George Richards, FHN Publisher
When the Florida Panthers traded for Brandon Montour, he went from last place to a contender.
He liked the way that felt.
Playing meaningful games, everyone on the team pulling in the same direction with the same goal in mind.
With Aaron Ekblad out of with a major injury, the Panthers sent a third-round draft pick to the Sabres for Montour and he jumped right in.
“I felt like i was one of the guys right away,” he said. “You can see the team we have, the talent we have. That is another big thing. I wanted to be on a winning team, a team that wants to win now. Obviously we’re at the point now where we want to take another step forward.”
Mostly playing with Markus Nutivaara on the second defensive pairing, Montour put together a nice run in his limited time with Florida.
Now, he’ll get even more time to show what he can do with the Panthers.
Just before the start of the free agency period, Montour and the Panthers came to an agreement on a three-year deal worth $3.5 million per season.
It is a bit of a pay cut from the one-year contract he got from Buffalo last year ($3.85 million) but Montour got some term and the chance to do something special with a Florida team on the rise.
Montour said that was his goal going into the free agent process.
“You obviously get to explore and see what’s out there,’’ Montour said after signing with Florida last month.
“My interest was never like that. I wanted to be a Panther. You know the business side, so you’ve got to work that through, but this is where I want to be.”
Joining the Panthers in April and jumping head-first into a playoff race was something Montour said he couldn’t wait to be part of.
“Obviously, these guys are having success and doing well this year,’’ Montour said after the trade.
“I just want to join that and keep the train rolling. The playoffs are around the corner and I have that itch to get back in.”
In 2019, Buffalo GM Jason Botterill’s team was six points out of the wild card spot and he sent a first-round pick to Anaheim for Montour.
Montour, who had a deep run in the playoffs with the Ducks in 2017, never did appear in a postseason game with the Sabres.
Although Buffalo was in the hunt for a playoff spot when he got there, the Sabres were not in the running for much longer.
The team ended up finishing the 2018-19 season 4-15-2 with two long losing streaks (one was seven, the other eight) sewn in.
The next two seasons weren’t much better.
“We had a couple tough seasons in Buffalo,’’ Montour said. “That is just the way it goes sometimes. I know the way I can play, I think Florida knows that as well.
“We had some success down the stretch, I hadn’t been to the playoffs … when you get to a winning team, things are flowing in the right direction. That makes it easier on everyone. I want to keep that moving along.”
Montour knew, like many in Buffalo, he would be traded to a contender at the deadline.
Still, in what turned out to be his final game with the Sabres, Montour blocked three shots.
“Through this, Brandon was incredible,” Buffalo coach Don Granato said on the day of the the trade.
“He played hard last night. He kept this out of his mind when the puck dropped. I say that even in practice and the meetings, he was a true pro, and is a true pro.”
And that may just be why Montour fit in so well with the Panthers.
Regardless of the spot Florida put him in, he gave the team a complete effort.
Montour obviously fit in and wanted to be in Florida.
Keeping the team together, one that Montour was a part of, was important to general manager Bill Zito and players like Montour wanting to remain a part of it helped facilitate that.
“It was important for some of the guys to come in and to give all that they did for the organization, to be part of the team,” Zito said.
“Brandon was part of the team and was excited to come back. Sam (Reinhart) talked to guys and is excited to interact with them. I think these guys will come in and strive to help the collective. It is important to keep the core together and that’s what we’re trying to do.”