Much has been made of the top line of Jonathan Huberdeau, Sasha Barkov, and Jaromir Jagr.
And for good reason.
After Jagr arrived via trade in late February last season, the top line took off resulting in Huberdeau flying past injured Nick Bjugstad to lead the team in points.
But what was often overlooked in all the Jagr excitement was just how good a year Bjugstad was having. He was nursing a back injury for several games before that injury caused him to go under the knife, missing the last 10 games of the season. He had 24 goals and 19 assists at that time.
While it is an outside chance, Big Nick could have scored 30 goals last year if healthy. I would go so far to say that he would have.
Now back to 100% and feeling good about his game and health, he now has some bonafide quality linemates with which to light the lamp. Of course this is assuming this is who head coach Gerard Gallant decides to pair with him as speculated.
Brandon Pirri had a bizarre year. Simply put, the guy is a sniper. He is one of the few Panthers with an absolute "shoot first" mentality. In 49 games last year he scored 22 goals and only 2 assists. Health has always been a concern, but if he stays healthy he could be a monster contributor for Florida this season.
On the right side is Reilly Smith, who was acquired for Jimmy Hayes during the offseason. At only 24 years old, Smith comes from a Boston team loaded with talent. But a healthy Bjugstad and Pirri surely will not cause him to miss a beat. He scored 20 goals two seasons ago and has combined for 33 goals and 58 assists in his last two seasons. He's only missed one game and is +35 over that span.
With all the deserved hype around the top line, this line could actually outproduce the top line if healthy. That is a big if with Pirri's history and Bjugstad going full speed after a back issue. But if the line is constructed that way they should be lots of fun to watch.
It cannot be understated the impact of Jagr on this team. Before his arrival Gallant was forced to mix and match lines hoping for combinations to get hot. Now there will be consistency, cohesion, and chemistry. When thinking of all the offensive struggles the Panthers have suffered over the years this is one of the main reasons.
But the much needed depth the organization has been talking about is now here. Yes it took some veteran additions to balance out the lineup, but from a scoring goals perspective this should not look like any of the Panthers teams we've seen for over a dozen years.
What do you think? Is a Pirri-Bjugstad-Smith line one that can flourish or is there another combination that may work better?
As always, thanks for reading, and I look forward to your comments.
Dan Spiegel... Florida Panthers Media