George Richards, FHN Publisher
Any consolation for the Florida Panthers’ disappearing act on Friday afternoon could come Monday night as they have a chance to draft a potential superstar in Alexis Lafreniere.
The Panthers are one of eight teams — all the playoff qualifier losers — who have a 12.5% chance to win the coveted top pick in the October draft and the rights to Lafreniere.
For the Panthers, being able to snare such a talented player should supersede whatever happened against the Islanders last week.
If Florida’s logo happens to be on the lucky ping pong ball Monday evening, losing to the Islanders should be viewed as a blessing.
After all, the Panthers (as the second-lowest seed behind Montreal) would have played the Tampa Bay Lightning in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Don’t think they would have fared very well there.
If another team wins the draft lottery, well, go back to being upset about everything that went down in Toronto.
No team is guaranteed Lafreniere heading into the special draft lottery show which will be broadcast in the US on NBCSN starting at 6 p.m.
The nice thing, however, is all eight teams have the same chance at the top pick.
Nothing is weighted based on final standings nor how they performed last week in Toronto or Edmonton.
Each of the eight teams have one ball in the hopper. The one that comes to the top wins.
So, let’s say — for fun — the Panthers win this thing.
It would be the fourth time in franchise history that Florida would have won the draft lottery since it started in 1995 and, unlike when they traded the pick to Pittsburgh in 2002 AND 2003, they’re going to use it.
You do not pass up on a talent such as Lafreniere when you get the chance.
Scouts have been drooling over the prospect of seeing Lafreniere in their team’s colors for years now.
Now, if the Panthers lose the lottery, they’ll drop back into the low teens where they can look at prospects who fit their organizational need.
Hint: The Panthers are probably going to draft a defenseman.
Unless, of course, they win this special lottery on Monday where they will be thrilled to add a left-handed winger.
Every organization needs a dynamic player like Lafreniere.
If the Panthers get the chance at Lafreniere, they are not going to look back.
Lafreniere would be on the team next season and would fight for a spot within the top six, perhaps playing on the top line with Sasha Barkov.
Not too shabby.
So, how did we get here?
Well, when the NHL held its traditional draft lottery for teams who did not make the expanded postseason, it left one spot open which would represent all of the unknown eight teams who would be knocked out in the qualifier round.
The ‘placeholder’ team was officially called ‘Team E’ and was slated to pick 12th overall with a 2.5 percent chance of moving all the way to the top.
And it did.
So, for one of the disappointed eight teams, Monday will be cause of celebration not for this postseason but for the very near future.
The Panthers could definitely use some good news right now.
Alexis Lafreniere could be a game-changer for the NHL’s southernmost team.