George Richards, FHN Publisher
The Florida Panthers wrapped up the most successful first half in the team’s 28 seasons with a shootout win Friday night in Vancouver — and now it is time to hand out midseason grades for each players.
As one might expect, there are not many failing grades being passed out here.
Those who have read my “report card” stories over the years know I usually grade up, anyway. It’s just my nature.
Still, there is not a lot to complain about with the Panthers this season.
Not only did they go into their second half atop the NHL standings, but they led the league in goals scored and goal-differencial.
From their top forwards to their depth defensemen, the Panthers have been pulling this wagon as a team.
The Panthers have been successful due to everyone playing as well as they have.
Are there some who stand out above the pack? Sure.
Are there some who could be giving more? Of course.
Has anyone been failing?
Noel Acciari (0 games; 0-0, 0) — Inc.
Usually, we do not include players who have yet to suit up but Acciari is a special case. Hurt on a freak play during a preseason game in Orlando, Acciari needed surgery but is now skating and practicing with the Panthers.
Acciari remains a big part of this team (he was Florida’s Masterton Award nominee in 2020) and will be counted on down the road.
Sasha Barkov (28 games; 17-15, 32*) — A-plus
(* — All stats through the first 41 games and do not include Sunday night at Seattle)
Despite missing 13 games due to a pair of injuries, Barkov went into the second half of the season tied for the team lead in goals scored and fifth on the highest-scoring team in the league. Not bad.
Barkov is the reigning Selke Trophy winner and will likely be a finalist again this season. The Panthers captain has done everything asked — and expected — of him so far. We expect that to continue.
Sam Bennett (31 games; 17-8, 25) — A-plus
There are going to be a lot of A-plus grades on this team report card and Bennett certainly deserves his.
Since coming over to the Panthers in a deadline deal with the Flames, Bennett has not only been a sparkplug for the Panthers but he has been extremely productive as well. Bennett was given a top-6 role with Florida after landing and his play has kept him there centering the second line. His 17 goals are tied for the team lead.
Sergei Bobrovsky (20-3-3, 2.38 GAA, .925 SV, 1 SO) — A-plus
When training camp opened, there was plenty of talk about Bobrovsky potentially spending the season as the backup to rookie Spencer Knight.
Bobrovsky, no doubt, heard all about it and looked like a guy not ready to give up his job. Bobrovsky, save for a few rough spots, has been playing at an elite level for much of the season and is a big reason Florida is where it is.
Bobrovsky may not win his third Vezina this year but he sure looks like a prime candidate.
Lucas Carlsson (20 games; 2-5, 7) — C
If it came to production over expectation, Carlsson would certainly grade higher since no one was sure where he would slot in on the team as the season wore on. But Carlsson, who came to the Panthers in the Brett Connolly/Riley Stillman deal, has earned the trust of the coaching staff and is finding himself some decent playing time.
Kevin Connauton (13 games; 0-0, 0) — Inc.
Connauton not only made the team out of training camp but found consistent playing time — up until he didn’t. The Panthers tried sneaking him through waivers to clear a roster spot but he was claimed by Philadelphia in December.
Grigori Denisenko (1 game; 0-0, 0) — Inc.
Florida’s first round pick in 2018, Denisenko got in one game this season but could be called up down the road. He is having a good year in Charlotte.
Zac Dalpe (1 game; 0-0, 0) — Inc.
Captain of the Charlotte Checkers, Dalpe was called up for a game before being returned.
Anthony Duclair (33 games; 17-15, 32) — A-plus
The Duke is having himself a season. After scoring 10 goals with 32 points in 43 games last season, Duclair has already eclipsed his goal numbers and has tied last year’s totals. Not bad. Duclair spent all of camp on the fourth line but was back in the top 6 by Game 2. His play has ensured he has stayed there.
Aaron Ekblad (40 games; 10-25, 35) — A-plus
Before fracturing his ankle last March in Dallas, Ekblad was on track to win the franchise’s first Norris Trophy. He may do that later this year.
Ekblad is six goals — and six points — from tying career highs and is doing it on a team people around the hockey world are paying attention to. Ekblad has always been a point producer but his defense and skating has been improved making him a very dangerous individual, indeed.
Gus Forsling (34 games; 1-18, 19) — A
By the time Forsling scored in Dallas earlier this month, Forsling had the distinction of having the most points in the NHL without a goal.
His defensive play has been noticeable since the Panthers scored by claiming him off waivers last training camp. Forsling earned a three-year contract extension by the Panthers in the summer and that move has paid off as well.
Radko Gudas (39 games; 0-11, 11) — B-plus
Known as ‘The Butcher’ for his menacing appearance and penchant for big hits, Gudas has improved his defensive play over the past few seasons and the Panthers are benefiting from that right now.
Gudas does not score a whole lot — although he has a booming shot — but his stick work and positioning has been strong. He is not out of position much, and this is a guy who isn’t going to be outworked.
Aleksi Heponiemi (4 games, 0-0, 0) — Inc.
Heponiemi has spent much of the season in the minors with Charlotte but has been called up a few times and is currently on the taxi squad.
Patric Hornqvist (37 games; 7-11, 18) — B
Hornqvist has missed the past couple of games with an undisclosed injury but has been a big part of Florida’s very successful fourth line.
Sure, Hornqvist may have lost a step but he has not lost his ability to drive opponents nuts. Hornqvist can also score.
He’s going to be a big part of whatever the Panthers have moving forward.
Jonathan Huberdeau (41 games; 15-40, 55) — A-plus
Do we even need to break down Huberdeau’s first half?
I mean, the guy is a legitimate MVP candidate as he hovers around the league’s scoring elite.
When the Panthers need a goal, Huberdeau is usually somewhere around it — either scoring it or getting the puck to the right place.
To say this has been Huberdeau’s best season is an understatement.
Can we do A-plus-plus?
Jonas Johansson (0-0-0) — Inc.
The Panthers claimed Johansson off waivers the day after losing in Colorado and the former Avs goalie has not seen any action as of yet. He has dressed as the backup, but that’s been it.
Olli Juolevi (9 games, 0-0, 0) — C
Tough grade here. Should be an incomplete as Juolevi did miss much of the first half of the season after coming over from Vancouver in a trade before opening night. Still, he has gotten some game action this month before going on IR and has shown he can play at this level.
Matt Kiersted (7 games; 1-1, 2) — C
Same story as Juolevi. Probably should be an incomplete considering most of his season has been in Charlotte. Kiersted has given the Panthers some good play when called upon and may be a big part of their d-corps depth moving forward.
Spencer Knight (8-5-2, 3.31 GAA, .896 SV, 0 SO) — B-minus
Has Knight’s sophomore (OK, he’s still a rookie) season been as good as his freshman campaign? Not always. But that was a really high bar to clear.
Knight has been fine this season. The 20-year-old rookie has had a couple of tough games and there have been some nights where he hasn’t been given a whole lot of support.
You can see the talent here.
Knight is a special talent, a star in the making. And he’s learning on the job here in Florida. And the Panthers have no qualms with putting him into a big game and living with how he plays.
Ryan Lomberg (29 games; 4-7, 11) — B
A true fan favorite, Lomberg is a sparkplug (there’s that word again) player who brings an absurd amount of energy each and every night.
He and Hornqvist make a fun 1-2 punch (pun intended) on the fourth line and Lomberg has shown a little of that scoring touch he did in the AHL with Calgary. Lomberg isn’t the most accurate of shooters, but he is in the midst of his best NHL season — with more to come.
Anton Lundell (37 games; 9-15, 24) — A
If we had not handed out so many A-pluses, Lundell would have one — although this gives the rookie something to aim for. Lundell has been everything the Panthers had hoped for coming out of Helsinki as the rookie is a dark horse candidate for the Calder Trophy.
Problem is, he may not be flashy enough. That’s fine with the Panthers. They know what they’ve got is a younger version of Barkov: A defensive stud who knows how to put the puck in the back of the net.
There is no assignment too big for Lundell these days as he has passed just about every test thrown his way.
Eetu Luostarinen (37 games; 8-7, 15) — B-plus
The only NHL player remaining from the Vincent Trocheck trade, Luostarinen has excelled with the Panthers since getting a real shot at some playing time last year.
In centering the fourth line with Hornqvist and Lomberg, Luostarinen has handled himself just fine and has been able to put up some offensive numbers as well.
Maxim Mamin (22 games, 5-3, 8) — B
After returning from Russia (he left the Panthers upon being demoted to the minors in 2018) Mamin has shown a growth in his overall game. He looks like an NHL player.
Mamin’s game has improved to the point where Florida had him up on the top line at times this season. Like the rest of the team’s depth forwards, Mamin has to keep his game running at all times or he will find himself out of the lineup.
Mason Marchment (16 games; 2-9, 11) — B-minus
When healthy, Marchment has played a strong game — picking up where he left off last season.
After a suspected wrist injury that cost him a month, Marchment tested positive for Covid and missed more time. Not his fault. Marchment, we think, is going to have a big second half.
Brandon Montour (40 games; 4-15, 19) — A
Perhaps the most overlooked Florida defenseman, Montour has shown a strong defensive game to go with his offensive side.
And, the Panthers have a real trust in his game as evidenced by the various number of defensive partners he has been paired with throughout the season. There’s a lot of trust there — and it has paid off. Montour is quietly having a very nice season.
Markus Nutivaara (1 game; 0-1, 1) — Inc.
Injured the day before the season, Nutivaara tried to play on Oct. 29 in Detroit in Andrew Brunette’s head coaching debut and got an assist. He also ended up having what is believed to be sports hernia surgery not long afterward.
These kind of things take a couple of months to come back from so, Florida may have additional defensive depth come the playoffs.
Chase Priskie (2 games; 0-0, 0) — Inc.
The Pride of Pembroke Pines had one of the bigger moments of the season when he became the first South Florida product to play for his hometown team.
Now, that his NHL debut is over, Priskie wants more. He is having a strong season at the AHL level and his game against the Kings when the Panthers needed him most showed he has another level he is close to getting to.
Sam Reinhart (38 games; 12-23, 35) — A
After a bit of a slow start, Reinhart has become a scoring machine. The Panthers made a blockbuster deal at the draft to get Reinhart and he has been a big part of the team’s success regardless of the line he is on.
Reinhart is a great playmaker, an efficient scorer and will be a player to watch in the second half of the season.
Cole Schwindt (1 game; 0-0, 0) — Inc.
Schwindt is working his way back to the Panthers after making his NHL debut in the same week he recorded a hat trick for the Checkers. We may see him back in Sunrise at some point this season.
Joe Thornton (22 games; 4-2, 6) — A
Yeah, we’re giving Jumbo Joe an A here. Why not? He is doing everything he came here to do. Well, he came here to win the Stanley Cup and the Panthers look like legit contenders.
Thornton did not come here to play each and every night. In fact, the time off should be good for him. This guy is here for his leadership (and he can still play, sure) and the Panthers certainly leaned on that when they had to make a coaching change at the start of the season.
Owen Tippett (35 games; 5-8, 13) — C
It has not been the easiest of seasons for Tippett as he went through a long point drought before being sent to Charlotte to try and get back on track. Seems to have worked. He had a goal in Edmonton and you can see that motor running when he is on the ice. Tippett is a prime candidate for a big second half guy.
Frank Vatrano (37 games; 8-6, 14) — C
A high-energy player who seems to score in spurts, Vatrano has done a better job of making sure if he is not scoring, he is doing other things to help the Panthers win. Make no mistake, the Panthers would love to see ‘The Tank’ start putting more pucks in the net.
Carter Verhaeghe (40 games; 14-19, 33) — A
After last year’s breakthrough, Verhaeghe is having an even better season this time around as he has excelled on Florida’s top line. Verhaeghe is four goals and three points away from matching last year’s career-highs.
MacKenzie Weegar (41 games; 3-22, 25) — A-plus
A player who continues to get better each season, Weegar’s game went to another level late last season when he had to replace the injured Ekblad — and he has carried that level into this season.
Weegar ended up getting Norris votes last year and is part of one of the best defensive pairs in the NHL this season. Not too bad. And now that he finally got his first goal, the puck is starting to find its way in.
That bodes well for the second half.