Currently, the Florida Panthers have a stranglehold on the Southeast Division. They are 16-9-6 despite only scoring four more goals than they've allowed all season. The Panthers lead the next closest division rival, Winnipeg, by a comfortable six points. This means they also hold onto the third overall spot in the Eastern Conference. Last year, Florida finished at the bottom of both their division and conference.
So what happened? Dale Tallon's cash-money happened. The general manager brought in an influx of talent up front and a new face in net. These changes have seemingly turned the franchise around. Or have they? It's too early to tell, but I'd like to take you all through a journey of the Florida Panther's current environment and possible future.
Current cap situation courtesy of CapGeek.com:
Let's start by analyzing the overall situation. Florida, although a smaller market team and likely won't be needing it, has over $10 million in cap space. To have this successful of a team with that much breathing room is quite a luxury. Tallon has proven his ability to toss money around. Whether or not he's reached his threshold has yet to be seen.
This summer, the Panthers signed a number of unrestricted free agents, and some to lengthy contracts (take a breath). Tomas Fleischmann, Scottie Upshall, Sean Bergenheim, Ed Jovanovski and Tomas Kopecky were all inked to four-year deals. Marcel Goc was acquired for the next three seasons. Matt Bradley and Jose Theodore for two.
The team also made significant trades that brought in Marco Sturm, Kris Versteeg and Mikael Samuelsson for the final season remaining on their respective contracts. But the most notable trade was the exchange of Rotislav Olesz for Brian Campbell, who still carries a hefty cap hit for the next five seasons.
For the most part, these additions have shined in Sunrise, Florida. The top line is currently one of the most potent in the league. Stephen Weiss has always been a game-changer, but hasn't had strong chemistry with previous linemates. He sure has it now with Fleischmann and Versteeg. These three have a combined 94 points with a plus-52 rating. Tomas Kopecky isn't having a breakout season by any means, but provides a big body in front of the net. His negative-11 is a big turn-off however. Matt Bradley and Marcel Goc don't put up a ton of offense, but it wasn't expected. They spend time grinding along the boards in close games, which apparently Florida does often with that tiny goal differential. They're absolutely useful. Sean Bergenheim, Marco Sturm, Mikael Samuelsson and Scottie Upshall aren't doing themselves any favors with their play. If this continues, they'll be out of a job as soon as their contracts end, maybe sooner. Luckily for the team, that top line has compensated for any other offensive shortcomings.
Brian Campbell is turning out to be worth every penny. He plays over 26 minutes a game and leads his defensive unit in points. Speaking of the defensive unit, how about the development of Jason Garrison, Dmitry Kulikov and Mike Weaver? Garrison and Kulikov are helping lead the offensive push, while Weaver kills all the penalties. Unfortunately, Jovanovski hasn't worked out as planned, but he's getting older. That contract may have been a bit, but he still provides veteran leadership and hard-nosed defense.
Jose Theodore has been spectacular. I admittedly thought his signing was a huge mistake at first. He's proven me, and probably many others, dead wrong. His 11 wins thus far have shut me right up. The back-ups have also been stellar. Jacob Markstrom is a starting goalie in the making and Scott Clemmensen has been as reliable as a back-up can be.
While this may be a fluky year for the franchise, I think differently. They have a great combination of veteran leadership and young talent throughout their roster. They're also developing some pretty good players that have yet to see ice time in the big league.
After the Panthers drop a few pieces of dead weight, I believe they'll have a competitive team for many years to come.
What do you think?
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