George Richards, FHN Publisher
When Joel Quenneville was asked who he was most excited to see on the ice when Florida Panthers training camp opens Monday morning, he looked down at his roster sheet and went on for a good two minutes.
The bottom line: If you’re new to the Florida Panthers — and there are a lot of ya — Joel Quenneville wants to see what you can do.
“I got a number of guys here who I am curious to see,’’ Quenneville said before leading off with former Ottawa All-Star forward Anthony Duclair who was brought in on a discounted deal.
Quenneville continued down his list of new forwards, players he said probably cannot singularly replicate what was lost in the goal-scoring void left when Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov were not brought back but ones who could do it collectively.
Also at forward, Florida also did not retain fourth-line winger/defenseman Mark Pysyk, Brian Boyle, Dryden Hunt, Erik Haula and Lucas Wallmark while trading Colton Sceviour to Pittsburgh as part of the Mike Matheson deal.
Aleksi Saarela and Henrik Borgstrom remain in Finland as camp opens.
In return, the Panthers added Duclair, Alexander Wennberg, Patric Hornqvist, Carter Verhaeghe, Ryan Lomberg and Vinnie Hinostroza, among others.
Rookies Owen Tippett and Grigori Denisenko have also been added to the mix and will get ample opportunity during camp and beyond to showcase their offensive skills.
Quenneville, as he did earlier in his first media session on 2021, then rattled off names he thought could help Florida find all those missing goals Hoffman and Dadonov left South Florida with.
“There are a number of options in the goal scoring department,” Quenneville said.
“Denisenko can score, Duclair can score, Connolly, Frankie (Vatrano), Verhaeghe, Hinostroza.
“We have a number of guys who can score goals in our lineup right now. I think that’s the one area where, we’re not looking to replace those goals but by committee, we’ll find enough goals. If we’re doing the right thing defensively, we’ll be a better team.’’
On Sunday, Quenneville said he was going to give Duclair the chance to open on Florida’s top line with Jonathan Huberdeau and Sasha Barkov, giving the Panthers a return scoring punch from up high.
Duclair got 23 goals for the Senators last season before not tendering a qualifying offer as a RFA allowing him to hit the market.
“He adds some speed and can score,” Quenneville said. “He’s got some jets on him. I look forward to seeing him. … We’ll see how that works.
‘’I think everyone, over the course of time, is going to get that nice spot and I’m looking forward to seeing if it’s Denisenko, Tippett, Connolly. I could go up the lineup. Everyone could get a chance there.’’
For Barkov, finding the right fit on Florida’s unquestioned top line is paramount before the season opens.
He has been in South Florida the past couple of weeks since returning from Finland but has not played much with Duclair.
That probably changes come Monday morning.
“He is a really good skater, is really good at playing hockey so you always want to have those kind of guys on the team,” said Barkov, who added he was extremely excited when Florida signed Duclair last month.
“You always want to play with great guys and he is one of them. I am really excited to see him. … We will see who will play with who and I have heard they are going to put him on our line. But we don’t know yet.
“But obviously we like to play with a guy like that. It would be awesome to get some good chemistry with him. He’s fast, he is skilled and can do a lot of damage in the offensive zone.”
Aside from the top line, losing Hoffman and Dadonov also creates a new look for the top power play unit.
Joining Barkov, Huberdeau and quarterback Keith Yandle, at least initially, will be Duclair and Alexander Wennberg, a playmaking forward from Columbus who the Panthers hope will shoot a little more than he did with the Blue Jackets.
Rookies Grigori Denisenko and Owen Tippett could start on the second power play and are waiting in the wings for a bump to the top grouping. Their style of play would perhaps remind of Hoffman and Dadonov.
“They could move up the ladder once they tell us they are ready to go,” Quenneville said.
While coaches like to talk about opportunity when training camp opens, the wholesale changes made by new GM Bill Zito since taking over Sept. 1 makes that especially true for this Panthers training camp.
Add the extra roster spots a taxi squad adds and there will be lots of chances for younger players or newcomers to shine — even after camp ends in two weeks.
The Panthers first on-ice practice comes Monday morning at BB&T Center with their season opener 11 days later when the Dallas Stars visit Sunrise on Jan. 14.
“There is a lot up for grabs, that’s for sure,” Quenneville said in closing Sunday morning.
“When I say opportunity, it has never been greater. In all areas, everyone has a chance to really nail something and get a little quality in their game.”