MIAMI, FL – It probably shouldn’t have come as a big surprise that that Florida Panthers were one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. Despite a first round exit, for the first time in a long time the Panthers are looking more like a contender to reach the Stanley Cup finals rather than a team that just looks forward to the draft every year.
Florida had their best season ever standings wise with 103 points and are looking like they could stay that way for some time to come. NHL observers could see this coming from all over the hockey landscape especially when the Panthers drafted Aaron Ekblad first overall in 2014. He is only one of many quality young prospects that will be interjected into the Panther lineup next season especially given some of the aging veterans whose best days are just about behind them.
The Panthers had five players with 20 or more goals so adding offense in the off-season is a high priority. Prospects Lawson Crouse, Dryden Hunt, and Jayce Hawryluk could find themselves in the Florida lineup next season despite the fact that the ageless wonder Jaromir Jagr is defying father time and is nearing the end of his great career.
The Panthers could go after a goaltender given Roberto Luongo’s age and on the blueline the old adage that you can never have enough defenseman certainly rings true. Most of the top blueliners in the draft could be gone but a ton of centers could and should be available at #23 overall when the Panthers pick.
This year’s draft is almost a who’s who of prospects whose fathers played in the NHL and teams have a tendency to love players with NHL bloodlines. With that in mind, expect to hear a familiar last name when the Panthers make their selection on Friday night in Buffalos so we expect to hear the following announcement from the podium.
“With the 23rd overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, the Florida Panthers select, from the USA development program, Keiffer Bellows.”
The Anaheim Ducks are now on the clock.
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