Change for the sake of change can sometimes be counterintuitive, especially when dealing with the unknown. The Panthers, with one of the NHL's most talented young cores surrounded by a bunch of question marks, are about to find out for themselves.
Florida entered 2016-17 a popular up-and-comer on the heels of a division title, but the team came undone through injury and inconsistency on the way to a sixth-place finish. To correct the 22-point year-over-year swing, general manager Dale Tallon opted for sweeping changes, ridding the Panthers of five of their top eight scorers from last season and hiring a rookie head coach, Bob Boughner.
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Among the departed: Jonathan Marchessault, their breakout 30-goal scorer inexplicably left unprotected in expansion; Reilly Smith, a 26-year-old winger traded for peanuts one season removed from 25 goals and 50 points; and Jaromir Jagr, their fan-favorite leader who at 45 finished fourth on the team in scoring.
Then came last week's head-scratcher: Jason Demers, a dependable if not highly valuable top-four defenseman, was traded to the Coyotes for winger Jamie McGinn. At best, the move seemed unnecessary, but it also carried the optics of a cap dump (Demers costs $4.5 million with four years remaining; McGinn $3.3 million and two).
“It was a hockey trade,” Tallon explained. “Basically, it was a need for us. Bottom line.”
So what's the end game?
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Any roster that underachieves as much as the Panthers should be given a shake in the summer. But it doesn't look like they got better.
In effect, Evgeny Dadonov, a 30-goal scorer from the KHL with 55 NHL games to his credit, likely will get the first crack at replacing Jagr alongside Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. Another import, Henrik Haapala, signed with the Panthers out of Finland to bring depth to the depleted wing. And Radim Vrbata, 36, essentially fills in for Jussi Jokinen and Jagr as a veteran presence who hopefully has a season or two left in him.
Are the Panthers any better off with those guys than the group from April? Well, that's a good question.
Florida Panthers schedule 2017-18
The Panthers open the 2017-18 season on the road Oct. 6 against the Lightning, the first game in a home-and-home with their Florida rival. That first month will be a tough stretch; they'll see Tampa three times, defending champion Pittsburgh twice and St. Louis, Washington and Anaheim in between. They play 15 back-to-backs, about average, and travel 44,395 miles in total, sixth most in the league. Florida's season ends with seven games in 10 days, including five against Atlantic Division opponents. That stretch could well decide the Panthers' playoff fate.
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Panthers' key offseason additions
Evgeny Dadonov (free agent), Radim Vrbata (free agent), Henrik Haapala (free agent), Brandon Pirri (free agent), Jamie McGinn (trade)
Panthers' key offseason departures
Jaromir Jagr (free agent), Jussi Jokinen (free agent), Thomas Vanek (free agent), Jonathan Marchessault (expansion draft), Reilly Smith (trade), Jason Demers (trade)
Panthers' projected lineup
Forwards
Jonathan Huberdeau - Aleksander Barkov - Evgeny Dadonov
Jamie McGinn - Vincent Trocheck - Radim Vrbata
Jared McCann - Nick Bjugstad - Brandon Pirri
Henrik Haapala - Derek MacKenzie - Colton Sceviour
Defense
Keith Yandle - Aaron Ekblad
Michael Matheson - Alex Petrovic
Ian McCoshen - Mark Pysyk
Goalies
Roberto Luongo
James Reimer
Panthers' best-case scenario is …
It's essential that Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov play injury-free seasons, as the Panthers have shown they're a shell of themselves without their top two forwards. They do, and continue to be every bit the dominant top-line force they've shown when healthy. Brandon Pirri's most productive seasons came in Florida and that continues in his reunion. Aaron Ekblad rebounds from a forgettable 2016-17, reminding everyone why he's the NHL's next dominant defenseman. Roberto Luongo, at 38, has plenty left in the tank to help the Panthers disrupt the order in an up-for-grabs Atlantic and return to the playoffs.
