Panthers Pack: A Solid Offseason

The Florida Panthers finished second in a revamped 2020-21 Central Division behind the Carolina Hurricanes. The team played the last 21 games of the regular season without top defenseman Aaron Ekblad. They finished the regular season with a 15-5-1 record after losing Ekblad and won its final six games to get into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Panthers drew the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round and were out in six games. The first-round series between the two Florida teams was the most entertaining, and it was fast-paced.

The Panthers didn’t need to do much in the offseason, but they did add a few players. The management team mainly took care of its players this offseason, which was a good idea. Some key contributors needed new contracts, but also a few tough decisions. The offseason started with the Panthers signing defenseman Kevin Connauton to a one-year, $825,000 contract. A team can never have too many depth defensemen, and Connauton came at a cap-friendly price.

Bill Zito’s next moves were to re-sign a couple of players to three-year extensions. The first was defenseman Gustav Forsling, who was claimed off of waivers from the Hurricanes last season. Forsling’s deal was worth $8 million and came with a cap hit of $2,666,667 per season. Then Anthony Duclair was given a three-year, $9 million deal, that came with a $3 million cap hit per season. Duclair had ten goals, 22 assists, 32 points, and averaged 15:41 of ice time per game last season. It was a good investment for the Panthers since Duclair is only 26 and fit well with them last season. The move also brings more depth to the scoring, and that can only be a good thing.

After extending the two players, the Panthers decided to buy out the contract of Keith Yandle, who was a veteran defenseman for the team. There wasn’t much room for Yandle on the blue line as he’s getting older and saw a decline in his play. Yandle is a third-pairing defenseman and power play specialist at this point in his career. Even though the Panthers lost the leadership on the blue line, this was a good move that gave them some cap flexibility.

The team lost free-agent goaltender Chris Driedger, to the Seattle Kraken in the Expansion Draft. Driedger was due a significant raise after putting up solid numbers as the backup the last two seasons. The Panthers could afford to lose the goalie since they have Sergei Bobrovsky as the starter. Spencer Knight, who played well in his limited time with the team last season, is more than capable of playing more games at the NHL level. Knight was able to get some playoff experience as Bobrovksy and Driedger struggled at times in the 2021 postseason.

Following the loss of Driedger, the Panthers went out and acquired forward Sam Reinhart from the Buffalo Sabres. In return goalie prospect, Devon Levi and a first-round draft pick went to the Sabres. Reinhart was one of the few players that had a decent season for the lowly Sabres last year but was a restricted free agent and needed a raise. In 84 games, Reinhart had 25 goals, 15 assists, 40 points and averaged 19:32 of ice time per game. The forward has scored 20-plus goals the past four seasons and isn’t afraid to go to the net or shoot the puck when given the chance. The Panthers signed him to a new three-year, $19.5 million deal shortly after trading for him.

Management signed Sam Bennett, acquired late last season from the Calgary Flames to a new four-year contract. Bennett was a restricted free agent, and the new deal was worth $17.7 million with a cap hit of$4.425 million per season. In 10 games, the forward had six goals, nine assists, and 15 points. The production continued in the postseason until he was suspended for an illegal hit. The 25-year-old will bring more scoring depth to the lineup. I’ll admit the $4.425 million per season seems like an overpayment for a player who hasn’t scored more than 27 points in the past five seasons, but he did seem to play better once he got traded.

The Panthers lost some players in free agency, namely Driedger, Lucas Wallmark, Alexander Wennberg, and Brady Keeper. When those four players are the biggest losses in the offseason then the team is in pretty good shape. The only loss that could come back to haunt them is Driedger, but that will depend on the play of Bobrovsky and Knight. Knight played well in his limited action last season. If the Panthers hope to have a successful season, then Bobrovsky needs to have a bounce-back year.

During free agency, the team added veteran forward Joe Thornton and re-signed defenseman Brandon Montour. Thornton signed a cap-friendly one-year, $750,000 contract. I like this deal because a team can never have too much depth or leadership, even if Thornton is on the decline. Thornton should see some bottom-six and power play time with the Panthers. Montour was acquired last season from the Sabres and signed a new three-year, $10.5 million deal this offseason. The 27-year-old offensive defenseman would be a good option to replace Yandle as the quarterback of one of the power play units. Montour will likely play top-four minutes on the Panthers’ blue line this season.

The Panthers signed some organizational depth and those players will likely start in the American Hockey League. This included Lucas Carlsson, Noah Juulsen, Juho Lammikko, and Chase Priskie. Each player received a one-year, $750,000 contract. These players won’t crack the roster to start the NHL season, but who knows what will come down the line because, during an 82 game season, injuries happen.

Overall, I give the Panthers an A for this offseason. The team didn’t lose much in free agency and managed to re-sign some key players. Zito also managed to get a top-six forward and sign him to a reasonable contract extension. The biggest reason for the high grade is the Aleksander Barkov contract extension. Yes, it is eight years and came with a $10 million cap hit per season, but Barkov is the team’s captain and top-line center. He won the Selke Trophy last season as the NHL’s best defensive forward, and he is only 26 years old. Another reason I’m a fan of this deal is that the Panthers are committing to a player who is the face of the franchise.