The Panthers begin a 5-game homestand tonight against Calgary to finish the season, and unfortunately the games mean nothing outside of what position they will hold in the NHL Draft Lottery.
They will finish either second or third worst in the NHL, and if justice is served they will steal the number one pick as Colorado did last year. But if not, they will still get a very talented player that could fill in another spot on this growing roster next season.
In a season with few highlights, there really is nowhere to go but up after these last two disastrous seasons. For as unlucky and injury-prone as the Panthers have been, showcasing some of their young talent has given a pleasant glimpse into the future.
While I will be breaking down how the offseason and next season will be shaping up in future posts, there is no doubt a solid young core is forming between Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjugstad, Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck, Dmitry Kulikov, and Erik Gudbranson. Based on what I've seen, Quinton Howden and Brandon Pirri might be added to this list early next season.
This is a solid group of very young players that will only improve collectively as time goes on.
But for now it's about finishing with pride. Perhaps eliminating the Blue Jackets or Maple Leafs from the playoffs would be a bitter sweet pill to end the year.
Much sunnier days are ahead, but for now it's about ending the year strong and injury-free.
Dan Spiegel... Florida Panthers Media Follow me on Twitter Join the Florida Panthers Insiders FB Page Connect with me on Google Plus