George Richards, FHN Publisher
With the Florida Panthers as deep as they are at forward, there is always going to be one or two players left out of the lineup on any given night.
Over the past two months, more often than not, one of those players has been Frank Vatrano.
For the first time since he became a regular with the Panthers in 2018, Vatrano has found himself working as a scratch player trying to claw his way back into the lineup.
Add all of the trade rumors into the mix and it has been a tough time for a player who has become a fan favorite with the Panthers.
Before getting back into the lineup Thursday against Columbus, Vatrano had been scratched in nine of 12 games.
Through it all, Vatrano says he knew had to be ready when he went back in.
He certainly looked ready to go.
”It has been a tough situation but the boys have been playing good,” Vatrano told Florida Hockey Now on Monday.
“I am just trying to stay game ready and make sure I am getting extra workouts in. The coaches have been doing a good job with conditioning after practices. They kept me in game shape and game ready. I knew I would get the call eventually and I just want to help the team in any way they needed.”
Still, being scratched on a nightly basis is not easy on anyone. Especially a player who is used to being a big part of his team.
Florida originally acquired Vatrano in a trade with Boston in 2018 and he ended up scoring five goals in 16 games played at the end of that season.
The following season, Vatrano was a contributor from the start and played in 81 games and set a career-high with 24 goals. During the season, Florida rewarded him with a three-year contract extension.
Vatrano scored 32 goals combined in each of the following two seasons, but his streaky scoring was an underlying concern that has apparently caught up to him on a talented Florida team this year.
Since scoring in consecutive games around the New Year, Vatrano has not scored again.
It led coach Andrew Brunette to give playing time to others.
”He handled it like a true pro and the great teammate that he is,” he said. “We have (Noel Acciari, Joe Thornton) and that speaks to the depth of our team. We have been talking about this the past few weeks: It’s fun to have those options, but at the same time, as a player it is tough.
“I am asking them to be selfless and come to the rink and work. I’ll try to give them the opportunity to get in and prove they deserve to stay in. … His best hockey of the year has been in the past couple of games. He kept a great attitude and worked extremely hard. It’s nice to see him get rewarded for it.”
Aside from seemingly being out of the Panthers plans as the season wore on, Vatrano has been linked to just about every trade rumor out there.
He says he is not listening to any of that outside noise.
”My No. 1 goal is to play here and help this team win a Stanley Cup,’’ Vatrano said. “That’s my priority and that is my goal. I do not control things outside of hockey, the business-side of things. My goal is to stay here and help this team wins. Whatever happens.”
As an unrestricted free agent after this season, Vatrano’s name was thrown out a few times last summer when the Panthers were looking to make some moves.
Yet he remains here today and is making the most of the time he is getting.
“This is the deepest team I have been on,” Vatrano said. “That’s just the way hockey is. Not everyone can play every night. Come the end of the year, everyone needs to be going whether you are in the lineup every single day or every couple of games. You have to be ready and have to play good enough that the coach cannot take you out. That’s been my mentality: I want to help the team win but I also want to stay in the lineup.”
Scratched for the first four games coming out of the All-Star break, Brunette somewhat surprisingly not only played him Thursday against the Blue Jackets — but had him up on the top line with Sasha Barkov.
Vatrano responded in an extremely positive way, making his presence known on the ice throughout the game.
He ended the 6-3 loss to the Jackets with five shots on goal and three hits.
Saturday, Mason Marchment moved up to that spot with Barkov and Vatrano moved to the third line with Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart.
Florida tied the score of that game in the first period on a beautiful between-the-legs pass from Vatrano to Lundell.
“His attitude has been great,” Anthony Duclair said Monday. “I have been in his position before and it sucks not being in the lineup and being in-and-out. But he is key for us; he brings a lot of speed and opens up the play. You saw it Saturday with that great pass to Lundell. He is a versatile guy and we love having him in the lineup. He is a key piece to the lineup.’’
Vatrano says he went through a similar situation in Boston before being traded to the Panthers but has now “been around” and will continue to do what is asked.
Florida plays Ottawa on Thursday night and it looks like Vatrano will remain in the lineup.
If Brunette is giving playing time to those deserving, well, Vatrano’s past two outings have given no cause for another scratch.
“As a professional you learn the ropes a little bit, how to handle things,” Vatrano said. “I have been around seven years so I know you cannot doubt your skill or lose confidence. You do that and you are not playing at the best of your abilities. For me, I’m just trying to keep a level head and know what kind of player I am. I need to bring that every night.”