George Richards, FHN Publisher
When Dale Tallon was hired as general manager of the Florida Panthers in 2010, there was not much to work with.
His replacement will find some essentials in the cupboard.
There are pieces to work with — both on the NHL level and within the system — for whomever is hired to be the team’s next general manager.
The new GM likely has to make some difficult decisions to make from free agents coming and (more likely) going as well as riding themselves of some unsightly contracts.
But if the Panthers were close to being a team that could compete a year ago, they could still be just that.
The talented young players which helped lure coach Joel Quenneville south remain (for the most part) although he found out as the likes of Pete DeBoer, Kevin Dineen and Bob Boughner that coaching the Panthers presents unique challenges.
Getting this team over the hump — and keeping them on the other side — is not an easy job.
Here’s a look at what the newest GM for the Florida Panthers will have to deal (and work) with upon arrival:
THE NHL ROSTER
The core of the Florida Panthers has been chipped away at some over the years with Vincent Trocheck and Nick Bjugstad traded over the past two seasons.
The leaves captain Sasha Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad to build around. So far, good start.
Florida has a number of decisions to make when it comes to free agency, with veterans Evgenii Dadonov, Mike Hoffman, Brian Boyle, Erik Haula and Mark Pysyk set to walk in October.
If the Panthers had any indication they wanted to bring some of these players back, they probably would have already been negotiating with their agents, no?
Well, in these strange times, waiting may have been the prudent choice here.
There is now a flat salary cap for the foreseeable future and players may find big-time contracts hard to come by.
That could help the Panthers if, for instance, they wanted to keep a couple of their guys and not have to break the bank to do so.
Dadonov and Hoffman seem to like living in Florida and playing for the Panthers.
Would either settle for a shorter term deal? A year ago, the answer would likely be no. Now, they may not have a choice.
But their high-end production could make them cost prohibitive if the Panthers are looking to cut salary — which could indeed be the case.
Florida also has to offer new deals to a handful of their restricted free agents, the biggest of which is defenseman MacKenzie Weegar.
The Panthers are expecting a second trip to arbitration with Weegar unless a long-term deal is reached — and there are no indications one is being worked on.
Although Weegar missed some time this past season with injuries, he has evolved into a top-end defenseman for the Panthers.
Florida found Weegar in the seventh round in the draft so his production (he made $1.6 million last year after settling with the team before his case went to an arbiter) has been a relative bargain so far.
Other players who are restricted free agents this summer/fall include Lucas Wallmark, Josh Brown, Dominic Toninato, Dryden Hunt, Aleksi Saarela and Sam Montembeault.
All, one would expect, will be coming back.
The biggest headache within the Panthers organization the past couple of years has been the team’s defensive play — and the top dollar the team is paying for it.
Getting a new goaltender last July (and an elite one at that) was hoped to cure their ills.
It did not.
Even by taking out the $2.7 million that Pysyk made last season as a mostly-fourth line winger, the Panthers spent over $27 million on seven defensemen — a third of their salary cap hit.
Of that $27 million, Ekblad, Keith Yandle, Mike Matheson and Anton Stralman accounted for all but $3 million of it.
Here is where a new GM is going to have to get creative.
Ekblad is a cornerstone defenseman who is not going anywhere.
Matheson has six years remaining on his contract at $4.8 million per and was scratched for the team’s final two games of the postseason.
If the Panthers are willing to give up on his potential, moving a contract of that length and heft will not be easy.
A change of scenery may just do Matheson wonders, but can the Panthers find another team to take it on? They may have to sweeten the pot to do so.
Or, they’ll have to take on someone else’s problem which is not ideal.
In that case, they may just want to stick with who they’ve got.
Matheson, remember, was one of the top young defensemen in the league a few years ago. He has taken a few steps back. The Panthers may just may want to give him another year.
Yandle is Florida’s second-highest paid skater behind Ekblad with a contract that runs three more seasons.
He has a full no-trade clause as part of his deal so any trade the Panthers may find would have to be approved by the player.
Yandle has given no indication he would be willing to waive it. He and his family are extremely happy in South Florida.
Stralman has two years left on his deal with the Panthers.
On the goalie front, the Panthers are set for the near future. Sergei Bobrovsky isn’t going anywhere with six years left on the seven-year contract he signed.
It appears Chris Driedger will open the season as his backup with one year left on his deal. Montembeault and Philippe Desrosiers are RFA with Ryan Bednard under contract.
As far as dead money goes, the Panthers will carry almost $4 million next season.
The Panthers will be in the final year of retained salary for trading Jason Demers to Arizona ($562K), the second to last year of buying out Scott Darling from the James Reimer cap clearance trade last summer ($2.3m) as well as a $1.1m cap deduction on Roberto Luongo’s early retirement.
So, even if the Panthers want to spend to the salary cap limit next season, due to the dead money, their cap ceiling is about $77 million.
Right now, the Panthers have about $60 million committed to next season — not counting their unrestricted and restricted free agents.
Expect at least one contract being moved to lower that number and give the team a little more flexibility at roster building.
ON THE DOORSTEP
With either Dadonov or Hoffman leaving — or, both — the Panthers may try to replace them internally.
The Panthers came to terms earlier this year with 2018 first-round draft pick Grigori Denisenko and all signs point toward him being, at the very least, a part of the mix this coming season.
Owen Tippett had an outstanding season at AHL Springfield before getting hurt in January. Although Tippett was part of the team in the postseason, he did not see any game action.
That will change in a few months. Tippett will get a chance to show he belongs (the Panthers may be counting on this) in the fall.
If Haula does not return, the door remains open for Henrik Borgstrom to slide in and retake his place on the Panthers’ depth chart at center.
Borgstrom started this past season as Florida’s No. 3 center behind Barkov and Trocheck but did not hold onto it and was sent to the minors when the Panthers signed Boyle in late October.
In Springfield, Borgstrom did not light it up and there was a report he would stay in Finland and play for his hometown KHL team this coming season. So far, he has not signed a deal with Jokerit and it appears there will be a spot for him to reclaim in Florida.
Saarela, a natural center, may just find a lot more playing time in the coming season.
Quenneville seems to be a big fan and although Saarela played in just one game against the Islanders, impressed in his last stint with the team before the pandemic pause.
Eetu Luostarinen is also in the mix on the Florida forward chart after joining the team for the postseason after going to Springfield following his trade from Carolina.
Aleksi Heponiemi struggled in his first pro North American season with Springfield and has been loaned, at least to start this season, to MODO in Sweden.
Defensively, the Panthers have liked what they have seen in the development of Brady Keeper this past season as he joined the team for the postseason and played in Game 2 against the Islanders.
Chase Priskie, the Pembroke Pines native who came to the team in the Trocheck deal with Carolina, would also have a chance if Florida’s d-line were to change in the offseason.
THE PROSPECTS
The top prospect in the Florida system, oddly enough, is a goalie.
Spencer Knight was the Panthers’ top pick in the draft last summer a few days before Bobrovsky signed on with a long-term deal.
Where does Knight fit in right now?
As it stands, Knight will (hopefully) play his sophomore season at Boston College. If he were to leave BC after two seasons, he could be penciled in as the backup to Bobrovsky in 2021-22. Then, we will see how things work out.
There’s a long time between now and then.
The thing is, although goalies traditionally take a lot longer than skaters to develop, Knight appears on the fast track to the NHL and an eventual job with the Panthers.
Aside from Knight, the Panthers are also very high on a number of other prospects not listed above — and all are still in the early development stages of their careers.
One player who could find himself in the running to play this season is Serron Noel, a forward who did not look out of place in training camp.
At 6-6 with good skills, Noel needs a big offseason to challenge for a job. He did not have a great season in junior — especially after being traded from Oshawa to Kitchener — but Florida’s second-round pick in 2018 after Denisenko will get a long look.
Defenseman Max Gildon wrapped up a successful career at the University of New Hampshire, signed his ELC with the Panthers and will have a chance in camp although will likely start in the AHL.
John Ludvig, a third-round pick last year, also signed his ELC with the Panthers after a strong 62 points in 60 games for Portland of the WHL.