After drafting Lawson Crouse with the 11th overall pick in the NHL Draft, all most could talk about was how much tougher the Panthers just became. It is also widely thought that the 6'4", 215 lbs. LW will be ready to play this year.
Apparently GM Dale Tallon agrees.
When Tallon took over in Sunrise one of the first things he said was he wanted opposing teams to know they were in for a dogfight. The days of soft Panther teams were over.
It took a while, but finally his plan is starting to take shape, and these young Cats are primed to play more like Khaleesi's children than disinterested vets looking forward to their next tee time.
The Florida Panthers were the most improved team in the NHL last season. There should be no way to hide the potential of this club next year and beyond.
Just 3 days removed from the Draft, Brad Boyes was waived and his final year of his contract will be bought out, which will save the Panthers $1.7 million in cap space for the upcoming season.
It can be looked at as a peculiar move since Boyes quietly contributed solid 2nd line numbers when looking at his Corsi and HERO ratings. For a team starving for scoring it would seem Boyes was a nice, inexpensive fit to help the cause. However, Tallon came out said he wants to be the youngest and best team simultaneously, so the the 33-year-old Boyes was shown the door.
Looks like that heralded Florida pipeline is about to be put to the test.
Does that mean Crouse is likely to have an opening night roster spot?
Probably.
With Boyes, Scottie Upshall, and Tomas Kopecky looking for work elsewhere, the likely candidates to replace them are Crouse, Rocco Grimaldi, and Quinton Howden.
Yes Tallon may have something up his sleeve in trying to deal for an experienced scorer, but looking at the trade landscape the price is probably too steep to acquire that at this moment. Only Patrick Sharp may make sense, unless the asking price for Kessel comes way down and the Leafs are willing to eat part of his salary.
Crouse brings an interesting component to Florida. The same type of component in terms of toughness and grit that Upshall and Kopecky tried to bring, but with better hands.
Most opinions on Crouse at the draft were that he was tough as nails and will only get tougher, but his offensive upside is still a mystery. But not enough of a mystery to say he could potentially play on all four lines. Obviously the future is very bright for him.
The first line is already set with Huberdeau-Barkov-Jagr, but a potential Crouse-Bjugstad-Grimaldi line could be really fun to watch. Head coach Gerard Gallant might be holding his breath every time they are on the ice in terms of their defensive assignments, but that could be quite a spark plug line. As always the 2nd and 3rd lines are interchangeable at this point, and it will be interesting to see what chemistry develops in camp.
Chances are the Panthers will ween Crouse into NHL action by putting him on the 3rd or 4th line. A large part of where he ends up will be determined by the health and development of Howden, who skates like the wind but has also shown to be challenged in the hands department on scoring attempts.
At the end of the day, the youth movement in Florida is here(sans Jagr and Campbell). The complete makeover in the summer of 2011 sent shock waves through the NHL and South Florida. That makeover resulted in the Panthers' first ever division title and first playoff appearance in over a dozen years.
But the futility before then lead to the drafting and developing of many of the players who are now going to be called upon to carry Florida to the next level.
Is it a risk for Tallon to turn the keys over to the young guns? Perhaps.
But it's time to let them loose to grow and develop, as well as make the mistakes along the way to make them the best they can be.
For a lot of reasons next season will be make or break for the Florida Panthers. But win or lose this youthful team should provide a lot of excitement as they work to defy the naysayers.
What do you think? Is it too early to fully implement the youth movement or should Tallon hold off a bit and try to pull a deal for another veteran?
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to your comments.
Dan Spiegel Florida Panthers Media