Fifty percent of the season has come and gone so I am providing a summary of each player through the first half of the season. Let's start in net and work our way out.
Goaltending
Roberto Luongo – Luuuuuuuuuuuuu!!! He’s back. Off to the all-star game. He has been exceptional to start the season. Key saves at key times, few bad goals against. Everything you’d want from a starting goalie.
Al Montoya - He’s had two starts against Calgary this season and was horrendous. Other than that he’s been good to great in his starts and in relief duty of Luongo. He needs to find his game again because he will be tested in back to backs down the stretch when the points really matter.
Defense
Aaron Ekblad – To the naysayers that say picking a Dman #1 is folly I present to you Aaron Ekblad. He’s been all that and a pair of pants for the Cats this season. Playing 2nd pairing minutes has allowed the 18 year old to be eased into the NHL. Many thought the offense wouldn’t translate to the NHL but so far it has. It’ll be interesting to see where his career goes once he starts going up against the big boys night in and night out. But then again he may never have to because…
Erik Gudbranson – Right shot defensemen are hard to find. So far this season 98 have played in an NHL game. So far 172 left shot dmen have suited up. The Panthers have two right shot Dmen 23 and under that have the makings of being elite. Gudbranson can hold his own playing against the tough competition which frees up Ekblad against lesser competition which means Ekblad’s gonna Ekblad…
Brian Campbell – The most underrated dman in recent years. All this guy does is make his partner look great. First he made Garrison a ton of money, then he pulled Tom Gilbert’s career out of the toilet. Now he’s easing in an 18 year old. He’s a perfect partner for the youngster. It is always a joy watching him perform.
Willie Mitchell – The cagey vet has been better than I expected. While he never will be able to skate or pass like Campbell he has the off the window and out strategy down to a T. He’s also incredible at breaking up passes with his mile long stick which makes him great on the PK where he also excels at blocking shots. He also knows to get the puck quickly to his partner because he’s far better suited to make outlet passes.
Dmitry Kulikov – Willie’s other half has managed to stay somewhat healthy this season. He’s incredibly underrated defensively and offensively. On a different team with a better zone start push and PP time he’d put up better points. He’s cleaned up things in his own end a lot over the past two years and is finally looking like the Panthers made a good choice taking him in round 1.
Dylan Olsen – At the time the Panthers traded Versteeg to Chicago it looked like Olsen and Hayes were not going to pan out as NHLers. Needless to say Olsen has been better than expected and immediately stepped in and cemented his spot in the FLA lineup. He still has some work to do in his own end as his -7 sticks out considering his partner Gudbranson is +2.
Shane O’brien – The party boy was called up recently and filled in for 4 games. He was -4 while paired mostly with Olsen and now that Gudbranson is back let’s hope O’brien moves back to the press box or the minors. Interesting guy though both on and off the ice.
Centres
Nick Bjugstad- He led the team in scoring last year and is on pace to do so again. Unfortunately he’s only on pace for 50 points as the Panthers still find themselves offensively challenged. Unofficially Bjugstad leads the league in posts. The guy has a deadly wrister, unfortunately he’d rather play tubular bells with the posts than find twine but overall he’s had a fine first half.
Sasha Barkov- He played most of the first half with a banged up hand and has been hit hard by the sophomore jinx. Finally started finding his place in the lineup before missing several games with a virus. His cheeky one-handed shootout winner against Pittsburgh before Christmas is easily his first half highlight.
David Bolland- He’s only managed to be healthy for half the games but he’s finally finding his spot and filling his role as a pesky third line center. He really needs to improve his faceoffs in the second half but he’s doing a lot better lately going up against tough opposition. He is one of those guys that is extremely annoying to play against because his subtle stick work is effective.
Derek MacKenzie – Great on the draws, excellent on the PK, tough along the walls and fearless in front of the net. This guy is the perfect 4th line centre. He’s better than I was expecting. Let’s hope he can keep it up.
Regular Wingers
Jussi Jokinen – An excellent signing for a guy that does everything well. He has played on all four lines at all three positions and also sees ample time on the PP and the PK. He’s been everything he was advertised to be.
Jonathan Huberdeau – Huberdeau had a brutal sophomore campaign and entered his third season getting the same results he was in his second. He had 2 points in his first 12 games. Since then he has been scoring at just under a PPG game pace though most people think he’s a bust. He did manage third star of the week this past week so not everyone thinks he’s a total failure.
Jimmy Hayes - Hayes found his game in Florida after Chicago couldn’t seem to get him going. At the start of the year he was getting scratched in favor of Shawn Thornton but now he’s proving that last season was not a fluke. A mammoth on the ice and in front of the net he scores goals the greasy way but he is also able to wire the puck from the slot. Exceptional along the walls with his big frame he’s been exceptional this season and would lead the team in goals if it weren’t for his early season benchings.
Brad Boyes – Brad Boyes Brad Boyes what you gonna do? Another player who seemed washed up has found life in South Florida. He’s a consistent performer that is similar to Jokinen in that he can play anywhere in the lineup. He has been a great player to help transition this team over to its youth.
Sean Bergenheim – An honest player that plays a hard game. He’s physical, relentless and better around the net than you’d expect. He may be one of the best in the league along the walls for his size. Glad he’s back and healthy after a few miserable campaigns.
Tomas Fleischmann - Extremely nice guy is hampered by an ongoing freak illness and despite the atrocious start is finally finding his offensive touch. If he was contributing better at the start of the year he may have been dealt already but the Cats may hold onto him going into the playoffs, or they could deal him to a team that is starved for secondary scoring.
Scottie Upshall – The super pest. Upshall is a guy you wind up on the bench and send out on the ice where he goes b-a-n-a-n-a-s until his shift is done. He goes to the net hard, lays the body, blocks shots, shoots pucks and gives his all every shift. He usually ends up injured due to his reckless play but he’s an extremely fun guy to cheer for.
Tomas Kopecky – The poor man’s Marian Hossa. He plays just like Hossa but isn’t near as good at anything that Hossa is good at. He excels on the bottom two lines. He’s a good candidate to be moved to a team looking for a versatile bottom six forward.
Shawn Thornton – Irrelevant on the ice but great in the dressing room. For a big man he skates decently but he’s got little touch around the net. When he’s on the ice bad things happen. His injury has been a blessing to the Panthers team. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s waived or bought out at some point.
Depth Forwards
Vincent Trocheck – After finally getting called up he’s been one of the best at creating offense. Unfortunately that offense has dried up for almost a month. He needs to start producing or he’ll be sent to San Antonio to make room for when Shawn Thornton comes back from injury.
Brandon Pirri – Started off the season playing very well with 3 goals in 3 games. Then he was elbowed in the head by Keith Yandle and was concussed on what should have easily been a suspension or at least a major penalty but was neither. Since being KO’d Pirri has not scored a goal despite seeing time with talented players. Hopefully that concussion doesn’t ruin what looked like a competent player in the long run.
Rocco Grimaldi – Created plenty of chances while up with the big club. Not too many guys his size find success in the NHL but with Barkov and Bjugstad in the middle he could find a home on one of their wings very soon. Most likely with Barkov.
Apologies for the long article but the halfway mark of a season doesn't happen very often so it's difficult to do this wonderful exercise. Analyzing a half season's worth of material has proven to be an arduous task. It probably would have been a lot easier to just cut a bicycle in half.
