Here we go again. Another disaster of a season has the Panthers in the draft lottery, this time with the second best chance at landing the first pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.
Last year Florida had the best chance at the first pick with a 25% chance after finishing worst in the league. As is the luck in Sunrise, they failed to win the pick. Colorado won it from the same spot Florida sits in this year, and they wisely took Nathan MacKinnon with the top selection.
All was not lost as GM Dale Tallon chose Aleksander Barkov with the 2nd overall selection. At 18 years old the young Fin showed he might be the best player from last year's draft. In addition, the Avalanche are a perfect example of what Florida might be next year with a slew of young talent now getting their chance in the NHL. The Avs with the third best point total in the league after finishing 2nd worst last year is remarkable.
While there is not a clear cut #1 pick in this year's relatively weak draft, the top 3 players in Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad, and Sam Reinhart are sure to make an immediate impact on their future teams. Luckily for the Panthers, they can finish no worse than 3rd in the draft. With Edmonton likely picking Ekblad in the draft, Florida is almost assured of getting another very talented forward for years to come.
But who knows perhaps the hockey gods know they owe Florida one and will let Florida do to Buffalo what Colorado did to Florida last year.
With approximately $30 million to spend in the offseason to compliment the budding youth, and a promise from Tallon to get things fixed quickly, it could be an eventful offseason for the Florida Panthers. This organization needs another shot in the arm like the overhaul that occurred three summers ago. Actually, it needs to be even bigger than that.
Regardless, there is nowhere to go but up.
Dan Spiegel... Florida Panthers Media Follow me on Twitter Join the Florida Panthers Insiders FB Page Connect with me on Google Plus