Giving extra props to several of Florida’s players who THN believes deserve a spot on the honor roll
It’s summertime, and that means school is out and kids are off doing a million different things during their time away from the classroom.
The same can be said for hockey players, who work extremely hard all year and enjoy their time outside the rink when the game takes a summer break.
For the Florida Panthers, as a team, their school year was a bit up and down, but boy oh boy did they perform well during final exams.
If not for a Stanley Cup Final that could be compared to having to take the SATs with a bad case of the flu, Florida would have made it through the postseason with a nearly perfect score.
Looking back at the season and going over the Panthers’ report cards, there are a few players who deserve recognition for making the honor roll.
Editor’s note: This is THN’s opinion based off how players performed last season compared to the expectation and perceived ascension track, if applicable.
Matthew Tkachuk – The first-year Panthers player was everything the team could’ve hoped for when acquiring him last summer and more. He was a Hart Trophy finalist, finishing with 40 goals and 109 points, but he was so much more than just points on a scoresheet. Tkachuk was a leader, on and off the ice, and did all the little things that good teammates do. When you factor in what Tkachuk did during the playoffs, (using my best Donnie Brasco voice here) forget about it. The fact that Florida has the 25-year-old under contract through 2030 is huge for the franchise.
Brandon Montour – An incredible breakout season by Montour absolutely deserves a spot on the honor roll. His seventh season in the NHL produced career highs in goals, assists, points, penalty minutes, power play assists and power play points. He was also solid defensively, blocking nearly 100 shots, while earning All-Star and Norris Trophy consideration for the first time in his career.
Eetu Luostarinen – Watching the 24-year-old during his time with the Panthers, it’s been a pleasure seeing him gradually grow and improve despite the team changing what it was asking of him and his fellow forwards. Even switching from center to wing hasn’t hindered his growth, though it does make you wonder if he’d be even further along his development path had he been able to stay at his natural position of center. There may not be a player I’m more excited to see next season in terms of career path.
Carter Verhaeghe – Four seasons into his NHL career and Verhaeghe just keeps getting better. It isn’t just his goal-scoring that hit a high gear this season, but his possession numbers have continuously improved as well. He also logged his first 40-goal season and did so despite playing minimal time on the second power play. Of Verhaeghe’s 42 goals last season, only six came on the power play. During his three years with Florida, only eight of his 84 goals have come while on the man advantage. Just imagine if he starts getting time on PP1…
Josh Mahura – A guy who was a preseason waiver claim that ended up playing in all 82 regular season games (and all 21 playoff games) and impacted the game in positive ways for Florida when out there is definitely making the THN honor roll. Mahura didn’t light up the scoresheet or anything like that, but he provided consistent, solid defense and improved as the year progressed while he grasped a greater understanding of the systems and his role in them. His advanced metrics were also some of the very best out of all the Panthers blueliners, across the board.