NHL - Florida Panthers Profile

The Panthers made the biggest improvement in the NHL last season and are counting on their young players to continue that progress. The Panthers that will open training camp in September will be almost the same team that closed 2014-15 with 91 points, an NHL-best 25-point increase from the previous season. The only veteran addition of note during the offseason was forward Reilly Smith, who came from the Boston Bruins in a trade along with the contract of injured center Marc Savard for forward Jimmy Hayes.
The Panthers stayed very quiet during free agency; the five players they signed each received a two-way contract. It was quite a contrast from the previous summer, when on July 1 the Panthers signed five established veterans who figure to play prominent roles again this season: Dave Bolland, Jussi Jokinen, Shawn Thornton, Willie Mitchell and Derek MacKenzie.
This summer turned out to be more about clearing roster space for the young players. Florida made no effort to re-sign its veteran free agents, forwards Scottie Upshall and Tomas Kopecky, and goalie Dan Ellis. They released forward Brad Boyes, who led the Panthers with 21 goals in 2013-14. The departure of three veteran forwards should open roster spots for some prospects who could be ready for full-time NHL roles, namely Vincent Trocheck and Rocco Grimaldi.Dale Tallon GM: "We just felt again it was blocking our young guys' opportunity to play; Trocheck, Grimaldi, those types of players. That's where we want to get to. We said that we would do that. Brad did a nice job for us two years ago, and last year was a struggle. We just felt that we wanted to make some room for Grimaldi and Trocheck, and those types of players."
Tallon also said first-round pick Lawson Crouse, the No. 11 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, will be given every opportunity to earn a top-six role.
"I'm not putting pressure on him, I'm just giving him an opportunity that he told us he wanted. When we interviewed him prior to drafting him, his goal was to play right away. He believed it, so he's going to get every opportunity to earn that spot. We're not hesitant to use kids. We've proven that in the past."
The one exception to the offseason youth movement was the re-signing of 43-year-old forward Jaromir Jagr shortly after last season ended. Jagr had 18 points in 20 games after joining the Panthers in late February in a trade from the New Jersey Devils and teamed with Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov on a productive top line. The Panthers were 12-7-2 after Jagr arrived, playing the last 10 games without leading goal-scorer Nick Bjugstad (back injury). Barkov, Huberdeau and Bjugstad are but three of the young players Tallon hopes can help the Panthers return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad won the Calder Trophy. Center Brandon Pirri scored 19 goals in his last 30 games after bouncing in and out of the lineup. Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov had his most consistent season and will be entering his seventh season; he turns 25 in late October. The Panthers' 21-man roster includes 10 players 25 or younger. Though Jagr, 36-year-old goalie Roberto Luongo and 36-year-old defenseman Brian Campbell will be counted on to play key roles again, this is a young team, one Tallon said is on the rise.
"We think we have a very good young team, and with adding some of our own players I think we'll be a better team. We'll be quicker and more skilled. That's what we're all about. We've got young players that are very capable of playing for us next year. We don't want to shut the door on that. We want those guys to get every opportunity to be on our team. I want to be the youngest team in the League and the best team in the League at the same time."

Although a 25-point improvement in 2014-15 was the best in the NHL, the Panthers missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 13th time in 14 seasons. The only time in that span they qualified for the postseason was in 2011-12, when the Panthers won the Southeast Division title after a big spending spree in the free agent market. The approach this season is to rely on a young nucleus and hope the maturation process has reached fruition.
Offense has always been a problem for the Panthers, even when they made their surprising run to the division title in 2011-12. In 21 seasons of existence, the Panthers have ranked 20th or lower in goals scored 16 times. Only once have they finished higher than 13th; they were sixth in the 1999-2000 season with NHL goal-scoring champion Pavel Bure. When they made the playoffs in 2012, they ranked 20th; in the three seasons since, they've finished 28th, 28th and 25th. Florida did show progress in the latter stages of last season. The Panthers scored three or more goals in 12 of their final 21 games (57.1 percent) after forward Jaromir Jagr arrived in a trade with the New Jersey Devils, compared with 42.6 percent in their first 61 games. It would help the Panthers if they could get a breakout season from one of their players. It has been seven seasons since they've had a 30-goal scorer; David Booth had 31 in 2008-09. After scoring 22 goals in 49 games last season, Brandon Pirri appears to have that kind of potential. The same goes for Nick Bjugstad, who led the Panthers with 24 goals in his second NHL season despite missing 10 games because of a back injury.
Given the makeup of their nucleus, it's accurate to call the Panthers a young team. But the reality is they also depend on some players whose careers are winding down. The one who stands out is goalie Roberto Luongo, who is coming off a solid season but who turned 36 in April. Luongo has yet to show signs of decline, but the combination of his age and his importance makes it crucial it doesn't happen this season. Defenseman Brian Campbell, who turned 36 in May, has led the Panthers in ice time all four seasons he's been with the team. Also, don't discount the role he played in Aaron Ekblad winning the Calder Trophy last season. Captain Willie Mitchell also logged significant minutes on defense last season; he turned 38 in April. Lastly, there's Jagr, whose significant contribution to the Panthers late last season has provided a good part of the optimism for 2015-16. Jagr was impressive after arriving from New Jersey, and his legendary work ethic gives him a chance to continue to be productive. But it's also impossible to overlook the fact he's 43 and there will come when he simply can't make an impact anymore.
The third-year forward, Nick Bjugstad, enjoyed a productive 2014-15 season, but it ended prematurely because of a back injury that required surgery. While all indications are Bjugstad will be ready for the start of training camp, back problems have been known to resurface, and there's no doubt that has to be worrisome for the Panthers. Bjugstad is one of the key pieces on the Panthers because of his size and scoring ability. Florida needs him in the lineup.The blueprint since Dale Tallon took over as general manager in May 2010 has been to stockpile prospects and let them develop. With forwards Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Nick Bjugstad, the Panthers have three potential stars they can build around. Huberdeau led the Panthers in scoring with 54 points last season with a bounce-back performance after the sophomore slump that followed his winning the Calder Trophy in 2013. Bjugstad led the Panthers with 24 goals despite missing the last 10 games because of a back injury, and Barkov had 12 points in his final 13 games.
Center Brandon Pirri ended up two goals shy of Bjugstad's total last season playing 49 games. After being acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks in March 2014, Pirri bounced in and out of the lineup early last season and then was sidelined by injuries before he went on a tear starting in mid-January.
Pirri scored 19 goals in a 26-game stretch to join Bjugstad as the only 20-goal scorers on the Panthers. The burst wasn't totally unexpected. Pirri was a second-round pick (No. 59) by the Blackhawks in the 2009 NHL Draft and had 13 goals in 49 games with Chicago and Florida in 2013-14.
The Panthers brought Roberto Luongo back to Florida in March 2014 to solidify what had been a shaky goaltending situation. Aside from one tough break, that's just what happened last season. Luongo played well enough to earn an All-Star Game appearance. More important, he gave the Panthers a chance to win every night. The one hiccup was an injury in a home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs that was made worse when backup Al Montoya was injured in the game. Montoya was forced to play with a bad groin for a while before Luongo was forced to return to the game after other alternatives were considered. That bizarre episode aside, Luongo and Montoya gave the Panthers the kind of goaltending they'll need this season to make a return to the playoffs.
Jaromir Jagr will be the first to admit he's not the dominating player he was during his prime. But there is no denying the Panthers were a different, and much better, team after they acquired the forward in February. The Panthers went 12-7-2 after acquiring Jagr in a trade with the New Jersey Devils; that projects to 101 points over an 82-game season. Before getting Jagr, the Panthers were 26-22-13, projected to 87 points over a full season. Jagr had 18 points in 20 games. More important, his presence seemed to energize new linemates Huberdeau and Barkov. The three formed a productive top line down the stretch. It was no surprise that the Panthers re-signed Jagr shortly after the end of last season. His leadership alone is valuable, and if he can perform the way he did late last season, he could make a big difference.

The Panthers have two of the past three Calder Trophy winners: Jonathan Huberdeau (2013) and Aaron Ekblad (2015). The nucleus of their up-and-coming team consists of their recent draft picks. The good news for Florida is there appears to be some more quality prospects ready to help soon, particularly at defenseman.

Lawson Crouse, LW

How acquired: 1st round (No. 11), 2015 NHL Draft
Last season: Kingston, OHL: 56 GP, 29-22-51
Crouse, 18, led Kingston in scoring in his second season and helped Canada win the gold medal at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. Crouse (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) is the kind of power forward the Panthers haven't had for a long time, if ever. His junior teammates called him "The Sheriff" for the way he looked after for them. Crouse said he patterned his game after NHL forwards James Neal, Milan Lucic and Rick Nash, and that combination of offense and physicality made him attractive to the Panthers. Tallon said Crouse would be given every opportunity to earn a roster spot immediately, but he'll have to fight off other promising young players.
Projected NHL arrival: 2016-17
Michael Matheson, D
How acquired: 1st round (No. 23), 2012 NHL Draft
Last season: Boston College, H-EAST: 38 GP, 3-22-25; San Antonio, AHL: 5 GP 0-2-2
Matheson, 21, signed with the Panthers last spring after completing his third season at Boston College and got some professional experience with San Antonio of the American Hockey League. Matheson led BC defensemen in scoring all three of his college seasons and was captain in 2014-15. Ekblad impressed with his two-way game and his poise; Matheson's biggest asset from the time he was a first-round pick has been his skating ability. At 6-foot-2, 192 pounds, he's a good outlet passer and looks like someone who eventually will log a lot of power-play minutes.
Projected NHL arrival: 2016-17
Rocco Grimaldi, C/RW
How acquired: 2nd round (No. 33), 2011 NHL Draft
Last season: Panthers, 7 GP: 1-0-1; San Antonio, AHL: 64 GP 14-28-42
Grimaldi, 21, was called up twice by the Panthers in 2014-15, his first professional season, after playing well enough in training camp to earn a roster spot but being blocked by veterans with one-way contracts. He scored his first NHL goal against the Nashville Predators on Nov. 22 in his final game of the season. Grimaldi (5-foot-6, 180) lacks prototypical size, but he showed good offensive instincts in his limited NHL appearances. The Panthers' four veteran free-agents-to-be from last training camp are gone, so Grimaldi has a clearer path to a roster spot.
Projected NHL arrival: 2015-16
Ian McCoshen, D
How acquired: 2nd round (No. 31), 2013 NHL Draft
Last season: Boston College, H-EAST, 35 GP: 6-10-16
McCoshen, 20, will be heading back to Boston College for his junior season and was selected in the spring as one of its alternate captains for 2015-16. He earned Hockey East honorable mention recognition last season. Although McCoshen doesn't have Matheson's skating ability, he might have enjoyed a better 2014-15 season at BC. In addition to finishing plus-14, McCoshen led BC with 64 blocked shots. At 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, he plays a solid two-way game.
Projected NHL arrival: 2017-18
Jonathan Racine, D
How acquired: 3rd round (No. 87), 2011 NHL Draft
Last season: San Antonio, AHL: 70 GP, 0-7-7
Racine, 22, made his NHL debut in April 2014 when he appeared in one game for the Panthers. He spent all of last season with San Antonio and led it with 149 penalty minutes. Racine (6-2, 194) is the most physical and aggressive of all the Panthers' prospects at defensemen even though he's not huge by NHL standards. Racine is a fearless competitor who plays a responsible defensive game, which should land him an NHL roster spot at some point despite his limited offensive upside.
Projected NHL arrival: 2016-17

Predicted Lines
11 Huberdeau - 16 Barkov - 68 Jagr
73 Pirri - 27 Bjugstad - # Smith
36 Jokinen - 63 Bolland - 21 Trocheck
22 Thornton - 17 MacKenzie - 23 Grimaldi


51 Campbell - 5 Ekblad
7 Kulikov - 33 Mitchell
44 Gudbranson - 4 Olsen


1 Luongo - 35 Montoya