games under his belt in Carolina before being traded to and subsequently bought out by the Calgary Flames. He signed a one-year two-way deal with Minnesota this summer, trying to get his once promising career back on track.
- Antoine Bibeau is up in San Jose as Martin Jones deals with injury. Jones suffered an apparent lower-body injury in his most recent game (in which he recorded a shutout against the Winnipeg Jets) and wasn’t at the Sharks’ morning skate. It’s not clear how long Jones will be out, but he told Kevin Kurz of The Athletic that his absence is more “precautionary than anything”.
Evgenii Dadonov Likely To Miss Extended Time
Panthers winger Evgenii Dadonov missed practice today and has undergone an MRI on his shoulder, notes Matthew DeFranks of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Head coach Bob Boughner isn’t particularly optimistic about the situation, telling DeFranks that the injury is something that will keep him out “longer than shorter” and that he’s hopeful that he will only miss weeks rather than months. The team has not yet received the results of the MRI.
Dadonov is in his first season in the NHL since 2011-12 and has made an immediate impact with the Panthers. He took Jaromir Jagr’s spot on Florida’s top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. As a result, he has already set a new career high in points with 18 (7-11-18) in 22 games while logging nearly 20 minutes per game of ice time. Those 18 points place him fourth in team scoring.
The injury will be a big blow to a team that already find themselves seventh in the Atlantic Division and 15th in the Eastern Conference. In the meantime, Colton Sceviour will slide onto their top line although Radim Vrbata could find himself in that spot when he’s activated off injured reserve. The team is hopeful he’ll be available sometime this week.
Minor Transactions: 11/26/17
After two full days of hockey, only six teams play on Sunday, but many teams may be looking to make moves to shape up their rosters after a busy few days after Thanksgiving. Keep track of all the moves made today:
- Brian Hedger of NHL.com tweets that goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and winger Markus Hannikainen were both recalled from the Cleveland Monsters as both players played in Saturday’s AHL matchup with the Texas Stars. Both players were assigned to Cleveland Saturday for the purpose of getting more playing time. Korpisalo allowed three goals on 23 shots in the loss to Texas, while Hannikainen got off two shots on goal, but didn’t pick up any points. Korpisalo played well, according to Hedger. The 23-year-old backup goaltender has only appeared in four games for Columbus, posting a disappointing 3.27 GAA. Hannikainen has seen partial playing time with the Blue Jackets this year. The 24-year-old has two goals and two assists in 12 games. The Columbus Blue Jackets also announced that goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks, who served as an emergency backup Saturday, will be returned to Cleveland.
- The Vancouver Canucks announced they have recalled Nikolay Goldobin from the Utica Comets today. With Vancouver’s Brandon Sutter banged up after Friday’s game against the New Jersey Devils, the team needed to add another player. Goldobin’s recall has been long awaited as the 22-year-old winger has been dominating in the AHL. He has seven goals and 12 assists in 18 games played, which is first on the team in points scored and second on the team in goals scored. The former 2014 first-rounder looks to have taken the next step at the minor league level and has been waiting for his chance to play in Vancouver this season. He has played in 23 NHL games in his career. Probably not coincidentally, Goldobin’s agent Igor Larianov stated earlier this week that his client has no interest in returning to Russia and intends to stay with the process, after recent defections from Vancouver players Anton Rodin and Nikita Tryamkin. Goldobin is not expected to play today against the New York Rangers, according to Sportsnet’s John Shannon.
- The Ottawa Senators announced they have assigned winger Nick Paul and defenseman Thomas Chabot to the Belleville Senators today. Both were scratched for Saturday’s game against the New York Islanders. Paul was recalled on Nov. 16 and played in four games for the Senators, but failed to register a point. Chabot, the team’s 2015 first-round pick, was recalled from Belleville on Nov. 20 and played in two games for Ottawa, picking up an assist and a -2 plus/minus rating. He was a healthy scratch last night.
- Florida Panthers general manager Dave Tallon announced that forward Chase Balisy has been loaned to their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds today. The 25-year-old wing has been up and down most of the season. He has played in eight games for Florida with no points, but has also managed to play in 13 games for the Thunderbirds and has four goals and five assists with the AHL club.
- The Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and general manager Steve Yzerman announced the team will assign center Cory Conacher to the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL. Conacher was recalled Friday when the team placed defenseman Jake Dotchin on injured reserve. The 27-year-old played in Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins and scored a goal. The assignment might suggest that Dotchin might be ready to return on Tuesday as he is eligible to come off IR at that time.
MacKenzie Set To Return, Vrbata Hoping To Play Next Week
- While the Panthers are expected to get center Derek MacKenzie back in their lineup tonight after missing the last five games with a lower-body injury, they’ll have to wait a little while longer before winger Radim Vrbata makes his return, notes Matthew DeFranks of the Sun-Sentinel. The veteran took a puck to the face last Saturday and is hoping to play sometime next week. Vrbata sits tied for fifth in team scoring with three goals and eight assists through 19 games.
Frustration Growing For Panthers’ Alex Petrovic
It wasn’t long ago that the Florida Panthers were working toward a long-term extension with defenseman Alex Petrovic. Coming off the best season of his young career in 2015-16, the then-24-year-old looked like he was blossoming into an elite two-way defenseman. Injuries struck last season, but Petrovic nonetheless saw increased ice time and an uptick in both offensive and defensive per-game numbers. He was rewarded by being protected in this summer’s Expansion Draft.
Yet, today the team’s position on Petrovic has changed and he’s taking notice. While Petrovic and the Panthers avoided arbitration with a one-year extension this summer, he’s had to sit back and watch fellow blue liners with less time spent in Florida sign long-term deals in Mark Pysyk and Michael Matheson. Now he’s watching the likes of Ian McCoshen and MacKenzie Weegar take his ice time away too. Petrovic has been a healthy scratch in nine of the Panthers’ 20 games this season and, as he tells the Miami Sun-Sentinal’s Matthew DeFranks, he’s sick of it.
“I think (the coaches) just don’t have the confidence in me when I’m out there to keep (making me a healthy scratch) for some reason,” Petrovic said. “I couldn’t tell you why. It is what it is. I just got to keep proving myself every day.” DeFranks describes Petrovic’s scratches as unusual, as the determined defender tends to watch games from the ground level rather than the press box and works out during period breaks. No amount of effort or showing of dedication seems to make a differences though; Petrovic hasn’t suited up since November 9th and “lines of communication between him and the coaching staff have evaporated”, DeFranks writes.
New Florida head coach Bob Boughner has done his best to de-emphasize the issues between he and his staff and Petrovic, but sooner or later the Panthers are either going to have to start playing their homegrown product or trade him away. Petrovic has shown a commitment to being in the lineup and, when active, has the numbers to prove improvement of the past two seasons. Teams will line up to get a young, physical defenseman on an upward trend offensively and defensively. GM Dale Tallon simply needs to decide whether he wants to take advantage of that value or keep that asset to himself, and he needs to decide soon.