Most years a Florida Panthers prospects camp would be progress report of sorts just to see how the young kids are doing. For over a decade it was clear there was a massive gap between the NHL roster and those feeding the organization. All too often Panther fans were forced to face the reality that the first call up in emergency situations was a player that was not ready for the NHL.
On-ice production reflected that immediately.
But this prospects camp has a different feel to it. No longer is the roster littered with career AHLers and old guys just trying to keep a paycheck coming. There are players in this prospect pool that are right on the brink of NHL-ready, or are ready right now but will be squeezed out because of the numbers game on the current big roster.
Aaron Ekblad is participating in camp, but GM Dale Tallon has said they won't be working him too hard as he is a lock for main camp and probably the opening night roster. Ekblad says he is fully recovered from his concussion suffered a few months ago and is ready to go.
Vincent Trocheck played in 20 NHL games last year and is definitely on the short list of players to be called up when the inevitable injury bug hits. While his -11 rating shows he still has work to do on his overall game, he did tally 8 points and showed every bit of the promise GM Dale Tallon was looking for when drafting him in the 3rd round of the 2011 NHL Draft.
Other promising players like Rocco Grimaldi, Logan Shaw, Joshua Brown, MacKenzie Weegar, and Jonathan Racine are in camp as well, and just might be NHLers in a year or two. As is with any prospect camp, a few players surprise with solid play before they might be expected to do so. Steven Hodges is one of those players as evidenced by his goal yesterday while the Panthers shut out Bruins prospects 2-0.
Some of these young players, like Grimaldi and Weegar, seem destined to push for a starting spot sooner than later. Overcoming the odds and their tiny frames is in their blood and they've been doing it their entire lives.
As these young players continue to improve and excel, Tallon will have some important yet unusual decisions to make as a Florida Panthers General Manager. On the horizon are new contracts for Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad, followed by Aleksander Barkov in two years. Some of these inflated veteran contracts will either expire or need to be moved to make room for the younger, cheaper blood.
But what if some of these young guns show they are ready this season? What if the Panthers are contending for the playoffs and they need to shake some things up at the trade deadline to be ready for the stretch run?
Players like Tomas Fleischmann, Scottie Upshall, Tomas Kopecky, and Sean Bergenheim should be monitored closely as the season progresses. They are all due to be UFAs after this season, and all are prone to being very streaky with their games. However, Fleischmann and his $4.5 million salary is probably the player on the hottest hot seat after a disastrous 2013-2014 season. He could be the perfect rental player for a contending team out west.
With an abundance of players who can play center or wing, moving a veteran anytime this season would then shuffle the deck to bring Trocheck back in the fold while providing further payroll flexibility. Tallon likely will stand pat with his current unit and keep everyone on a short leash.
Panther fans can take solace in the fact that organizational depth is finally starting to pay dividends. Should the injury bug hit the big club this season there is talent in the pipeline to hold the fort. For an organization that has found it hard to get out of its own way for many years, this is a welcomed luxury.
More roster breakdown will be coming over the next few days, and as always I appreciate your readership. Feel free to leave your insightful comments.
Dan Spiegel...
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