Despite the disappointing outcome, I had a lot of fun (as usual) covering the Cats for you guys this season.
It was a year filled with both personal and franchise records - certainly the best season this organization has ever seen.
But in the end it wasn’t enough. The powerful Panthers of the regular season were reduced to kittens in four games by the reigning champs, and in-state rival, Tampa Bay Lightning.
As much as I don’t like the sports cliche of “they wanted it more,” that’s really what it looked like in the Battle of Florida II with Tampa doing what needed to be done to get the wins. Florida on the other hand had no life or emotion. No one stepped up to be the spark and get the team going.
There was an interesting discussion yesterday on NHL Network with the panel talking about the need for three things in the playoffs:
1. Stud offensive player
2. Stud defensive player
3. Stud goalie
The Cats had one of those elements with Bob in net. I can’t pin any blame on him. I thought he gave the Panthers a chance to win and received little defensive help and run support in return.
For all the offensive dominance during the regular season - where Florida was averaging something like four goals a game - it certainly disappeared in a hurry. Lots of guys on this roster being paid handsomely to put the biscuit in the basket and every one of them pulled a Houdini.
And the backend was the same story. No one stepped up to be “the man,” leaving fans to wonder who really is the stud defenseman on this roster? Or…do they even have one?
Forsling was certainly the best blue liner the Cats had (and have). Steady and reliable, but not a true difference-maker in terms of being an big impact guy. And that’s OK. He shouldn’t have to be. His role is to just be sturdy back there.
So the heavy lifting goes to guys like Ekblad and Weegar - with the latter really struggling and the former coming back from injury that disrupted a really good season he had going.
There was a lot of grievances filed against the guys they brought in at the deadline: Giroux Chiarot. Understandably so and when looking at the postseason results, I agree with that they were disappointing.
But hindsight is always 20/20.
That being said, I’m still glad they swung for the fences and brought guys in. Had they not made any moves, we would all be saying “what if they had made some trades at the deadline?” Zito did the right thing it unfortunately didn’t work out.
So what’s next?
With $3.9 M of space, it seems unlikely Florida will be able to re-sign Giroux and Chiarot. The Cats need to free up space (even if they don’t plan on trying to keep one or both of Giroux/Chiarot) anyways.
As George Richards of
Florida Hockey Now points out:
“
With a big chunk of salary cap space being eaten up by dead money and long-term decisions nearing on players such as Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar, Zito has a lot of work to do in the months before camp opens in September.”
Florida has 16 players under contract heading into 2022-23. Some notable UFAs are:
- Giroux
- Chiarot
- Joe Thornton
- Mason Marchment
I would bet Thornton is done, so let’s remove him.
I loved Giroux’s faceoff prowess during the regular season, but like a lot of the guys you needed to step up in the postseason, he couldn’t be found.
Chiarot didn’t make the impact I hoped he would, but I wonder if that is him, or if he struggled due to the general chaotic scene of Florida’s backend?
I really like Marchy and would like to see him in a Cat sweater for awhile. I feel he really blossomed this year but I also wonder if he’s a guy you deal to save some money. Here’s what I mean…my guy Mamin plays a similar game to Marchment and would be a fraction of the cost (I think) of what Marchy will probably want from Florida. Marchment had a great season and undoubtably caught the attention of some teams.
If the Panthers want to save money, have a guy fill the same role,and recoup some losses from deadline trades, I think Marchy offers you that chip to play.
Perhaps the most interesting thought/idea is what was mentioned by
The Hockey Writers:
“
Following the Panthers' second-round elimination, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported they looked into trading Sergei Bobrovsky during the season, “or at least lay the groundwork to do it.” He didn't know if it was possible to move the 32-year-old goaltender but added they really tried to see if it could be done.
Trading Bobrovsky would free up significant cap space to address the Panthers' immediate and long-term needs. However, he's signed through 2025-26 with a $10-million annual average value and a full no-movement clause. Assuming he'd agree to a trade, his list of preferred destinations could be short. The Panthers would also have to retain a healthy chunk of his cap hit to entice potential suitors.
That doesn't mean Bobrovsky couldn't be traded this summer. Perhaps a team with plentiful cap space seeking an established starting goaltender, such as the New Jersey Devils, would take the chance if he agreed to the move. Given his hefty contract, however, Zito will have to consider other cost-cutting options.”
Bob bounced back in a big way this season and could be on the radar of some teams that want a #1. But as the above points out - and as we all know - that contract is a lot of cheddar…
If the Panthers can move Bob and not have to hold on to too much money, I say do it. I like Bob and thought he was really good this season, but I truly believe the Panthers need to legitimately build from the blueline out. The inconsistencies there are just too much that even really good goalie would struggle to constantly cover up mistakes. A lot of the defensive deficiencies were covered up during the regular season because Florida could pour pucks in on the opposition. But when the playoffs came around and things tightened up and the scoring went away, we saw how these blue line problems could really be exposed.
Strengthening the defense can afford you to get away with a goalie of a lower salary. I know I’m a broken record here but I really think Florida’s key to to true success lies in becoming a team based on defense.
At the end of the day though, when I look at this roster and how good guys like Barky, Huby and Ekblad can be in the regular season, the biggest question to me is this: Are these the guys that get you to the Stanley Cup?
We have had a few seasons now where the results seem to point to no.
I don’t say that to be negative. And I don’t say it to sound like I’m suggesting moving one of them, but I think it’s valid to be disappointed that the big three of the franchise can’t seem to get the job done. Of course it’s not solely on them, but the reality is these are “the guys” who are supposed to get it done and they have struggled each year in the playoffs to do just that.
I’m very curious to see what Zito does this summer…
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Stay cool out there!
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