In 2022-23, the Florida Panthers surprised the NHL and themselves in the latter stages of the regular season, and the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Indeed, it was a fairy tale of sorts with the Panthers rally late to snag the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, dispatched the Boston Bruins in the first round, only to lose in the Stanley Cup Final to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) makes a kick save – Photo by Jack Lima
That’s a tough act to follow for the new season.
Matthew Tkachuk is healthy coming into training camp and is expected to play as big a role as last season when he put the Panthers on his shoulders and carried them into the Final.
“It feels like our season just ended, but I feel like the core guys are still there and [hopefully] we can [play like] the last few months from the start of the season,” Tkachuk said last week. “But we also have that sour taste and how it ended and how we got so close and how it’s so hard to get there on the road. I can guarantee you guys are way more hungry after getting so close and not getting it done this year. So we’re going to be definitely ready.”
It is not the same team coming into the campaign. The off season was busy with several players leaving the club including Marc Staal, Radko Gudas, and Anthony Duclair.
Those have been replaced by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dmitry Kulikov, Niko Mikkola, and Evan Rodrigues.
“Looking at what they did last year, going that far in the playoffs and losing in the Stanley Cup Final,” Ekman-Larsson said last month. “… I want to win and I want to play for a long time during the year, so I think that was kind of the decision. Looking at their team, I think they have a lot of good hockey players plus a lot of depth on the team.”
The real positive over the last few weeks has been the return of Spencer Knight to the crease. Knight was released from the NHL/NHL Players’ Association player assistance program and is ready for the new season.
That means Sergei Bobrovsky will not be asked to carry the team as he did, well, in the late regular season and post season.
“For Spence it’s probably the best thing, and he’s very lucky that he has somebody to learn from and probably the best guy at each practice just to look across the end of the ice and learn and try to copy Bob, just with his work ethic and his competitiveness and everything like that,” Tkachuk said. “So I think we’re very lucky to have, in my opinion, one of the best tandems in the NHL, so hopefully we can play well in front of them and they give us a chance to win every night.”
Forward prospects Mackie Samoskevich and Grigori Denisenko are slated to arrive in Sunrise this season.Â
Samoskevich finished his NCAA career and iced two games for the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL.
“I loved every second of it,” Samoskevich said of last season. “I think I needed to take that step at the end of the year, and I’m glad I did. … I’d love to play down here (with the Panthers). I think that’s the main goal. I don’t think it’s a far-fetched goal. I think I can do it. I think I can play up in the big leagues, I hope. I’ve been working very hard this summer. It’s going well so far. I think that’s the main goal, for sure.”
Denisenko skated 18 games with the Panthers last season with three assists.He also iced in Charlotte for 56 games and collected 12 goals and 36 points.
“Grigori has worked incredibly hard developing in our system competing for both the Panthers and Checkers this season,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. “His puck possession and maturity on the ice are tremendous and we’re excited for him to re-sign with our club.”
Knight’s return to the goal for the Panthers should be a great relief to Bobrovsky in the regular season, and give the Panthers a reasonable one-two punch.
The blue line corps is banged up and recovering from off season surgery, there is a question as to who will be available for the start. Meaning Knight and Bobrovsky will be busy.
The Panthers inched out the Buffalo Sabres by one point last season for the second wild card. The Sabres are a much improved team this season, and will certainly challenge for the playoffs this season, along with the rest of the Eastern Conference.
You must be logged in to post a comment.