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Defending The SouthEast – A 2013 Florida Panthers Preview
48 – The number of games the Florida Panthers will play in a lockout shortened campaign.
99 – The length, in days, of the 2013 National Hockey League season.
Those two numbers combined leaves little to no room for error, especially when the Panthers are on a mission to prove that last year’s SouthEast Division Championship win, the first in team history, was not a fluke. Every game from opening night on will be important, and every single point will matter. Florida must find ways to win, more importantly, they must do so consistently if they want another shot at the playoffs.
Before breaking down the forward, defensive, and goaltending positions of the Panthers roster let’s look back at who departed and arrived during a lockout lengthened off-season.
Departures
Krystofer Barch – RW
Jason Garrison – D
Bracken Kearns – C
Jonathan Matsumoto – C
Mikael Samuelsson – RW
Sean Sullivan – D
Bill Thomas – RW
Wojtek Wolski – LW
Two names stick out on this list, Jason Garrison and Mikael Samuelsson. There is no doubt that these two will be missed, especially on the powerplay. It will be up to the new comers, such as Filip Kuba, to fill the holes left by Garrison and Samuelsson.
Arrivals
Andre Deveaux – C
Jean-Francois Jacques – LW
Alex Kovalev – RW
Filip Kuba – D
Peter Mueller – C
George Parros – RW
Casey Wellman – C
The Panthers had two major issues last season, one of them being toughness. Erik Gudbranson tried to defend his teammates when needed but GM Dale Tallon and head coach Kevin Dineen probably did not like seeing their top defensive prospect put himself in danger on a nightly bases. The addition of George Parros will take the pressure off of Gudbranson and the other players not known as “tough guys” this year. Parros will also be a great protector for the rookies that earn roster spots, such as Johnathan Huberdeau.
Two other names on the arrivals list that deserve attention are Alex Kovalev and Peter Mueller. Both forwards, along with Johnathan Huberdeau, will make up Florida’s second line. Putting these three skilled players together could pay off big time for the Panthers and should take some of the offensive pressure off of their top line of Tomas Fleischmann, Stephen Weiss, and Kris Versteeg. Also, Kovalev should be a good mentor for Huberdeau, even if it is only for the 2013 campaign.
Florida Panthers 2013 Opening Night Roster
* Indicates players on IR.
Forwards
#9 Stephen Weiss “A” – C
#11 Johnathan Huberdeau – C/LW
#12 Jack Skille – RW
#13 Mike Santorelli – C
#14 Tomas Fleischmann – LW
#18 Shawn Matthias – C
#19 Scottie Upshall- LW
#20 Sean Bergenheim – LW *
#22 George Parros – RW
#25 Jerred Smithson – RW
#27 Alex Kovalev – RW
#32 Kris Versteeg – RW
#57 Marcel Goc – C *
#82 Tomas Kopecky – RW
#88 Peter Mueller – C
The weakest link from last season was clearly the offensive production from Florida’s forwards. In the span of an 82 game season the Cats lost 18 games in overtime and had a -24 goal differential. If the Panthers would have been able to score one extra goal during some of those 18 OT/SO losses they would have had more wins, a better differential, and they probably would have ran away with the SouthEast Division weeks before having to beat Carolina on the last night of the regular season to clinch. Thankfully Florida was able to do so, which means none of that really matters now, but that may not be the same case this season. The Panthers will need more offensive production from their forwards, especially the new comers and those who did not meet expectations last year. Isn’t that right Scottie Upshall and Mike Santorelli? Florida also needs to hope that their top line of Fleischmann, Weiss, and Versteeg produces as well as they did last season.
Defense
#4 Keaton Ellerby – D
#7 Dmitry Kulikov – D
#17 Filip Kuba – D
#23 Tyson Strachan – D
#43 Mike Weaver – D
#44 Erik Gudbranson – D *
#51 Brian Campbell “A” – D
#55 Ed Jovanovski “C” – D
Defense on most nights during the 2011-2012 season was not an issue for the Florida Panthers. Head coach Kevin Dineen put a system in place that worked well almost every game, making Florida’s defensive play their biggest strength last year. Florida also enjoyed some offensive production from their D group as they registered 151 points from the blue line in 2011-2012. The good news is that almost all of those point producing defensemen have returned. The bad news? Their biggest powerplay threat, Jason Garrison, left for Vancouver during the off-season. It will be up to the returning blueliners, as well as Filip Kuba, to fill the void left by Garrison on the PP. This would be a perfect time for youngster Dmitry Kulikov to finally have a big breakout year and establish himself as a true top 4 defenseman.
Goaltenders
#30 Scott Clemmensen – G
#60 Jose Theodore – G
What is there to say that has not already been said about Florida’s goaltending last season? Jose Theodore exceeded expectations and proved to everyone that he still possesses the skills to be a starter in the National Hockey League while Scott Clemmensen did an admirable job as backup. These two goaltenders can clearly keep pucks out of the net until Jacob Markstrom is ready to take his rightful place between the pipes, which should be in the very near future.
Player to Watch: Johnathan Huberdeau
Does it really surprise anyone that Huberdeau is our player to watch this year? Florida’s top offensive prospect will finally make his debut in South Florida this season. The rookie will have to prove that he is ready for NHL hockey right from the start since he will lose a year off of his contract if he is not returned to his junior team after just six games instead of the usual ten. Thank the lockout shortened season for that rule. Hopefully being on a line with three-time National Hockey League all-star Alex Kovalev and highly skilled forward Peter Mueller will jump start Huberdeau’s offensive production as soon as possible.
Prediction
This shortened season is a tough one to predict for any team, including the Florida Panthers. Personally I think a 48 game schedule will help the Cats, especially considering the fact that during the second half of last season they looked burned out and struggled to produce offense on a nightly bases. With that said, I see Florida having another successful year but I do not see them winning the SouthEast Division in 2013. The Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Washington Capitals have all made significant improvements, and the Winnipeg Jets will be just as competitive as before. Who do I think will win the SE? That will be revealed in a different article later today. Even though I do not think the Panthers will win their division I do believe they will make the playoffs again, but it will take a complete team effort, just like last season.
We hope that everyone enjoyed our 2013 Florida Panthers preview. Thankfully, the time for talk, and all of the guessing games, ends tonight when Florida plays host to the visiting Carolina Hurricanes. Good luck to all 30 National Hockey League teams, and most importantly, let’s go Panthers.
Top 10 Moments Of The 2011-2012 Season: #6
Today we continue on with our journey to the #1 most memorable moment from the Florida Panthers 2011-2012 season by revealing #6 on our top 10 list. The moment we are about to discuss is a game in which the Cats absolutely needed to win, especially for their fans in attendance at the BankAtlantic Center, or at least those who were able to get tickets. We could not think of a better way to ring in 2012 than how the Panthers did this season.
#6 – Happy New Year Montreal! Panthers send invading Habs fans home with a loss (December 31st, 2011)
While other people in South Florida were at night clubs and bars celebrating the New Year Panthers fans were busy watching their team send the Montreal Canadiens and their swarm of fans that invaded the BAC home with a loss. The Canadiens went into the first intermission with a one goal lead, but that would change early in the second period when Tomas Fleischmann ripped a shot past Montreal goaltender Carey Price on the powerplay, tying the game at one. Then, at the start of the third period, Shawn Matthias would squeak a shot by an unsuspecting Price to give the Panthers their first lead of the night, sucking the arrogance out of the pro-Habs crowd. Fleischmann scored one more late in the game and Florida survived a late surge from the Canadiens, sending them and their fans home frustrated.
Marc’s take: At a season ticket holder meeting during the 2010-2011 season Sunrise Sports and Entertainment COO Michael Yormark promised fans in attendance, including me, that Florida will NOT play Montreal on New Year’s Eve. Since it was Yormark who made the promise I was not at all surprised when it was announced that the Panthers would indeed play the Canadiens on December 31st, 2011. I look at it this way; these new Panthers are not like the teams of the past that were bullied by visiting clubs and their fans. Keep scheduling the New Year’s Eve game against the Habs Michael, let them spend their money at the BankAtlantic Center and let our team send them home upset.
Enjoy the video above and the links below from moment #6. Come back tomorrow as we continue our countdown to the #1 most memorable moment of the Florida Panthers 2011-2012 season.
- Litter Box Cats recap of moment #6
Source(s): Florida Panthers, Litter Box Cats, NHL
Former Panthers Dominate Playoff Rosters
Aside from the actual Florida Panthers making the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs there are a lot of former Cats on the other teams participating in the post-season. What is the point of bringing this up? During the 12 year’s without playoff hockey Panthers fans would use this time of year as an excuse to cheer on former members of the organization. Thankfully that is not the case this season as fans in South Florida finally have their club to cheer for in the final 16. Of course that does not mean we should completely forget about our team’s history, especially the bright spots (David Booth) in the dark 12 year’s without playoff action. To help bring back some memories, good or bad, we have compiled a complete list of former Panthers players currently playing for the other organizations in the post-season.
Eastern Conference
#1 New York Rangers:
#44 Steve Eminger – D, played 9 games for Florida during the 2008-2009 season.
#2 Boston Bruins:
#11 Gregory Campbell – C, was a member of the Panthers from 2003 to 2010.
#18 Nathan Horton – RW **, drafted 3rd overall by Florida in 2003.
#44 Dennis Seidenberg – D, Traded to Boston from Florida on March 3rd, 2010.
#4 Pittsburgh Penguins:
No former Panthers on Pittsburgh’s active roster.
#5 Philadelphia Flyers:
#6 Andreas Lilja – D, played in 135 games for the Panthers.
#6 New Jersey Devils:
#18 Steve Bernier – RW, spent the 2010-2011 season in South Florida, registering 15 points in 68 games.
#20 Ryan Carter – C, started this season with the Cats before being claimed off of waivers.
#7 Washington Capitals:
#29 Tomas Vokoun – G, was the Panthers #1 goaltender for four seasons before signing with Washington.
#6 Dennis Wideman – D, picked up 9 goals in one season with Florida.
#8 Ottawa Senators:
#41 Craig Anderson – G, a definite fan favorite during three year’s in Sunrise, FL.
#35 Alex Auld – G, part of the blockbuster trade that sent Luongo to the Canucks.
#17 Filip Kuba – D, played only 18 games in two year’s with the Panthers.
Western Conference
#1 Vancouver Canucks:
#4 Keith Ballard – D, still famous in South Florida for his hip check on Evgeni Malkin.
#34 Byron Bitz – RW, was injured during the majority of his time with Florida.
#7 David Booth – LW, spent six year’s with the Panthers before being traded at the start of this season.
#20 Chris Higgins – LW, another member of the 2010-2011 “blueprint” squad.
#1 Roberto Luongo – G, a member of the Cats for five seasons before being dealt to Vancouver.
#2 St. Louis Blues:
No former Panthers on St. Louis’ active roster.
#3 Phoenix Coyotes:
#13 Ray Whitney – LW, was on Florida’s roster the last time the team made the playoffs.
#4 Nashville Predators:
No former Florida players on the Predators active roster.
#5 Detroit Red Wings
#44 Todd Bertuzzi – RW, traded to Detroit for Shawn Matthias in 2007.
#6 Chicago Blackhawks:
#67 Michael Frolik – RW, drafted by Florida in the 2006 entry draft.
#5 Steve Montador – D, played as a d-man and forward during his three year’s with the Panthers.
#7 San Jose Sharks:
#22 Dan Boyle – D, stayed in South Florida for four seasons and played in 129 games for the Cats.
#18 Dominic Moore – C, NHL journeyman that spent one season in Florida.
#8 Los Angeles Kings
LA does not have any former Panthers on their active roster.
** indicates currently injured players
That makes for a total of 23 players that played for the Florida Panthers at one time during their careers. Some, like Roberto Luongo and David Booth, had a bigger impact on the Panthers history than others, but the fans in South Florida still appreciate the time those men gave to their favorite hockey team.
Do not forget to tune into game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals match-up between the Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils. Tonight’s game will be a good one, especially since the series in now tied 1-1 after Florida’s win on Sunday, their first in 15 year’s. Coverage begins at 7:00 PM EST on the NHL Network.
Panthers Host Upbeat Season Seat Holder Signing
It is amazing how being a winning team can change the mood of an entire event. On Tuesday night the Florida Panthers held their annual signing for full season seat holders, and for the first time in a long time every player had a smile on their face. The majority of the team came out to greet fans and sign autographs, with just a select few missing the event for personal and medical reasons. While the joyful mood of the players was impressive it was outdone by the fact that over 1,500 season seat holders came out to the meet and greet during the middle of the week.
While getting autographs is great the best part of these events is interacting with the players. For example, Shawn Matthias called out your’s truly (jokingly) for not having any signs on the glass behind the net during warm-ups lately. Don’t worry Shawn, the signs are coming back starting Friday, and there will be a special one just for you.
Another entertaining encounter was between Erik Gudbranson, Ed Jovanovski, and myself. After mentioning the fact that Erik’s father, Wade Gudbranson, is a good tweeter, Jovo looked over to us and asked “what’s a tweet?” A surprised Erik went on to explain in detail exactly what it is, leaving Jovo-cop with a blank look on his face. When suggesting that he should join Twitter #55 just looked over and started laughing. Good times.
Overall the event was a huge success. The setup this year worked well and the fans had a great time. It was also nice to see that the season ticket holder representatives were more lenient when it came to the number of items signed by players compared to previous years. Hopefully the organization hosts even more events similar to this one in the future.
To see the official photo gallery of the event, click here.
Opening Night Game Photos
Hopefully last night’s win didn’t cause everyone to forget about the opening night W against the Lightning at the BankAtlantic Center. If it did we completely understand and will help our fellow Panthers fans remember by providing a slideshow of images from that night. Most of these shots were conducted during warm-ups before Florida donned their new jerseys. Either way these are some great shots taken by Sunshine State Hockey’s own Ana Lopez.
Enjoy:
