I keep meaning to make more of this team-specific board - all of the good information I keep aggregating on threads where fans of those other terrible teams congregate (yeah, I'm talking about you). So, in the interest of getting some Panthers readers and contributors around here, let's get it started! I don't have time for a longer evaluation, so we'll keep it simple, and just make some quick projections of opening night lines, and how they might change as the season gets going. Let's get this damn season started! So, at F, we know who the top 6 are, and likely where they'll be. However, the bottom 6 has a ton of competition, and simply more bodies than they're capable of carrying. After the most recent cuts and reassignments, putting the roster at 32, none of the potential bottom 6 guys have been eliminated from consideration (for all those who thought Owen Tippett might be ready, you just got to the party too early. Maybe next year. Or the year after, given he's still in Juniors, this season). Let's take a look at likely opening night lines, and see how it breaks out: Dadonov - Barkov - Bjugstad Huberdeau - Trocheck - Hoffman Borgstrom - McCann - Malgin Sceviour - Mackenzie - Vatrano Now, there's a lot to asses here, in the bottom 6. First, the third line - Borgstrom is on the wing. Why? Well, McCann is a speedy threat on the ice, knows what he's doing, and is still young enough to expect improvement out of. You just can't leave him on the bench. Mackenzie on the bench? Not for opening night, I don't suspect. However, by putting Borgstrom on the wing, you let him play more to his strengths - he's a scorer who isn't ready for the rigors of C at the NHL level. In fact, this line was trotted out this preseason, and the staff and players raved about it. The players said they liked playing with each other. For those three young up-and-comers, that's important. They also complement each other by having speed and scoring instincts. Do we expect this line to play defense? I hope not. But if you want a third line that can threaten, these guys will do it. That leaves too many candidates for the last two winger spots, with an already crowded position having Borgstrom take up a third line spot. Personally, I think Vatrano can continue the success he had with Trocheck and Huberdeau late last year, and I can't wait to see more from him. I think it's going to be tough to decide whether he's on the third or fourth line, and will ultimately be up to how each of those guys play with each other. But you can't keep him off the ice. Nor can you keep Sceviour off the ice, being the defensive stalwart and not-ineffective offensive threat that he is. Mackenzie gets the last C spot, as he had last year. He and Sceviour were like extra D-men out there, and will likely be employed very similarly. That leaves Maxim Mamin out of the picture, though. He's a young guy who plays tough, and brings a physical presence to the position. He showed a lot of promise last year, and you don't want to keep him off the ice, either. And Troy Brouwer was signed because... he was a Blackhawk? So, what do you do with him? Where does he go? Do you want to sit a scoring threat like Borgstrom, a defensive bastion like Sceviour, or upstarts Malgin and Vatrano (especially given the former's versatility)? So, there's two bodies you can't find room for... Haley will be employed as the team sees fit (read: against Montreal). So, how does this lineup change as the season goes on? Dadonov - Barkov - Bjugstad Huberdeau - Trocheck - Hoffman Vatrano - McCann - Malgin Sceviour - Borgstrom - Mamin Borgstrom takes over the fourth line center, Vatrano slides up, and Mamin steps in. You get all of your young wingers on the ice, let Borgstrom keep doing his thing, now that he's had real NHL time, and let Mackenzie rest. Mac still has value, but at some point, you have to imagine that he's going to be the odd man out - unless the other F's just can't muster up the ability to replace his defensive presence. They made Barkov captain, and I have a feeling that Mac is going to finish this season as a valuable backup, rather than as a starting skater. Defensively: Ekblad - Yandle Matheson - Kiselevich Pysyk - Petrovic This is also going to be a fun group to watch, coming into and throughout the season. This team needed to improve its defense drastically, so they grabbed a KHL'er that should improve the defense moderately (of course). Kiselevich is a stay-at-home guy, who should play the perfect foil to forwards - I mean, offensive defensemen - like Matheson. There was talk of splitting up Ekblad and Yandle (someone has to play defense on a line), but I ultimately don't think Matheson pairing with either makes for a better pair. The bottom pair is where all the competition is going to be. Pysyk is a top 6 D, and may see top 4 if the pairings are more favorable. However, Petrovic, Weegar, and McCoshen will battle for one spot, when last year there were two. What this means is that Petrovic's lazy, "hit first, puck second" mentality will be challenged, and he'll have to earn ice time if he's going to get it. McCoshen showed promise, as did Weegar, but you'd ideally like to see all three of them upgraded. Good news is, only one of the three will ideally be out there. The last three preseason games, all against Tampa, are going to determine who makes it and who doesn't. Those bottom 6 names, including the ones left off, and those last D-man pairing names, also including those left off, will have every chance to make an impression. In the end, it may come down to who is cheapest to keep in the AHL, until needed. There's going to be some serious roster management and season-long vision needed to manage this properly. One thing's for sure - this team has more talent on the ice than last year. Let's see if it translates to more wins. I reiterate: let's get this damn season started, ladies and gentlemen!!! ... I said this would be short, right? Oops...
Good luck... I think the Panthers will compete and they are talented, look forward to this season. What do you think of the goaltending situation and who is the primary starter?
I appreciate that, man. It's tough to get your hopes up, as a fan - this team has looked like it was on the brink before, and couldn't do it. But it does look like they have a lot going for them, so we're all incredibly eager for the season to start (hell, I'll be at the last preseason game, in addition to the home opener, and am even considering a weekend trip to Tampa for game 1). The hype is real, but we're trying to keep our expectations in check, for now... Luongo is undoubtedly the starter. But, he's not a young guy. Reimer will continue to see plenty of time, as they switch back and forth. The trick is going to be whether or not they stay healthy. As long as they're healthy, they can be played as preferred. Unfortunately, they've had to play as necessary, with one or another (sometimes both) being out. However, the team did pick up Michael Hutchinson, so they should have three guys capable of getting the team a win. Luongo, Reimer, and Hutchinson will be in that order, but we might see a handful of each, depending.
Panthers gear up with Jackets in town... The Florida Panthers are off to a slow start this season -- but not because they have played poorly. Florida will play its home opener on Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. While many other NHL teams have already played three and four games this season -- Columbus, for example, is 2-1-0 -- the Panthers are 0-0-1 and have been off since last Saturday. But the Panthers aren't worried. They finished one point short of the playoffs last season are a trendy pick to make the postseason in 2019. Even so, the Panthers are already facing adversity as starting goalie Roberto Luongo is out two-to-four weeks due to a right-knee injury. He was hurt in Saturday's 2-1 shootout loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning. James Reimer is expected to start on Thursday, and Michael Hutchinson was called up from the Panthers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. "No one wants to be without their No. 1 goalie, but it could have been worse," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "And we have good depth there." The Blue Jackets are dealing with their own issues as forward Brandon Dubinsky suffered an oblique injury on Sunday and will likely miss at least four weeks. Dubinsky had brought physicality and grit to what had been Columbus' best line in its first two games, teaming with Josh Anderson and Boone Jenner. In those two games, Dubinsky had one goal and one assist. "(The injury) is a tough break for him and for our team," Columbus coach John Tortorella said. "That was our best line, and specifically him." Columbus beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2 on Tuesday in their first game without Dubinsky. The teams were tied 2-2 after two periods before Columbus closed with a flourish. Nick Foligno starred for the Jackets, scoring twice and adding one assist. Former Boston Bruins forward Riley Nash, signed as a free agent this past offseason, has replaced Dubinsky on that Anderson-Jenner line. He was a plus-one in 16 minutes of ice time on Tuesday. Another repercussion of the Dubinsky injury is that Lukas Sedlak -- a healthy scratch the first two games -- will be more involved as a fourth-line center. He got 6:47 of ice time on Tuesday, including 50 seconds on the penalty kill and 1:03 on the power play. Thursday's lineup, however, is subject to change. "I can't say what's going to happen in my mind as we go through a game," Tortorella said. "I want to keep lines together. But I also need better play from other people." The Panthers, meanwhile, just want a victory. They played well on Saturday against the Lightning, a team favored to reach the Stanley Cup Finals this season. But Tampa Bay got a short-handed goal in the third period -- Florida was using five forwards and no defensemen on its power play and got burned with that alignment -- and the Lightning then won the game in the shootout. Winger Mike Hoffman, making his Panthers debut after scoring 104 goals the past four years with the Ottawa Senators, had an unlucky game. He hit the post on an overtime shot that would've won the game. Hoffman then hit a post again in his shootout attempt. (NBC)
Great article, Will. I had been meaning to get back here and update from my pre-season post. The loss to Tampa was heart-breaking. The team went with 5 forwards on the PP - having Barkov play the point instead of Yandle, and adding Hoffman to the same F's from last year's top unit - something they did in the preseason a few times. Of course, no one was in position or priority to get back on defense, and they left Reimer out to dry late in the game with a shorthanded chance. Given that they couldn't net more than one on the night, it meant a tie game. Shootout was never going to go their way, with Reimer v Vasilevsky. Personally, I think the 5 F PP is greedy, and they shouldn't be doing it unless they're behind, not when they're up. It's a similar concept to removing the goalie, to me, in that way. In game one, they paid for it... Heartbreaking loss in a game that they otherwise outplayed Tampa. That they played well is encouraging, but to paraphrase Trocheck's comments: "We're here to win. Playing well was last season - this season, we expect to win those games". Ah, well. Moving on to tonight!! (Only) Game 2!! Columbus was a wildcard team last year, and is penciled in as one of the teams Florida has to beat consistently to make sure they don't get pushed out of a wildcard spot again this year. Beating Tampa would've been nice - beating Columbus is critical. Reimer will be in for Lu, and Lammikko will be playing his first NHL game at the 4th C spot, with Mackenzie out. Other than that, this should be the same team that outplayed Tampa. I'm expecting a fast game, with Columbus bringing the physicality to Florida. Should be fun. I'm leaving the office early to get there with time to spare As an update to my earlier post: Borgstrom just hit a wall, in the preseason. He wasn't ready for a C spot, so moving to the wing was advisable. However, his defensive game wasn't good enough to warrant a spot on the defensive 4th line, and he wasn't a more complete player than the other options available. Sure, he was an offensive star in college, but getting time in the AHL will be crucial for his development. That last preseason game was a great audition opportunity for him, and having watched him carefully in person that night, it was clear that he just wasn't ready. He'll have the chance to prove it against pro competition, and good performances plus roster opportunities will mean that we'll likely see him at some point this season.
You Panthers were just 1 good bounce away from winning that opener. Better puck luck tonight. If I had to guess, the Panthers may be a bit off when the puck drops do to the long delay, but once they get their legs, CLB better be ready. The Big Cats are rested and chomping at the bit. Hope there is a large rowdy crowd there too, that will definitely pump the boy's up and get them moving and motivated.
I sincerely appreciate the well wishes and good vibes, Will. I'm hoping for the same. It'll be interesting, because even with the long break prior to the opener, Tampa was also in their first game, and both teams had played the last few preseason games against one another. Here, Columbus is several games in, and Florida has had another week off, with no time having played one another. Will be interesting to see what their tempos and readiness levels are, from the get go. Florida's weakness has been physicality, for these last few years. Based on their bouts with Tampa, I don't think that's changed. If they can figure out how to hang along the boards, or not let a big hit derail them, they'll be fine. I'm not convinced yet, but these early games will go a long way - they know they're close, and we'll see if they recognize that as being a piece they have to fix. The season opener is always a great atmosphere. We'll see what it looks like on a Thursday at 7:00 well outside of major city limits, but if past years are any indication, the place should be rocking. The players have said, repeatedly, that they're itching to get at it. It's really been the only discussion point in the past week - "We just want to go play". Well, it's time...
Luongo could return to Panthers lineup after NHL Global Series Goalie in Finland recovering from knee injury but won't play vs. Jets... HELSINKI -- Roberto Luongo is inching closer to returning from a knee injury sustained in the Florida Panthers' first game of the season but the goalie is unlikely to play in either of the two games against the Winnipeg Jets at the NHL Global Series. "I think the plan is for him to … unless there's a complete surprise that I haven't heard yet, but the plan is for him to probably try and play next week when we get home. This is more of a rehab week," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said after practice at Hartwall Arena on Wednesday. "He does look good. I know his knee feels good. So hopefully we'll hear something in the next few days what his plans are." After playing the Jets on Thursday (2 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TSN3, NHL.TV) and Friday, their next game is against the Edmonton Oilers at BB&T Center on Nov. 8. Luongo was injured during the second period of the Panthers' 2-1 shootout loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 6. Florida (2-4-3) has stumbled out of the gate in his absence.
