The Future

The Florida Panthers had a heck of a run this season. The Cats finished at 91 points, which is a 25-point improvement over last year. If they can improve that much again next season they just may have a shot at the playoffs… Here’s a review of the Panthers players this season.

Goaltending

Roberto Luongo - Luongo was the backbone of this team from start to finish. Very few bad goals against all season. Hart trophy candidate for the Cats this season.

Al Montoya - Montoya had a couple shaky starts this season but generally was solid. His gutsy effort to play through a serious groin injury was memorable. Solid pickup by Tallon for a backup goalie.

Dan Ellis - Ellis came in when Luongo and Montoya were hurt and provided top-notch goaltending when the Cats season looked to be over. Amazing work by the veteran in relief.

Defense

Aaron Ekblad - Ekblad had one of the best seasons ever by an 18-year-old Dman. I can’t wait to see how the next 20 years pan out for this stud. Solid in his own end. Quarterbacking a PP. He can do it all. Yes…Ekblad Gonna Ekblad…

Erik Gudbranson - Guddy took the tough matchups all season and did fairly well. Gudbranson’s game is best when he plays with an edge. He played down the stretch with a shoulder injury after a dirty slew foot by Chris Kreider. I can’t wait to see Gudbranson get some revenge next season. Hopefully a little cleaner than the way Bertuzzi went about his business.

Brian Campbell - Silky. Smooth. Campbell makes it look easy. He is very effective all over the ice due to his great skating. He’s like Scott Niedermayer without the mistakes. He was the perfect partner for Ekblad all season.

Willie Mitchell - Willard missed 16 games this season. During that stretch the Panthers PK struggled costing the Cats several points. Willard was a great captain this season and really helped improve everyone’s game in the defensive end.

Dmitry Kulikov - There were questions before the season whether Kulikov could eliminate the defensive miscues from his game. Those questions are now answered. Kulikov was a strong two-way force for the Cats. He’s a very underrated player.

Steven Kampfer - Tallon stole him from the Rangers and he’s since earned a two-year extension. Solid filling in this season at both forward and defense. Perfect guy to have on your roster as he can play bottom pairing defense or wing on the fourth line. Loved his versatility this season.

Alex Petrovic - He’s a Gudbranson clone. Once he was called up he made it impossible for the Cats to send back down. He is physical with a good first pass and an underrated ability in the offensive end. He surprised me with how good he was.

Dylan Olsen - Olsen had a decent first half of the year before losing his way in January when he had to take a personal leave of absence from the team. Olsen is back playing in the AHL now for the red hot Rampage in San Antonio.

Shane O’brien - This was probably O’brien’s last kick at the can as an NHL player. He managed to get into 9 games for the Cats and looked okay. The Panthers have players that have passed him on the depth chart and probably won’t bring back O’brien for next season.

Centres

Nick Bjugstad - He was having a fine season until the last couple of months as he tried to play through a back injury that ultimately ended his season. The story goes that he had to kneel to tie his skates because he couldn’t bend his back the last two months he played. For the life of me why couldn’t someone else tie his skates? Shawn Thornton would have been a good candidate. He’s strong and doesn’t provide much else of worth to the team. Bjugstad needs some work on his passing and defensive play but overall he had a solid season anchoring the second line.

Sasha Barkov - Barkov took off offensively in the second half of the year including 10 points in his last 10 games. Jagr and Luongo both have described Barkov as the future of the franchise. His defensive game is top notch. And his offense is starting to grow. It looks like the Cats have the next Kopitar on their hands.

David Bolland - He’s only managed to be healthy for just over half the games but he found his spot as a pesky third line center tasked with playing against tough competition. While he will never live up to the contract, he is effective at what he does when he is healthy enough to play.

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 and also managed to end up 5th in the league in hits despite limited ice time. Mackenzie is a good example of hard work and dedication to his team even volunteering to put on the pads when both Luongo and Montoya were hurt in the same game.

Vincent Trocheck - Bounced around up and down the lineup as well as up and down with the Rampage Trocheck asserted himself as a true NHL talent this season. I liked his game overall but I think he needs to play with more talent to be productive. Shifting to the wing full time could help him out.

Wingers

Jussi Jokinen - Jokinen quietly put up 44 points playing in all situations at all positions up front. An excellent signing by Tallon and a guy that does everything well. Solid season and bang for the buck.

Jonathan Huberdeau - Huberdeau had an incredible run at the end of the season after a lackluster start. He ended with 41 points in his last 50 games including 21 points in 20 games since a 43 year old man joined his line.

Jaromir Jagr - The old guy was phenomenal since joining the Panthers picking up 18 points in 20 games. If he, Barkov and Huberdeau can pick up where they left off next season the Cats offence will be in good shape. Extremely fun to watch. His wrap around goal against the Senators was brilliant. Glad to have him back next year.

Jimmy Hayes - Hayes often gets flak for being flat in games. Every 8 games or so he was scratched to take the complacency out of his game. Hopefully he is done getting healthy scratched and he can continue doing his great work in front of the net and in the corners.

Brad Boyes - Solid season for Brad Boyes who played all three forward positions in the middle six of the Cats forwards. Very consistent performer this season for the Cats. I expect to see him back doing the same thing next season.

Scottie Upshall - An absolute joy to watch. Gives his all every shift. Which explains why his small frame is constantly banged up. It’ll be interesting to see where he ends up this summer. Thanks for the memories Scottie too Hottie!

Tomas Kopecky - Kopecky gave it his all but unfortunately dragging around Thornton hurt his contributions this season. Good overall player. Appreciated his efforts over the past few seasons. Best of luck in the future.

Brandon Pirri - Pirri bounced back from a concussion in stellar fashion down the stretch. Finishing with 22 goals in 49 games, a 37 goal pace. While I don’t think he’ll score that many goals I do think he’s proven to be an elite finisher when given the opportunity to play on the PP and with elite talent. Good to see him bounce back.

Shawn Thornton - Thornton managed to get into 46 games this season. Thornton had 6 fights but otherwise contributed virtually nothing. The Cats will be a better team next season if Thornton plays a lot less than he did this season.

Rocco Grimaldi - Found himself in only 7 games. Next season he will probably find himself in a few more games unless the Cats can stay healthy. Fun player to watch.

Garett Wilson - Only got into two games and was quick on the forecheck. If he learns how to PK better he could be a 4th line Dan Paille type player.

All in all it was an incredibly fun season of Cats hockey. Unfortunately the Cats fell short of the playoffs…again…and much like George, I’m left wondering, just now what am I going to do?