George Richards, FHN Publisher
It has now been a year since Bill Zito was hired as the 11th general manager in Florida Panthers history.
What a busy 12 months it has been for the Panthers.
Last year turned out to be one of the most successful regular seasons in franchise history as the Panthers — thanks in great part to players brought in by the team’s new GM — were just two points away from winning a divisional title.
For his efforts, Zito was named a finalist for NHL General Manager of the Year although that went to Lou Lamoriello of the New York Islanders.
Still, it is hard to overlook the work Zito did last year and what he is doing now.
The Panthers look like a completely different team.
And, if you go by Vegas betting standards, Florida is a Stanley Cup contender.
Very few people would have said that a year ago today.
Zito, however, saw some promise in the Panthers.
He sold his vision on the team in numerous interviews with team management and ownership before being hired.
“When we came here, there were some pretty good players,’’ Zito said before the playoffs started.
“It’s not crazy to think we would play pretty well with good players and a really good coach. You would bristle a little bit in the preseason when a lot of people — the so-called experts — counted us out.
“People didn’t have a lot of time for the Panthers. But I thought we could have a successful season because we had quality people here. I don’t think the people in our room are surprised at all with what has happened. They have done their jobs. People didn’t give them a lot of respect. I am really proud of these guys.”
Although the Panthers offered now-former Columbus Blue Jackets associate general manager the job on Sept. 1, 2020, Zito was formally introduced as the team’s new GM on Sept. 2.
Zito had a long conversation with coach Joel Quenneville before flying to Fort Lauderdale. After arriving at BB&T Center for formal, in-person introductions, Zito and team president Matt Caldwell made it official with a Zoom press conference from the arena.
“I guess I’m most excited about the youth and the pieces,” Zito said then. “I think it starts with the captain (Sasha Barkov) who is just a fantastic player. They’re surrounded by some other great young pieces coming and a coach who knows how to bring them along. We just need to keep adding to those young pieces and helping them to bring them along and get some leadership to help them along, and that’s what excites me.”
Said Caldwell: “Bill is a leader who possesses the passion, knowledge and work ethic needed to instill a winning culture in all aspects of our business. … With Bill as our new GM, we are thrilled to begin the next chapter of Panthers hockey in South Florida.”
Zito went to work right away in trying to turn the Panthers around.
He was hired less than a month after Florida parted ways with Dale Tallon, the team’s GM for much of the previous decade.
Tallon drafted many of the top young players Zito praised, but there was obviously much work to be done with the Panthers.
The Panthers, after all, let Tallon go after a disappointing end to an uneven 2019-20 season. Florida had talent, sure, but there was something missing.
Zito got to work on the Panthers in a hurry, living out of a South Florida hotel room and shuttling between the team’s training facility and offices at the arena.
He had a lot of work to do in a short time.
Not only did he have to focus on the team’s current roster, but he had to prepare for a draft with a new group of scouts all with an eye on the upcoming free agency period which was quickly approaching.
There were a lot of changes in the first few months of Zito’s tenure as general manager of the Panthers.
The most public moves were the ones made to the team itself.
Just three weeks after taking over, Zito made a huge trade by sending Mike Matheson and Colton Sceviour to the Pittsburgh Penguins for veteran Patric Hornqvist.
That deal took a little bit of work as Hornqvist initially did not want to waive his no-movement clause to come to Florida.
Hornqvist eventually relented and ended up being a big part of the Panthers’ success as he scored 14 goals with 32 points.
“When I talked to Bill, I really got a good feeling,’’ Hornqvist said. “He’s a good GM and a good person.
“He said they brought me here because of what I bring every single day. He said I could play a big role for us on and of the ice. That’s what I want. It made my choice much easier.”
Next came the draft where Florida selected Finnish center Anton Lundell with the 12th overall pick. Lundell is expected to make the Panthers at training camp next month.
Before free agency opened, Zito traded for Columbus defenseman Markus Nutivaara. He then signed the likes of Radko Gudas, Carter Verhaeghe, Anthony Duclair and Alex Wennberg when free agency opened.
During training camp, the Panthers pulled Gus Forsling off the waiver wire and watched him become one of their top defensemen.
All told, four of Florida’s top seven scorers in 2021 were not with the team during the 2019-20 season.
As the season went along, Florida traded for Sam Bennett and Brandon Montour.
This summer, Zito and the Panthers extended the contracts of Verhaeghe, Duclair, Forsling, Bennett, Montour — and then traded for Sam Reinhart and extended him as well.
Even Joe Thornton signed on to try and chase down the Stanley Cup with the Panthers.
Yes, this Panthers team looks loaded and is a much different one than what was here on Aug. 31, 2020.
Players want to be with the Panthers.
They want to win with the Panthers.
That alone is due some praise.
“I think that the players are proud to be Panthers,’’ Zito said a few months ago. “If that’s a measuring stick, then I think we’ve made some progress. I’ll leave it at that.”