Ekblad and Montour led all Florida defensemen in power play points last season
The Florida Panthers collectively gave just about everything they could during the team's improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final.
Guys were literally playing bruised and broken, and the residual effects from that are going to bleed into next season.
As it currently stands, defensemen Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour may not be there when the Panthers take the ice for Opening Night in October.
Both players will be spending the next couple months recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
Panthers General Manager Bill Zito was asked for an update on Montour and Ekblad while speaking on Saturday, the first day of free agency.
He couldn't confirm that their respective surgeries had taken place, but indicated that may be the case.
Zito and his front office colleagues were hard at work looking to reinforce Florida's roster ahead of next season, while also having to plan for the potential absences of two of the team's top defensemen.
The Panthers signed defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larasson, Niko Mikkola, Dmitri Kulikov and Mike Reilly and re-signed Lucas Carlsson, and they'll all be in the mix for Opening Night jobs.
But what about their roles?
Ekblad and Montour are both key contributors on Florida's power play and the top two defensive options that Paul Maurice and Jamie Kompon will put on the ice when the Panthers are up a man.
Last season, Montour led all Panthers defensemen in power play points with 33 (30 of which were assists). Ekblad had 19 points play points, including eight goals.
They're not going to be easy to replace.
The good news is that Florida does have some options.
Let’s take a shot at what the power play will look like until the Panthers blueline is back at full strength.
Power Play 1
Tkachuk – Reinhart – Barkov – Rodrigues – Ekman-Larsson
Thoughts: The majority of Florida's power play goals were scored by Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Reinhart, who primarily play net front and bumper, respectively. With the addition of Evan Rodrigues and his lethal one-timer, it makes sense that he would be deployed on the left flank as he's a right-handed shot. That would leave Barkov and the offensive-minded Ekman-Larsson to rotate between the blue line and right flank. Now, with all that in mind, and knowing the fluidity Kompon would like to see on the power play, don't be surprised to see Barkov slide between the circles and Reinhart move closer to the net, giving Tkachuk some freedom to roam along the boards and below the goal line. Rodrigues will also have the freedom to move across the zone and has shown he can play either side.
Alternatives: Replacing Ekman-Larsson with Carter Verhaeghe and rolling with a five-forward power play. Going the opposite route and using two defensemen on the top unit just doesn't make sense, not without Ekblad and Montour available.
Power Play 2
Verhaeghe – Bennett – Lundell – Luostarinen – Forsling
Thoughts: With this unit, I'd like to see Eetu Luostarinen given a look at bumper so Sam Bennett can play net front and Verhaeghe and his quick, deceptive shot can be given some room to breathe. Both Anton Lundell and Luostarinen could take big steps forward in their offensive development this season and if that’s the case, will be key to the success of Florida's second power play unit.
Alternatives: Swapping Lucas Carlsson for Forsling, or going with a more traditional three forward, two defenseman look and replacing either Lundell or Luostarinen (whichever isn't being used as bumper) for Carlsson. He led all AHL defensemen in goals last season and has proven he can find the net while working the point on a power play.