George Richards, FHN Publisher
Aleksi Heponiemi arguably had one of the strongest showings at training camp yet at the end of the preseason, the Florida Panthers were forced to place him on waivers to send him to the American Hockey League.
The team’s salary cap problems are well documented and in any other season, Heponiemi would have made the Panthers and may well have been contributing to the team in a meaningful way.
Yet this is not a normal season, not with the Panthers having $6.6 million stripped off their cap due to dead buyout money for Keith Yandle and Scott Darling.
Regardless, Heponiemi is with the team now.
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When Sasha Barkov missed Saturday’s overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues due to a lingering non-Covid illness, the Panthers called up Heponiemi on an emergency basis.
Due to the Panthers being up against the salary cap, they can only have 20 players on their active roster so Heponiemi is allowed to join them until Barkov returns.
It is not a long-term recall, not by any means.
Heponiemi, as always, just wants to make the best of it.
“I just to have fun, help the team out there by bringing some energy,” he said. “You have to earn your trust with the way you play. You have to keep getting better and better. Play a simple, smart game. The more I get in there, the more I can do that and show them I can play well.”
Heponiemi’s stay with the Panthers may be short with Barkov potentially joining the team on the road at any time.
But coach Paul Maurice has said that Heponiemi’s strong training camp and start with Charlotte has made him a trusted callup when the opportunity arises.
When it came to bring someone up from Charlotte, Heponiemi has been it.
“He is a player you can put into any hole on your top-12 and you know exactly what to expect from him,” Maurice said. “He is an incredibly bright player. I know he’s not the biggest guy out there, but if he fights hard enough — and he’s so smart — he’s going to make things happen.
”Sometimes when guys get called up, they play it safe. He is smart enough to play it safe, but he makes plays and I like that. He has a confidence and a fight in him … there’s just something there.”
PANTHERS ON DECK
FLORIDA PANTHERS AT VANCOUVER CANUCKS
- When: Thursday, 10 p.m.
- Where: Rogers Arena, Vancouver
- TV: Bally Sports Florida; ESPN+
- Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932
- Last season: Florida won 2-0
- All-time regular season series: Vancouver leads 18-11-4, 6 ties