2024 Stanley Cup Champions

Why No Love for the Florida Panthers at the NHL Draft?

Published

5 months ago

June 29, 2024

Florida Panthers mascot Stanley C. Panther has some fun on the ice during the Stanley Cup celebration early Tuesday morning in Sunrise. // Photo @GeorgeRichards

With no picks in the first round, Florida Panthers fans watching Friday’s coverage of the NHL Draft in Las Vegas planned to take note of which teams failed to congratulate their team for winning the Stanley Cup.

Turns out, it was a long list.

The Panthers, aside from a passing mention on ESPN, were not mentioned by team executives throughout the draft.

“No one likes us,” general manager Bill Zito joked at the end of the draft Saturday afternoon. “Is there any Canadian media here? I’m just kidding.’’

The truth, as Zito pointed out, was less sinister than that.

The NHL has been trying to cut down the length of the draft for years and, next year, it will mostly be held virtually with teams making their selections from their home cities.

Aaron Ekblad Subscribes to FHN.

Do You?

Subscribe to Florida Hockey Now Today!

This year, most teams had special guests introduce their first-round selections — San Jose had Joe Thornton, Montreal had Celine Dion, Philadelphia went with Michael Buffer, and so on — which led to quicker introductions from team personnel.

Sure, Rick’s Wing Hut got the occasional shoutout for hosting a team’s watch party back home, but the chit-chat was limited.

The NHL also eliminated the role call, which was a draft mainstay at the start of each day.

So, having every team — or, at least, the majority — dutifully come up and say “we’d like to congratulate the Florida Panthers” was unnecessary and, from what it sounds like, frowned upon.

Zito said that he spent much of his time in Vegas being congratulated by friends and peers.

That was just before he ran off to the airport to catch a flight back in order to be at Florida’s victory parade on Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.

“They’re just streamlining it,’’ Zito said. “I could not have gotten any more congratulations today. I actually had to go and do a trade, and someone stopped me — a good friend — and I couldn’t walk by him. It’s all good. It’s all nice.’’