Sun, Sand and Stanley - The Florida Panthers (NHL 10 BEAGM)

[clark07]

Florida Panthers.jpg
Florida Panthers Season Preview
SEASON IN REVIEW
Last season was a pivotal one for the Panthers franchise, and as has been the case often in the organization’s history, they fell short of the postseason.

Gone was long-time face of the franchise Olli Jokinen, dealt last summer to Phoenix for defencemen Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton, putting all eyes on stud defenceman Jay Bouwmeester and his pending decision to test free agency waters. With the push on to make the playoffs, GM Jacques Martin brought in successful junior coach Peter DeBoer to attempt to put his young team over the top.

After an inconsistent and relatively unimpressive opening three months of the season, Florida finally caught fire after the New Year, rattling off a 17-7-3 record leading up to the trade deadline and putting the Panthers sixth in the Eastern Conference. Martin gambled on keeping Bouwmeester and going for it, but his star defenceman and the surrounding cast wilted down the stretch.

Ultimately, Florida lost out on an obscure tiebreak, posting as many wins and points as eigth-place Montreal but having lost in the season series with the Canadiens.

The Panthers missed the playoffs despite once again getting stellar goaltending from Tomas Vokoun, held back by the fact that Stephen Weiss led the way with just 61 points as the team’s top scorer. Reasons for optimism came from David Booth’s 31-goal breakout, as well as Michael Frolik’s arrival as a 20-goal scorer.

OUTLOOK
The Panthers swapped out the rights to Bouwmeester for Jordan Leopold, who joins what will likely be a significantly weaker blueline minus Bouwmeester, Jassen Cullimore, Karlis Skrastins and Nick Boynton.

Left to man the fort on the backend will be Bryan McCabe, Keith Ballard, Leopold and Bryan Allen, a group that can’t reasonably be expected to improve on the team’s 17^th place finish in goals against last season. Also troubling is the loss of steady backup Craig Anderson to Colorado via free agency, although replacement Scott Clemmensen may suffice.

Adding to the exodus was the loss of GM Jacques Martin, who was wooed away to coach the Habs, and his replacement, rookie GM Clark Aitken, was not hired until late August.

Where there’s reason for optimism is in the goal-scoring department, as Florida finished 17^th last season with one of the league’s worst power plays, and there’s enough burgeoning firepower here to surpass last year’s numbers. More should be expected from Nathan Horton, Frolik, Rostislav Olesz and newcomer Steve Reinprecht – all relatively unheralded players who nonetheless will be able to approach the 50-point mark.

With another strong campaign from Vokoun in goal, the Panthers are probably, once again, a bubble team.

[bthomp05]

Good luck with the Panthers, looking forward to this.

[clark07]

Sorry to everyone who had been waiting for the next post of this franchise. I had a bit of an issue with the word document that contains all my posts, and real life intervened. All's fixed now, and I should be posting this franchise more regularly.

October 1, 2009
The Florida Panthers have announced their 23-man roster for the start of the upcoming 2009-10 NHL season. Florida starts the season by playing two games in Helsinki, Finland against the Chicago Blackhawks.

2 – Keith Ballard D 82 6 years, 4.200 M
H – 5’11” W – 208 Age – 26 S – Left Acquired: Trade with Phoenix, 2008
2008-09 Florida 82 GP, 6-28-34, +14, 72 PIM

After a couple of down seasons with the Coyotes, Ballard was picked up by Florida for the 2008-09 campaign and was rejuvenated. The all-around blueliner compiled 34 points and led all Panthers D-men in plus/minus rating, while providing ample sandpaper. With Jay Bouwmeester now gone elsewhere, Ballard will be asked to do even more.

4 – Dennis Seidenberg D 77 1 year, 2.250 M
H – 6’1” W – 210 Age -28 S – Left Acquired: Free agent, 2009
2008-09 Carolina 70 GP, 5-25-30, -9, 37 PIM

Coming off his best NHL season, Seidenberg doubled his previous career high in points and moved from depth defenceman to a top-four role. He got a lot of time on the Hurricanes’ second power-play unit last year and is a tremendous penalty-killer. He’s not afraid to use his body to stop opponents with checks and blocked shots.

5 – Bryan Allen D 80 3 years, 2.900 M
H – 6’4” W – 220 Age -29 S – Left Acquired: Trade with Vancouver, 2006
2008-09 Florida 2 GP, 0-1-1, +2, 0 PIM

After playing the first two games of the 2008-09 regular season and looking good in them, Allen was lost for the rest of the year with a major knee injury that required surgery and extensive rehab. A tower of size, power and leadership on the blueline, his return should give the Panthers a defensive boost – if not points.

6 – Ville Koistinen D 77 2 years, 1.200 M
H – 5’11” W – 187 Age -27 S – Left Acquired: Free agent, 2009
2008-09 Nashville 38 GP, 3-8-11, E, 14 PIM

The highly-touted offensive rearguard was hoping to follow SM-Liga alums Brian Rafalski and Kimmo Timonen to NHL stardom. However, those dreams stalled, as Koistinen struggled to find any consistency in his game in Nashville. He even saw time as a winger last year. Now in Florida, he should gain a new lease on life this season.

9 – Stephen Weiss (A) C 82 4 years, 3.100 M
H – 5’11” W – 185 Age -26 S – Left Acquired: 1^st round, 4^th overall, 2001 Draft
2008-09 Florida 78 GP, 14-47-61, +19, 22 PIM

While his breakout season wasn’t exactly jaw-dropping, Weiss did lead the Panthers in points, assists and plus/minus rating. He was also Florida’s busiest and best faceoff man. His mix of speed, two-way savvy and skill is rare and, if he were playing on a team with more established finishers, he may explode.


10 – David Booth LW 82 6 years, 4.250 M
H – 6’0” W – 212 Age – 24 S – Left Acquired: 2^nd round, 53^rd overall, 2004 Draft
2008-09 Florida 72 GP, 31-29-60, +10, 38 PIM
Last season was Booth’s 3^rd season in the NHL, and he enjoyed a true breakout. A naturally gifted skater, he broke the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career. If he hadn’t missed 10 games to injury he would have had more. This speedy shooter has the goods to one day score 40.

11 – Gregory Campbell C 78 1 year, 0.750 M
H – 6’0” W – 197 Age -25 S – Left Acquired: 3^rd round, 67^th overall, 2002 Draft
2008-09 Florida 77 GP, 13-19-32, E, 76 PIM

While he’s not a big scorer, Campbell showed in 2008-09 that he can do everything else for the Panthers. A key faceoff man and penalty-killer, he was also second on the team in penalty minutes and led in hits. If he shot the puck more often, he would be even more productive. He has some untapped scoring potential.

14 – Radek Dvorak RW 75 2 years, 1.700 M
H – 6’2” W – 200 Age – 32 S – Right Acquired: Free agent, 2007
2008-09 Florida 81 GP, 15-21-36, E, 42 PIM

Long expected to become an above-average scorer in the NHL, Dvorak instead settled into his status as a talented, but streaky winger who will bring solid (but not great) production. One area he was impressive in last season, however, was clutch scoring: his four short-handed goals led the Panthers and he also had three game-winners.

16 – Nathan Horton RW 84 4 years, 4.000 MH – 6’2” W – 229 Age – 24 S – Right Acquired: 1^st round, 3^rd overall, 2003 Draft
2008-09 Florida 67 GP, 22-23-45, -5, 48 PIM

After looking ready for a breakout, Horton took a step backward last season. Nagging injuries played a role in it, but more disturbing was Horton’s reluctance to shoot – his 131 shots were a big drop from 2007-08’s total from 212. He can play centre when asked, but is far more comfortable at right wing. He’s a talented enigma.

19 – Dominic Moore C 77 1 year, 1.100 M
H – 6’0” W – 196 Age – 29 S – Left Acquired: Free agent, 2009
2008-09 Toronto 63 GP, 12-29-41, -1, 69 PIM
Buffalo 18 GP, 1-3-4, -1, 23 PIM

Toronto was in need of a top-six scorer and Moore was the unexpected beneficiary last year, clicking on a line with Jason Blake. Once moved to Buffalo, Moore was back on a checking line and his production slipped to his normal 30-point range. Another shot at a scoring line is probably not in Moore’s immediate future.

24 – Bryan McCabe (C) D 83 2 years, 5.750 M
H – 6’2” W – 220 Age – 34 S – Left Acquired: Trade with Toronto, 2008
2008-09 Florida 69 GP, 15-24-39, -1, 41 PIM

If not for the injury tendency he’s developed in his 30’s, McCabe might still be one of the NHL’s elite power-play defencemen. When healthy, he still brings a little physicality and plenty of excellence on offence, especially with the man advantage. Unfortunately, he has averaged just 71 games played the last six NHL seasons.

27 – Steven Reinprecht C 80 3 years, 2.050 M
H – 6’0” W – 195 Age – 33 S – Left Acquired: Free agent, 2009
2008-09 Phoenix 73 GP, 14-27-41, E, 20 PIM

Reinprecht started off last season with seven points in his first eight games, despite getting scratched twice and averaging fewer than 13 minutes. The ice time improved, but the Coyotes continued to occasionally scratch him due to his inconsistent play. A fresh start will do the versatile, two-way forward a world of good.

28 – Kamil Kreps C 74 1 year, 0.675 M
H – 6’2” W – 194 Age – 24 S – Right Acquired: 2^nd round, 38^th overall, 2003 Draft
2008-09 Florida 66 GP, 4-15-19, +2, 18 PIM

Despite good size and talent, Kreps didn’t show a lot off offensive progress last season, his first full NHL campaign. Part of the problem was he missed 14 games to injuries (a concussion and a shoulder problem), but Kreps also doesn’t create a lot of opportunities. That said, he still has upside and is a solid faceoff man.

29 – Tomas Vokoun G 84 2 years, 5.700 M
H – 6’0” W – 195 Age – 33 Acquired: Trade with Nashville, 2008
2008-09 Florida 59 GP, 26-23-6, 6 SO, 2.49 GAA, .926 SV%

Seeing less playing time last season gave Vokoun a nice boost. Despite appearing in 10 fewer games than the season before, the better-rested Vokoun tallied six shutouts, while finishing second overall in the NHl in save percentage. He’s very talented.

30 – Scott Clemmensen G 78 2 years, 1.500 M
H – 6’3” W – 205 Age – 32 Acquired: Free agent, 2009
2008-09 New Jersey 40 GP, 25-13-1, 2 SO, 2.39 GAA, .917 SV%
Lowell (AHL) 12 GP, 5-5-1, 3.39 GAA, .910 SV%

After years of serving as a little-used backup, Clemmensen started almost half of New Jersey’s games last year. He was superb, showing enough to suggest he can be a quality full-season starter. He was sent down to the AHL upon Martin Brodeur’s return from injury, but that’s because of his two-way contract. He’s a major sleeper and should at the very least fill the same backup role Craig Anderson had last year.

41 – Shawn Matthias C 78 2 years, 0.825 M
H – 6’2” W – 213 Age – 21 S – Left Acquired – Trade with Detroit, 2007
2008-09 Florida 16 GP, 0-2-2, -3, 2 PIM
Rochester (AHL) 61 GP, 10-10-20, -34, 16 PIM

Expected to be an NHL regular in 2008-09, Matthias instead spent most of the season in the AHL. He was underwhelming in all facets of the game, and wound up posting an ugly minus 34 rating with the AHL’s Rochester Americans last year. Acquired from Detroit in the Todd Bertuzzi trade back in 2007, young Matthias needs to start making some noise.

43 – Dmitri Kulikov D 77 3 years, 1.275 M
H – 6’1” W – 183 Age – 18 S – Left Acquired: 1^st round, 14^th overall, 2009
2008-09 Stats not available

Kulikov was a good value pick at 14^th in this summer’s draft. In the 2009 draft class, he is considered to be the most gifted puck-moving defenceman. His game is well developed, perhaps even NHL-ready. The 18-year old has set his sights on the Panthers blue line for the fall, but the historical odds are against him sticking so soon.

44 – Jordan Leopold D 79 1 year, 1.750 M
H – 6’1” W – 200 Age – 29 S – Left Acquired: Free agent, 2009
2008-09 Colorado 64 GP, 6-14-20, -10, 18 PIM
Calgary 19 GP, 1-3-4, -5, 6 PIM

When you’re a versatile defender with good speed and the ability to lug the puck up ice like Leopold, you can play most roles in the NHL. Not the biggest player, he uses positioning and smarts to gain an edge on opposing forwards. Leopold is a good puck distributor who can play on the second power-play unit and kill penalties.

61 – Cory Stillman (A) LW 82 2 years, 3.525 M
H – 6’0” W – 200 Age – 35 S – Left Acquired: Free agent, 2008
2008-09 Florida 63 GP, 17-32-49, +1, 37 PIM

Now 35 years old, Stillman is showing signs of gradual decline. While no longer the point-per-game scorer he was a few seasons back, he can still produce with regularity. He has always struggled with defence and injuries, and missed significant time last season due to concussion-related problems. Still, he’s a quality vet.

67 – Michal Frolik C 82 2 years, 0.850 M
H – 6’1” W – 186 Age – 21 S – Left Acquired: 1^st round, 10^th overall, 2006 Draft
2008-09 Florida 79 GP, 21-24-45, +10, 22 PIM

Heading into last season, there wasn’t a ton of hype for Frolik but, by the end of the campaign, he made the biggest rookie splash on the Panthers. He flashed a scoring flair that suggest he can become a star, and wasn’t out of place defensively. It was an impressive jump straight from the QMJHL. Frolik’s best is yet to come.

71 – Kenndal McArdle LW 74 1 year, 0.850 M
H – 5’11” W – 190 Age – 22 S – Left Acquired: 1^st round, 20^th overall, 2005 Draft
2008-09 Florida 3 GP, 0-0-0, -1, 2 PIM
Rochester (AHL) 58 GP, 12-12-24, -4, 79 PIM

McArdle has speed, talent and some useful skills, but he hasn’t produced much on the score sheet in two AHL campaigns. He now looks more like a bottom-six winger candidate at the NHL level.

74 – Nick Tarnasky C 75 1 year, 0.525 M
H – 6’2” W – 224 Age – 24 S – Left Acquired: Trade with Nashville, 2008
2008-09 Nashville 11 GP, 0-1-1, +1, 17 PIM
Florida 34 GP, 1-5-6, -2, 33 PIM

Tarnasky was probably as close to an enforcer as the Panthers had last season, leading the team in major penalties with eight. That said, he’s not a heavy-weight but more of a high-energy, crash-and-bang lunch-pailer who has agitating qualities. He won’t be a big stats guy but is the type that can help teams win games.

85 – Rostislav Olesz LW 79 5 years, 3.125 M
H -6’1” W – 214 Age – 23 S – Left Acquired: 1^st round, 7^th overall, 2004 Draft
2008-09 Florida 37 GP, 4-5-9, -5, 8 PIM

When the Panthers drafted Olesz with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, they expected him to become a star scorer. Instead, he has the appearance of a bust. Injuries have been a big issue the past two seasons but, even when healthy, Olesz has under-produced. He may be facing a make-or-break campaign in 2009-10.