Florida may be the defending Eastern Conference Champs but they will still face an uphill climb early in the season
Florida may be the defending Eastern Conference Champs but they will still face an uphill climb early in the season
The Florida Panthers are a bit of a mystery heading into training camp.
On one hand, we know the Panthers have a roster full of talent that’s capable of contending for a Stanley Cup, because they just did it.
On the other hand, that journey to the Cup Final was costly, and Florida is probably going to open the 2023-24 season without a couple key defensemen.
Both Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour are recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Last week, Panthers GM Bill Zito said that they should be back sometime between November and January.
There are quite a few questions surrounding the Panthers as they prepare to defend their Eastern Conference title, and here are a few THN is highlighting.
What kind of the start will the Panthers get off to?
The first ten games of the season are going to be a challenge for the Panthers when the games that count finally arrive. Even if they manage to escape the preseason without any new injuries, they’re still expected to be without Montour and Ekblad for at least the first month.
Factor in Florida working in several new players and dealing with a less-than-ideal schedule and it’s clear that the Cats will have their work cut out for them right out of the gate.
Opening the slate with a three-game road trip through Minnesota, Winnipeg and New Jersey, all playoff teams by the way, is a hell of a test off the bat.
A home opener against Toronto and road games against Boston, Detroit and rookie sensation Connor Bedard in Chicago are also packed into the first ten games, as are home matchups with Vancouver, San Jose and Seattle.
Tough, but manageable? We’ll see.
Which players will Florida deploy its power play?
Missing Ekblad and Montour will impact the Panthers power play as much as it does when the team is at even strength. Both players were utilized on Florida’s number one power play, often at the same time due to their versatility and offensive abilities.
Will Jamie Kompon, who runs Florida’s power play, keep two defensemen on the top unit? If he goes with a fourth forward, who will it be, and who would be picked as the lone blueliner?
Regarding the forwards, 40-goal scorer Carter Verhaeghe and newly signed sniper Evan Rodrigues that come to mind first.
Gus Forsling saw time on Florida’s second power play and could get a chance with the big boys, but veteran Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who signed a one-year deal with the Panthers over the summer, has the experience and certainly should get some consideration.
Obviously a big more layered and nuanced, THN took a deeper dive into the power play with a 3 Questions post, which can be found by clicking here.
Overall, this is going to be something to keep an eye on as training camp and the preseason go by.
How will the Panthers goaltending hold up?
One of the big reasons Florida reached the Stanley Cup Final last season was goaltending.
Hell, it was the heroics of Alex Lyon that propelled the Panthers into the playoffs in the first place. He was lights out during the Cats’ late-season winning streak after stepping in for a sick and struggling Sergei Bobrovsky.
Once Florida was into the playoffs, however, Bobrovsky took over and proceeded to enter what we like to refer to as ‘The Zone.’ At no point during his four years in Sunrise did Bobrovsky look as unbelievably rock solid as he did during the second and third rounds.
But that was then, and this is now.
Bobrovsky has had four seasons in South Florida, and they’ve been largely mediocre with as many flashes of brilliance as there have been moments of head-scratching frustration. He’s won quite a few games because he’s played on some very good teams, but Bob has been inconsistent and rarely at a level where he could steal a game for his team.
That’s probably what should be expected when the new season begins.
As has been the case in past years, that would open the door for someone else to run with the baton, but to this point nobody has done so.
Spencer Knight will be with the Panthers at training camp and all signs point to him resuming his NHL career after taking a step back and entering the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program earlier this year.
He was on the ice with the team during last month’s development camp and has been in South Florida preparing for camp.
If things continue on this track, Knight could either start the season as Bobrovsky’s backup, or he could end up with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers in order to get more playing time under his belt.
Regardless of where he begins the year, if Bobrovsky struggles early in the season, it would be Knight who would get the first crack at taking over.
At the end of the day, the Panthers have two very different goaltenders who are both capable of carrying the team to great heights.
Will either step up and do so?
