George Richards, FHN Publisher
For the first time in over a decade, Dale Tallon will not be on stage welcoming the newest member of the Florida Panthers into the fold during the NHL draft.
Well, there won’t even be a stage for this pandemic-delayed, 2020 NHL Draft done via Zoom.
Yes, this NHL draft will be much different for the Florida Panthers.
It is October, right?
Isn’t it time for Opening Night?
Here we are.
The Panthers made big changes to their front office in the weeks following their being knocked out of the Toronto bubble by the New York Islanders back in August.
On Sept. 1, Bill Zito was hired away from the Columbus Blue Jackets to replace Tallon who was let go after serving as Florida’s GM (for the most part) since 2010.
When the draft kicks off Tuesday night with the first round, Zito will be in charge of his first draft.
It certainly is not how he pictured it.
There will be no chatting up fellow GMs from the draft floor, no whispered talk of trades with thousands of fans in the stands checking their phones for any hint of a deal.
There will also be no shrieks from the stands when the family of a draft prospect hears their name called.
“It’s a little weird not being able to meet with the players,” Zito told reporters on Monday afternoon. “It’s October and we’re not playing games. That’s really strange.
“But the NHL draft and all things surrounding it, for people who love the sport, it is an exciting time. It’s hectic no matter where you are.”
The Panthers currently hold the 12th overall pick and eight selections in the seven-round draft which will take place over the course of two days.
The player Zito and the Panthers select will depend on what happens with the 11 picks before them.
Zito and his scouting staff have their list and will see what player is there when it is their turn to pick.
The Panthers have organizational needs, yes, but at No. 12, the player Florida feels is the best is going to be selected.
“You always take the best player,” Zito told Florida Hockey Now on Monday evening.
“You never say never, never say always, but the philosophy has to be the best pick available absent some compelling exception which really doesn’t exist in this instance.
“When you construct your draft list, you rank the players 1-to-X and when it is your turn to pick, you get the best player you can get.
“Now, you may say ‘I’m not going to take this guy because I don’t think other teams know him and I can get him later.’ Then you risk losing a guy you really like. Generally, you go through the list and you take the highest ranked guy still on your list.’’
Zito says he will be running the draft for the Panthers online at BB&T Center with Jari Kekalainen, the team’s director of European scouting, being a key voice although he won’t be in Sunrise.
Kekalainen, a scout with the team who is credited with pushing the Panthers to take Sasha Barkov second in 2013, is the younger brother of Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen who happens to be one of Zito’s closest friends.
The two worked closely together the past seven years with the Blue Jackets.
For the past few years, it has been Zito by Jarmo Kekalainen’s side during rhe draft.
When Zito ran his first draft, he wanted Jari Kakalainen by his side.
Only Jari couldn’t get to the United States in time for the draft but will be there via video conference.
“We just finished a Zoom call with the poor guy,” Zito said. “He’s going to have to call in during the draft.
“I will run the draft with him on the phone and all the amateur scouts are here. When we have our list, we will collectively make our decisions on move-back and those kind of things.”
It’s not like these guys (and the rest of us) aren’t used to working this way.
A big chunk of the draft prep has been done remotely as scouts were pulled off the road when the pandemic first took off in March.
Junior leagues and tournaments — as well as the draft combine in Buffalo — were cancelled.
Meeting draft prospects, at least face-to-face, has not happened leading up to this year’s draft.
But, thanks to Zoom and the like, teams have been able to talk to many more players than in years past.
They have had plenty of time to do their homework.
Although Zito is new to the Panthers, work on this draft has been ongoing for a long time.
Jason Bukala, the Panthers’ director of amateur scouting, said earlier this summer that he usually sees between 175-190 live games before a draft.
This year, he was limited to 137 — which actually is not that bad — as he was coming off a long trip when travel was curtailed and leagues started shutting down.
Video scouting has become something each team in the league has had to embrace.
“We have a program which gives access to players from all around the world so that makes things more accessible,” Bukala said.
“Although the combine was shut down, I enjoyed the interview process.
“We went through 75 of the top prospect in three weeks. The Zoom calls have actually been great because we have been able to bring in all of our scouts, from every region in the world, and verify some of the information we have on the prospects.”
So, what are the Panthers looking for?
After taking Spencer Knight at No. 13 last summer, the Panthers are set on the goaltending front for the foreseeable future.
The Panthers have a number of organizational needs which include defensemen and centers.
Zito said he always likes taking those two positions, but if a winger happens to be higher on the list the team put together, that’s where they’re going.
“I don’t think we would change the philosophy of taking the best player,” he said.
“But you can never have too many defensemen or centers. If you have the players all rated the same, well, then you break the tie by going with a positional need. But you don’t pass on a better player to fill a position.”
The Panthers have not selected a defenseman in the first round since taking Aaron Ekblad No. 1 six years ago.
There are a few good defensemen available early in this draft but the likelihood of Jamie Drysdale and Jake Sanderson dropping to the Panthers is remote.
Look for Florida to try and find some solid d-men starting Wednesday.
On Tuesday, expect the Panthers to pick a forward and there should be a good number of quality options available at No. 12.
One way or another, Zito thinks the Panthers are going to get themselves a good player in the first round.
In his six drafts with the Blue Jackets, Columbus selected five players in the first round. All of them have made it to the NHL including Alexander Wennberg (14th overall), Sonny Milano (16th) and Liam Foudy (18th).
“Yeah, we’re going to get a good player,” Zito said.
2020 NHL Draft
Round 1: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
TV/Radio: NBCSN/WQAM 560-AM
Florida’s selection: No. 12
Rounds 2-7: Wednesday, 11:30 a.m.
TV/Radio: NHL Network; Sirius/XM
Florida’s selections (7): Second Round (43rd overall); Third (74th, 87th); Fourth (95th, 105th); Fifth (137th); Seventh (198th).