The Florida Panthers season gets underway tonight and after a busy offseason that brought in a new superstar and coach, the hope is those moves will be enough to propel the Panthers to their first Stanley Cup.
But as is with every offseason, there are always some questions that are left unanswered until the puck finally drops.
Here are the biggest questions facing the Stanly Cup-hopeful, Florida Panthers.
Is Paul Maurice the Answer Behind the Bench?
Aside from bringing in Matthew Tkachuk, the hiring of head coach Paul Maurice was the biggest, and perhaps the most important move the Panthers made all summer.
After the Panthers were ousted in the second round of the playoffs, Bill Zito took some time to consider the direction he’d go behind the bench.
Former bench boss, Andrew Brunnette, enjoyed a great deal of regular-season success. In 75 games he amassed a 51-24 record, en route to being named a finalist for the Jack Adams award.
But an incredible .720 win% was not enough to secure his job beyond the postseason.
With the Panthers being in the prime of their championship window, Zito felt it was best to opt for experience behind the bench.
So in comes Paul Maurice. The 24-year veteran has coached 1,685 games, has made nine trips to the playoffs, and one run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2002.
Most recently, he made four straight playoff appearances with the Winnipeg Jets before resigning last year.
The Panthers’ exit in the playoffs last year had nothing to do with effort. They were not outplayed but they were out-coached.
The Panthers out-hit, out-shot, and out-chanced the Lightning, but were unable to overcome adversity and change on the fly. Something an experienced coach knows how to do.
The power play, Florida’s most lethal weapon last season, stalled in that second round. And Brunnette was never able to overcome that hurdle to generate other means of offence.
The idea is that with Maurice, such instances will not occur. His experience in the playoffs will give him an edge over most of his competition. And obstacles along the way will be seen as minor inconveniences as opposed to major roadblocks on their path to the Cup.
Maurice enjoys implementing a system that can make the seamless transition from regular season hockey style of play to playoff hockey.
Expect a Florida team with more of an emphasis on two-way play this season as opposed to the run-and-gun we saw last year.
Is Matthew Tkachuk the Missing Piece?
As previously stated, the Panthers were not outplayed in their playoff matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
But all that sentiment does is temporarily alleviate the pain for the fans that watched their Panthers fall short again.
It’s hard to dog on your team when the last two years you were bounced by the three times finalist, Tampa Bay Lightning.
But as they say, the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.
And this may very well have been the mantra Zito was living by when he approached this offseason.
In what would become one of the biggest blockbuster trades the league has ever seen, on a late evening in July, Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar were traded to Calgary for Matthew Tkachuk.
Tkachuk set NHL career highs in goals (42), assists (62), and points (104). But what he’s most known for is his tough, hard-nosed style of play.
Something that will certainly bode well for any team looking to make noise in the playoffs.
Tkachuk has that ability to get under his opponents’ skin. With matchups in the playoffs often being so close, something as little as getting an opponent off their game for a shift or two can give you the upper hand.
The former Flame will certainly be doing a lot of that come playoff time. And that play can be infectious for his teammates.
The Panthers have lost a lot of talent in Huberdeau and Weegar but what they’ve gained in Tkachuk is invaluable.
Is There Enough Depth on the Blueline to Handle an Injury?
We all know the saying, defence wins championships.
If you don’t take care of your own end, you won’t sniff the Stanley Cup Finals.
And this isn’t news for the Panthers. In fact, they have felt pretty comfortable the last few years with Aaron Ekblad patrolling their blue line.
But if last season was any indication of how quickly things can go south defensively, the Panthers should be a bit worried.
Ekblad and Weegar were one of the most efficient pairings in the NHL last season.
But after the departure of Weegar and Ben Chiarot, the efficiency on this blue line will be taking a hit.
Gustav Forsling was a bright spot on the Panthers’ blue line last year. After being claimed off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes, Forsling played anything like a person who should’ve been placed on waivers.
After Ekblad went down with a leg injury, Forsling stepped in and performed top duties brilliantly.
His stalwart play will be rewarded with top-pairing minutes alongside Ekblad this season. Forsling is ready to take on this expanded role. But after him, the talent pool on the blue line begins to drop.
The pairings on defence for opening night are as follows.
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Not the deepest of blue lines. Especially for a championship-hopeful team.
On a deeper team, some of these names would be on the bubble.
And due to the Panthers “going for it” the last couple of years, they have depleted themselves of draft picks and their prospect pool.
If the Panthers are to hit the injury bug, they can dip into their reserves with veterans Michael Del Zotto and Anthony Bitetto. And should they want to give one of their younger prospects a look they can call up Santtu Kinnunen or Matt Kiersted.
Those names don’t exactly exude confidence, however.
The absence of Weegar will be felt on the blue line. And with the lack of offensive defencemen this year, the Panthers will be forced to tighten up in their own end. They’ll need to play a more physical game in hopes to limit the opposing team’s chances.
If one of either Ekblad or Forsling is to miss time this year, or really anyone in their top-six, the Panthers will be in big trouble.
Is this Finally Their Year?
Despite the offseason shakeup, there is still a lot of belief in this dressing room. It’s Stanley Cup or bust for these Florida Panthers.
With their 2022-23 season opening tonight, it’s time to put up.
The players have embarked on their toughest training camp to date. They feel ready to deliver and to finally bring south Florida that elusive first Stanley Cup.
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