A Glance at the Florida Panthers 2020–2021 Season Through 25 Games:
It is a National Hockey League season unlike any other throughout history. The rise of a new pandemic has caused a logistics nightmare of completing a shortened NHL season on time to ensure the next season is not delayed. The NHL has done a fantastic job up to this point all things considered, with only minimal postponements for a handful of teams league-wide. The newly formed divisions focusing on keeping teams in the same general geographical location together has been a relative success in making sure games are played and completed before the summer. The work done by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman along with Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and their staff has been remarkable in making sure the fans have hockey to look forward to each week.
The Panthers have found themselves in the newly formed Discover™ Central Division alongside in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars, and Detroit Red Wings. The Panthers were going into this season with a lot of question marks surrounding this team, mainly in the massive amount of roster turnover that new Panthers General Manager Bill Zito put together for Coach Joel Quenneville and his staff. The most noteworthy deal made under Zito’s short tenure so far was the trade sending Defenseman Michael Matheson and Forward Colton Sceviour to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for grizzled NHL veteran Forward Patric Hornqvist. Matheson had early flashes of speed and puck-handling during his rookie season with the Panthers, and was rewarded with an 8 year contract with an Average Annual Value (AAV) of $4.875 million. Matheson’s play in Florida quickly declined, and a change of scenery was necessary. Pittsburgh and General Manager Jim Rutherford were happy to do business. Hornqvist admittedly was a bit blind-sided by the news that he had been traded, as he had enjoyed his time as a Penguin. Hornqvist famously left his Penguins gear in the driveway in front of his house in Pittsburgh, which quickly made the rounds around the social media sphere.
Hornqvist has been a revelation for this relatively young Panthers team. He is currently tied for the team lead in goals with the dynamic Jonathan Huberdeau, netting 10 goals in 25 games. Hornqvist is also third on the team in points with 21 total points. The Panthers for years now have needed a forward like Hornqvist who doesn’t mind doing the dirty work in front of the net such as taking away a goalie’s vision with his body, and putting away potential rebound opportunities that come his way. Hopefully Hornqvist can continue this level of play going forward.
The Hornqvist trade wasn’t the only roster change made by GM Bill Zito in the offseason however. Zito also signed a handful of free agents, most notably listed below:
- Forward Alexander Wennberg: 5 Goals, 6 Assists, 11 Total Points in 25 Games
- Forward Carter Verhaeghe: 9 Goals, 8 Assists, 17 Total Points in 25 Games
- Forward Anthony Duclair: 2 Goals, 8 Assists, 10 Total Points in 19 Games
- Forward Ryan Lomberg: 0 Goals, 1 Assist, 1 Total Point in 17 Games
- Defenseman Radko Gudas: 0 Goals, 3 Assists, 3 Total Points in 24 Games
Other players were acquired either through minor trades or waiver claims, such as Defenseman Markus Nutivaara, Defenseman Gustav Forsling, and Defenseman Noah Juulsen.
Roster overhaul out of the way, the Panthers currently find themselves sitting third in the Central Division with 36 points in 25 games. They trail only the Carolina Hurricanes who are in second place with 37 points in 25 games, and defending Stanley Cup Champions Tampa Bay Lightning who have 38 points in 24 games. The top of the Central Division has been very competitive since the beginning of the season, and it will be a close fight all the way until the end. The Panthers are on pace to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015–2016 season, and are looking to win their first playoff series since all the way back in the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs that saw the Florida Panthers lose the Finals in 4 games to the juggernaut Colorado Avalanche. Head Coach Joel Quenneville has the team playing relatively well, if not just a tad bit undisciplined. The shortened season along with essentially no pre-season will do that, and they’ve gotten better as the season has gone on. I will likely be writing stories highlighting individual Panthers’ players performances throughout these first 25 games, as it would be too long to put all in one story (there’s a lot of players playing well for the Panthers currently).
This current Panthers squad has the potential to be playing one of the best seasons in franchise history, and as long as they maintain this relative pace they should have no issues making the playoffs. As a fan since the team’s inception in 1993, this team has instilled more hope in me for the future than any as far back as I can remember. Keep an eye on those Cats, they’re coming.
