Offseason Review: Florida Panthers

Now that the dust has settled on a wild NHL offseason, let's take a look at how each team did in regards to drafting and free-agent signings. Today, we'll look at the Florida Panthers.

Florida had one of their best seasons in franchise history last year. 37 wins is better than 18 Panthers teams have managed to do in a full 82 game season, and this one did it in 26 games less. That's a great sign for this young team that has only just started to reach their potential. All that said, the Panthers still lost in the first round, 4-2 to Tampa Bay. This Florida team still hasn't won a series since the 1996 playoffs when they went all the way to the Cup finals, instead watching their neighbours in Tampa find all the Championship success. Bearing all that in mind, this may be the best team the Panthers have ever put together. It's only a matter of time before the Panthers are going on playoff runs and being listed as contenders for the Stanley Cup. GM Bill Zito took some steps this summer to push his team even closer. Let's see how they made out.

Free Agency:

This Panthers roster is already built to compete. There isn't any one position where they are lacking significantly, but Zito still decided to shore up some of his depth with a few solid acquisitions. The biggest one was actually a trade, sending the Panthers' 2022 1st round pick along with Devon Levi to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Sam Reinhart. Reinhart has been steadily improving his game despite the Sabres trending in the other direction, and on a skilled top 6 like what Florida has, he's likely to play even better than he did in Buffalo. The Panthers re-signed Reinhart for three years starting next summer, avoiding losing him to unrestricted free agency in 2022. They also re-signed the player who will start the year as Reinhart's centreman, Sam Bennett, who was acquired from Calgary at last season's trade deadline. Bennett struggled to find his game with the Flames, but had a massive breakout upon his arrival in Florida, scoring 6 goals and 15 points in the 10 regular-season games he played there. He added an extra goal and 5 points in 5 playoff games. Bennett seems to have found a fit with the Panthers. Interestingly enough, the Panthers now employ three of the top four picks in the 2014 Entry Draft: Aaron Ekblad(1), Sam Reinhart(2), and Sam Bennett(4).

A few other players received extensions from the Panthers, including Anthony Duclair, Gustav Forsling, and Carter Verhaeghe, all crucial members of the team last season. Brandon Montour was signed for three years, he was another pickup at last year's trade deadline. They also inked a new deal with goalie prospect Sam Montembeault, possibly their third-string goalie with Spencer Knight's arrival in the playoffs, although Christopher Gibson was also brought in as a stop-gap. Noah Juulsen, Chase Priskie, and Lucas Carlsson were extended on one-year, two-way contracts. The Panthers also bought out Keith Yandle's contract to make some space in their salary cap, a sad end to Yandle's years of exemplary service in Florida. He never missed a game in five seasons with the Panthers.

The Panthers did do some shopping in free agency, although mostly to fill out the bottom of their roster. They signed Chris Gibson, as mentioned earlier. Joe Thornton was brought in for one year, easily the biggest name to come to Florida out of the market, and Zac Dalpe was signed to a two-year two-way deal. They are also bringing back prospect Maxim Mamin after the 26-year-old centre spent the last three seasons playing in the KHL.

Grade: B+; Not too much new in Florida, Bill Zito seems to like what he has, but adding Reinhart will only make them better. They kept the players who were most important to the team's success last season, and brought in some veteran experience in "Jumbo" Joe Thornton to help push them over the hump.

Draft:

Florida had shipped out a lot of draft picks for this year, and as such, there aren't many picks to talk about. They held on to their 1st rounder though, and at 24th overall selected Mackie Samoskevich, a small forward out of the USHL. Samoskevich has a great set of hands, able to receive pucks in transition and then adeptly dangle around opponents. His hockey IQ is off the charts, and he sees the ice extremely well. He may not have been the biggest name available, but he has the potential to be a top-level player.

At 65th overall, the Panthers selected Evan Nause, a 6'2" left-shot defenceman out of the QMJHL. Nause is a breakout specialist, constantly analyzing and engaging with opposing attackers to open up new options for himself that allow him to clear the zone. His size helps with this, and Nause uses his body to impede the other team, and his strong skating to get the puck moving in the other direction. The offence is there too, Nause had 4 goals and 22 points in 32 games last year.

Grade: B+; Florida didn't have much to work with at the draft this year, but they made the most of it. Samoskevich and Nause look to be skilled NHL prospects ready to slot right into the Panthers' development program. Nause in particular has the skillset to be an absolute steal at 65th.

Overall grade: B+; The Panthers are running it back this year after a great 2021 season, but they added a couple pieces to bolster their chances. Sam Reinhart turns their top 6 into one of the best in the NHL, and Joe Thornton brings more experience than almost anyone else in the league. Florida added a few highly skilled prospects to their pipeline to keep them competitive down the road and signed some depth in goal to keep the rookies honest. This team keeps getting better, and the sun keeps on shining bright in Florida.

What do you think of the Panthers' moves this offseason? 

Photo credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports