George Richards, FHN Publisher
Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito said during his press conference on the first day of NHL free agency on Wednesday that his team’s “best players are going to play.”
So, Sasha Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau are probably safe.
As for how the rest of the Panthers’ lineup will look Oct. 13 on Long Island against the New York Islanders is, right now, a big mystery.
There is about three months between now and then and much can still change.
Florida, even with Anthony Duclair’s $3 million contract coming off the salary cap due to his Achilles tendon surgey, is still over the ceiling.
A move or two (one of which could be substantial, perhaps Patric Hornqvist) is expected between now and training camp — or at least by the time the season starts and the salary cap is enforced.
The Panthers added a number of players in the first few days of free agency and did not spend a lot of money in doing so.
Why? Because they did not have any.
That does not mean the Panthers did not help themselves. Florida has had a recent history of finding great value off players discarded from other organizations and hope that trend continues.
At the very least, this should be a very interesting training camp.
With the Panthers bringing in a lot of veteran players with minimal cap hits, that means young players who do not have to pass through waivers to get to Charlotte — Grigori Denisenko, Logan Hutsko, Serron Noel, etc. — will really have to turn some heads at training camp to earn a spot.
Before we get into how the Panthers may look like when they take the ice against the Islanders, here is a look at who they brought in and where they may fit in:
F Colin White, Ottawa Senators (1 year, $1.2m): White had an eventful week as a few days after the Sens bought out the final three years of his contract, he signed with the Panthers looking for a fresh start. White, if healthy, gives the Panthers a lot of bang for a few bucks as he can play up-and-down the lineup and at various positions.
F Nick Cousins, Nashville Predators (2 years, $1.1m per): Cousins is a gritty player who has shown he can produce offensively. He will likely fit somewhere on the third or fourth line — and don’t be surprised if he ends up playing alongside Ryan Lomberg and Eetu Luostarinen on the fourth line.
D Marc Staal, Detroit Red Wings (1 year, $750,000): With Ben Chiarot off to Detroit, Staal found himself looking for a place to play — so why not Sunrise with his older brother? Marc Staal gives the Panthers some depth on their bottom pairings. At 35 with over 1,000 NHL games played, he brings a lot of experience and allows the Panthers to give him playing time — but they will not wear him down, allowing Florida’s younger d-men a chance to get in there.
F Eric Staal, free agent (professional tryout): The Panthers could have had Staal in 2003 but decided to take Nathan Horton instead (yes, he has been playing that long). After not playing in the NHL last season — Eric played a handful of AHL games and captained Team Canada in Beijing — the Panthers are going to see what the 37-year-old has left in the tank during training camp. The thought here is Florida finds room for Eric Staal and he plays a similar role Joe Thornton did last season.
F Rudolfs Balcers, San Jose Sharks (1 year, $750,000): This is quite an intriguing signing as there is obviously some talent here although he has bounced around the league a little bit but we could see him finding his way with the Panthers. With the possibility that Sam Reinhart moves up to Florida’s top line — where he started training camp last year — we think Balcers slides in on the third and plays alongside Anton Lundell.
D Anthony Bitetto, AHL (1 year, $750,000): The 32-year-old did not play in the NHL last season, splitting his time with the Rangers and Sharks’ AHL teams. A veteran of almost 200 NHL games with Nashville, Winnipeg and the Rangers, Bitetto should battle Lucas Carlsson, Matt Kiersted, Calle Sjalin and Max Gildon for the No. 7 job on the Florida blueline.
F Gerald Mayhew, Philadelphia Flyers (1 year, $750,000): Another interesting depth signing, Mayhew scored 11 goals in 40 games with Philadelphia and Anaheim. He is a player who plays with a lot of energy and is not afraid to hit anything that moves. With a two-way contract, he just may end up playing in Charlotte, but a strong training camp — and the fact he would have to go through waivers — may earn him a spot.
F Chris Tierney, Ottawa Senators (1 year, $750,000): Florida made another depth signing on Saturday, adding Tierney on a two-year deal. He will give the Panthers’ bottom-6 another experienced piece although he was likely signed with Charlotte in mind.
D Michael Del Zotto (1 year, $750,000): Del Zotto signed on Sunday and also received a two-way deal. Del Zotto, 32, split last season between Ottawa and Belleville and has a ton of NHL experience having played 736 career NHL games with the Senators, Blue Jackets, Ducks, Blues, Canucks, Flyers, Predators and Rangers.
PROJECTED 2022-23 FLORIDA PANTHERS LINEUP
FORWARDS (14)
Carter Verhaeghe — Sasha Barkov — Sam Reinhart
Jonathan Huberdeau — Sam Bennett — Colin White
Rudolfs Balcers — Anton Lundell — Aleksi Heponiemi
Ryan Lomberg — Eetu Luostarinen — Patric Hornqvist/Nick Cousins
Eric Staal
DEFENSEMEN (7)
Brandon Montour — Aaron Ekblad
Gus Forsling — MacKenzie Weegar
Marc Staal — Radko Gudas
Lucas Carlsson
GOALIES (2)
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight