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Grigori Denisenko Had Surgery For Broken Kneecap, Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp

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A somewhat mysterious injury for a top Florida Panthers prospect has been cleared up, with Grigori Denisenko confirmed to have suffered a broken kneecap back on January 12th while playing with the Charlotte Checkers. The Checkers announced the injury today. The injury occurred in what would prove to be an incredible effort from the Russian winger, who broke his kneecap on a blocked shot, but continued to play, scoring the game winner. Denisenko would ultimately have surgery on his knee, but appears to be in good spirits and confident that he will be ready to go in time for Florida Panthers training camp.

Florida’s first-round pick in 2018, 15th overall, Denisenko’s development has not exactly been meteoric, however the team still has high hopes for him. Prior to being drafted, Denisenko was a standout for Yaroslavl in the KHL as a part of their development program and on Russia’s junior teams. After being selected by Florida, Denisenko made his KHL debut with Yaroslavl, though he didn’t take the steps forward Florida, and Yaroslavl, might have hoped, recording just 18 points in 63 games over two seasons. The forward made the jump to North America ahead of the 2020-21 season, but due to injuries and the COVID-19 situation, he was limited to just 45 AHL games and 8 NHL games over two seasons. In his limited time, Denisenko was solid, putting up 27 points in those 45 AHL games, and an impressive four assists in seven games in his NHL debut in 2020-21. Once healthy, if Denisenko hopes to have an impactful NHL career, he will have to continue to take steps forward in his production, especially if he wants to appear regularly in an incredibly deep Panthers lineup. The good news for Denisenko on that front is, with the flat salary cap and the Panthers being near the ceiling, they will need affordable pieces that they can rely on, and one of their top prospects may be a solution.

Florida Panthers Sign Anton Levtchi

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The Florida Panthers have made another splash in the European free-agent class. The team announced the signing of Finnish forward Anton Levtchi to a one-year, entry-level contract. CapFriendly notes that Levtchi’s two-way deal carries a cap hit of $842,500, and he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Levtchi, 26, has spent his entire hockey career in his native Finland. Not only that, he’s spent his whole career with the same club — Tappara, all the way from playing with their U16 club starting in 2010-11 up to now, where Levtchi is now a six-year Liiga veteran. Levtchi was the leading scorer in the entire league last season, tied for the league lead in goals (26) and leading the league in points (61) by a margin of two. He had a banner 2021-22 season, guiding Tappara to the league title with 10 points in 14 playoff games as well.

He joins a Florida team that should be complementary to his skilled game. Whether or not he carves out a regular lineup spot on one of the best teams in the world remains to be seen, but he’ll certainly provide cheap, skilled, capable depth for a cap-strapped Panthers squad.

Panthers Reportedly Fire Assistant Coaches Derek MacKenzie, Ulf Samuelsson

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  • Earlier today, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes tweeted out a video, reporting that the Florida Panthers had relieved assistant coaches Derek MacKenzie and Ulf Samuelsson of their duties. Weekes adds that assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu is still with the club, as is goaltending coach Robb Tallas. Additionally, Weekes says that there have been no contract talks or additional updates on Tallas or head coach and Jack Adams Award finalist Andrew Brunette. Weekes has reported several breaking stories this season, however it is important to note that the moves have not been confirmed yet by the Panthers, who still include MacKenzie and Samuelsson as coaches on their site.

Florida Panthers Sign Calle Sjalin

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The Florida Panthers have nabbed another European free agent, agreeing to terms with Calle Sjalin on a two-year entry-level contract. Sjalin was originally a draft pick of the New York Rangers but never signed a contract with them and became an unrestricted free agent last year. Per CapFriendly, Sjalin’s deal carries a cap hit of $855,000.

Panthers general manager Bill Zito released a statement on the deal:

Calle is a skilled defenseman who possesses a powerful shot and exceptional playmaking ability. He has developed into a top blueliner in the Swedish Hockey League and we are excited for him to continue to grow as an athlete in our system.

Zito is right, Sjalin did turn into a top defenseman in the SHL this season, racking up 22 points in 46 games for Leksands IF. That was a huge increase on his previous numbers and immediately put him back on NHL radars. With this new deal, he’ll join a Panthers organization that has shown a strong ability to put the finishing touches on a prospect and transition them into the NHL in recent years.

Whether he ever reaches that level still remains to be seen but the Panthers will happily add a lottery ticket like Sjalin to the organization for nothing more than an entry-level contract slot. Because he is still signed with his SHL club through 2022-23, he will have to be offered back to them should he fail to make the Panthers out of camp but given how well they have handled his development to this point, that wouldn’t really be a negative.

Florida Panthers Reportedly Connected To Jeff Blashill

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With a change potentially on the horizon in the Sunshine State behind the bench of the Florida Panthers, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that he’s heard a connection between the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners and Blashill. It’s unclear at this point whether the Panthers will retain interim head coach Andrew Brunette, who was a nominee for the Jack Adams Award this past season after guiding Florida to a 122-point season. It would be a puzzling choice from the Panthers to move on from Brunette for someone like Blashill who hasn’t made any notable achievements at the NHL level, undoubtedly.

Ulf Samuelsson Leaves Panthers

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  • Even if Shaw doesn’t leave the Canucks, the team is looking for another assistant coach. Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV tweets that Ulf Samuelsson could be a candidate, as he is no longer with the Florida Panthers. Samuelsson had been with Florida for two years but there could be more changes coming for the Panthers, who have yet to announce whether Jack Adams finalist Andrew Brunette will return as head coach.

Latest On Claude Giroux

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The free agent market this summer may be headlined by players in their prime like Johnny Gaudreau and Filip Forsberg but there is also another tier of older talents that can still make a huge impact. Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Patrice Bergeron, and Marc-Andre Fleury could all be going into the Hall of Fame one day and are technically available, once July 13 rolls around.

There’s another player that should be included in that group: Claude Giroux. The Philadelphia Flyers icon is now 34 and though he may not have a ton of time left in his career, there’s no doubting that he can still be an impact player. After scoring 18 goals and 42 points in 57 games with the brutal Flyers squad this season, Giroux showed exactly how productive he can still be by joining the high-flying Florida Panthers and adding 23 points in 18 games. He had another eight points in the Panthers’ ten-game playoff run and now must make a decision on where to take his career next.

According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the first priority would be to stay in Florida. Both Giroux and his agent Pat Brisson told LeBrun that there is a desire to stay with the Panthers if possible, and general manager Bill Zito confirmed that he hopes to find a way to make it happen. Hope, of course, is the operative word, as the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Panthers don’t exactly have cap space to throw around this summer.

For the first time in a little while, there are no big restricted free agents to sign, but with more than $71.3MM already committed to 16 players, a $637K bonus overage penalty carrying over to next season, and Keith Yandle’s buyout penalty jumping to nearly $5.4MM, the Panthers will have to make some moves just to fit their current group in under the $82.5MM ceiling. Getting Giroux seems extremely difficult unless he’s taking a huge discount compared to what he could make on the market.

Wherever he lands, Giroux will have an outside chance at hitting the 1,000-point mark this season. The 15-year NHL veteran currently sits at 923 and needs just six goals to hit 300. It would be extremely odd to see him reach those milestones in a non-Flyers sweater, even if he did seem to fit in after arriving in Florida.

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Looking At Claude Giroux’s Impending Free Agency

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With the Florida Panthers now swept out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, many questions will arise this offseason about the future of this year’s Presidents’ Trophy winners. One of those questions will be the future of forward Claude Giroux, who the Panthers acquired at the Trade Deadline. The longtime captain of the Philadelphia Flyers was moved for what many viewed as an underwhelming return, and despite Florida’s early elimination, Giroux performed with renewed vigor on a better team. He had eight points in 10 playoff games but piled up assists in the regular season, notching 20 in 18 games with the Panthers. He still managed 42 points in 57 games with the Flyers prior to the trade on a massively struggling team, too. His eight-year extension that kicked in prior to 2014-15 is now expiring, and Giroux could hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his 15-year career.

Giroux has already stated his desire to return to South Florida if the opportunity arises. However, with the worst year of the Keith Yandle buyout hitting the Panthers next season, the team has just under $4MM in projected cap space for the 2022-23 season, according to CapFriendly. That’s already an impossible number to sign Giroux unless he takes a serious old-man discount, but the team also has a handful of roster spots to fill on both forward and defense. The team could likely opt to trade Patric Hornqvist (with a limited no-trade clause) and the final year of his $5.3MM cap hit, though, which could seriously open the door for a Giroux return.

If Giroux can’t work out a return to the Panthers organization, though, teams will come prepared with serious offers for his services. The 34-year-old can still be counted on for at least 20 goals and 65/70 points in a full season, and he remains a very good defensive presence and faceoff man. Giroux is still boasting a streak of five seasons above a 55 percent mark in the faceoff circle, and although his skill set is now best used on the wing, he’s still valuable as a faceoff specialist. It’s hard to imagine Giroux receiving less than $6MM or $7MM, although a four-year term is likely an extreme maximum for Giroux at this point.

His hometown Ottawa Senators have been constantly linked to Giroux over the past few years, and the team hasn’t been quiet about their desire to improve this offseason drastically. With the team boasting nearly $25MM in cap space this offseason, they have the room and then some to make that sort of acquisition.

Is a return to the Flyers in the cards? It’s doubtful. Giroux hasn’t made a Stanley Cup Final in 12 years and he doesn’t have a ring. It’s that fact that makes it seem like a discount to stay in a team on the rise in Florida would make the most sense for Giroux. However, if the Senators play their cards right and their prospects develop properly, they could be in a position to win Cups by the end of a Giroux contract as well. Other teams in contending positions may not have the cap space to afford Giroux’s services, but it’s much too early to eliminate that scenario.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Joe Thornton Undecided About His Playing Future

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With the Panthers being eliminated earlier this week, the speculation about Joe Thornton’s playing future has already started.  Speaking with reporters today including NHL.com’s Alain Poupart, the veteran indicated that it’s too early to know if he’ll return for a 25th NHL season:

I haven’t put any thought into it at all right now. I think it’s still so quick. I wasn’t expecting that. It took me by surprise, so I’m sure I’ll talk with the family and see what our plan is next. I haven’t decided if I’m going to play or not, but we’ll talk and see how everybody’s feeling about it. We’ll see.

The 43-year-old signed with Florida early in free agency last summer but had a very limited role throughout the season when he was healthy enough to play.  He missed 20 games due to injuries and was a scratch for another 28, resulting in a career-low 34 appearances where he managed just five goals and five assists while averaging just 11:09 per game, also a career-low.  Thornton’s usage was even more limited in the playoffs as he played just once – the last game of the Tampa Bay series.

While Thornton is far from the All-Star player he was in his prime, he has a reputation for being a strong positive presence in the dressing room which likely played a role in Florida signing him last summer.  It’s also worth noting that he’s within striking distance of the all-time games played record set by long-time teammate Patrick Marleau; Thornton is 65 appearances away from equaling that mark.  A fully healthy season in 2022-23 could give him a realistic shot at setting the new standard.

At this point of his career, Thornton is going to be limited to a contract that’s basically at or around the minimum salary of $750K and he has signed minimum-salary deals the last two years.  Accordingly, there’s no real rush for him to make a decision; the types of offers he might have a shot at early in free agency will still be there at any other point of the offseason.  While many may want to know what’s next for Thornton, that decision may not be coming for a while.

Examining Sergei Bobrovsky’s Future

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When a team is eliminated from the postseason, and especially when it is four straight games, the entire organization goes under the magnifying glass. That’s exactly what has happened for the Florida Panthers, after bowing out quietly against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round. The Panthers scored just three goals in four games and were shut out completely in the deciding match.

Suddenly, the Presidents’ Trophy-winning squad went from the elation of advancing in the playoffs for the first time since 1996, to a team judged as a huge disappointment. Things like interim head coach Andrew Brunette’s future, which seemed so clear just a few weeks ago, have immediately come into question.

The same could be said about Sergei Bobrovsky, the veteran netminder with a checkered (if not downright bad) history in the playoffs. No team can blame their goaltender when they score just three goals in a four-game stretch but given his contract, which extends through 2025-26 and carries a $10MM cap hit, Bobrovsky was still expected to do more than the .911 save percentage he posted in the playoffs. It doesn’t ever help to be directly compared to Andrei Vasilevskiy at the other end of the rink, but given that he makes more money than the Tampa Bay netminder, some obviously will.

It’s not really about whether Bobrovsky was to blame, though. Nothing can change that fact, and the Panthers still have the core of a Stanley Cup contender in place. The question now is whether the 33-year-old goaltender will be the one playing behind them next season, especially given the presence of top prospect Spencer Knight.

Because the team selected Knight 13th overall in 2019, Bobrovsky’s name has been continuously thrust into trade speculation. But now with Knight pushing for more playing time and Bobrovsky’s game still not back to the Vezina-winning level he found in Columbus, there’s good reason for that speculation. Elliotte Friedman even spoke about how the Panthers did some work in that regard this year in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast for Sportsnet:

I suspect that they tried hard to trade him this year, or at least lay the groundwork to do it. I don’t know if it’s possible. I’ve heard they really worked on it. They really tried to see if it was possible. 

Even if the Panthers worked hard, a trade isn’t really even up to them. Bobrovsky holds a full no-movement clause through the end of 2023-24. At that point, it would change to a 16-team no-trade list, meaning the team could potentially get out of the last two years. As of right now, anything would have to go through the veteran netminder.

Notably, the Panthers have quite a few pending free agents and a buyout penalty that jumps to more than $6.5MM for the 2022-23 season. Combine that penalty with the rising salaries of players like Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe, and you have a team that is almost already right up against the cap ceiling for next season. Moving Bobrovsky would obviously alleviate that problem, though there is certainly no guarantee the team would actually improve.

While Knight is still one of the top young goaltending prospects in the world, it is not like he has absolutely dominated to this point. The 21-year-old had a .908 save percentage in 32 NHL games this season, and a .905 in 11 minor league appearances. While there isn’t much doubt that he should become a legitimate NHL starter in time, the Panthers want to contend now with the in-their-prime core they have built.

This all leads to a very difficult summer for general manager Bill Zito and his front office, who has to make some tough decisions about the direction of the franchise.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

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