The Florida Panthers keep defying the odds. Can they win it all?
The Florida Panthers have been on a hell of a ride this year. An organization that had become synonymous with mediocrity and irrelevance is now enjoying not only their third postseason berth in a row, a first in their 28 year history, but the best overall season in team history in terms of points as well. The previous record holder had been the 2015-2016 squad that racked up 103 points, won the Atlantic division and was bounced by the Islanders in six games in the first round. The 2022 Panthers are sitting at 104 points on the season and they still have 12 games left to play before the real fun begins. Remarkable.
It’s also been a historic season for several of the Panthers players as well. Franchise stalwart Jonathan Huberdeau, a fan favorite since his arrival in the starting lineup during the 2012-2013 season, became the first Panther to surpass the 100 point mark with 102 points after their thrilling and improbable 7-6 OT victory over the Maple Leafs on April 5th. Sam Reinhart, a solid player whose career was going nowhere in Buffalo, has seen a massive resurgence in his offensive output and has racked up career highs in goals and assists since Panthers GM Bill Zito traded for him before the season began. Claude Giroux, the longtime pride of Flyers fans, specifically requested a trade to the Panthers before the trade deadline despite the interest of several other contending teams in the league. He wants a ring and he deemed the Panthers the best option to fulfill that goal. Think about that for a moment. The Florida Panthers have become a destination team: a team where elite players want to play to have a legitimate shot at winning the Stanley Cup. Four years ago this would never have been the case despite the beautiful beaches and year-round sunshine. Sure the franchise has had the three pillars that they drafted in Huberdeau, Barkov and Ekblad but, despite all the talented players that they drafted, they either barely missed the playoffs or were eliminated from playoff contention by the middle of March for one reason or another. Since the 2019 season they have continually gotten better and better and now here they are, primed for a deep playoff run in 2022 after early exits in the last two seasons.
This is all the more impressive when you consider the early season turbulence the team found itself in back in late October. The cats had opened the season red hot as they won their first seven games against some fierce competition...but then the team was hit with a shocking curveball. Legendary head coach Joel Quenneville, former three time champion with the Blackhawks, was found to have been aware of sexual assault that occurred within the Blackhawks organization back during the 2010 season and did nothing about it, along with
several other high profile members of the Blackhawks front office. When the news broke it was determined that it would be best for everyone if he were to resign, which is exactly what he did. Just like that a massive piece of their recent surge to success was gone. In stepped Quenneville assistant coach Andrew Brunette, a former NHL player himself, to try to coach this team the best he could in the wake of the unthinkable and abrupt departure of their demigod behind the bench. Against all odds the Panthers continued to win and win big. Most teams would fold after a loss like that, especially under an interim head coach with no previous head coaching experience. Not this Panthers team. Not this year. Credit to Brunette and Bill Zito for not only keeping the team locked in and focused but taking them to the next level offensively with solid coaching and great player acquisitions at the trade deadline.
As of this writing, the Panthers currently sit at number 1 in the Atlantic division with 104 points and also sit at number 1 in the entire eastern conference. Does the team have any flaws that could undo them? Unfortunately, yes. The team’s defense has taken a massive step backwards with the temporary loss of stud defenseman Aaron Ekblad and as a result both Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight have faced a lot more pressure between the pipes than they normally do. That’s why games like their four goal comeback victories against the Devils and the Leafs, impressive as they are, are incredibly alarming in their own way. The Panthers need to tighten up defensively because coming back from four goals down to win won’t work consistently when the playoffs begin. Getting Ekblad back will help tremendously but the defensemen have to play a solid 60 minutes in order not to fall into any deep holes early. It’s hard enough playing goalie in the NHL but it’s even harder when your defensemen leave you out to dry.
At the end of the day only one question is reverberating throughout the NHL community: Do the Panthers have enough to win the Stanley Cup? Yes they do. Will they win it? It won’t be easy. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a fierce and brutal experience for the teams that make it in and any team is capable of beating any team once they begin. Regular season records go out the window when the playoffs start. Still, the Panthers clearly have enough to get the job done. Each line is loaded with versatile playmakers and Brunette has proven to be more than capable of leading this team to glory. Despite all the question marks about how deep they will go one thing is for certain: the Florida Panthers are for real and all of South Florida is behind them. The time is now. It’s time to hunt.
