Coach: Joel Quenneville (since 2019). 9/10
2018-19 record: 36-32-14, 86 points (5th in Atlantic Division, 10th in Eastern Conference).
Playoffs: Did not qualify.
Departures: Roberto Luongo (G), Troy Brouwer (F), Jamie McGinn (LW), Derek MacKenzie (C), Reily Sheehan (C).
Arrivals: Sergei Bobrovsky (G), Anton Stralman (D), Brett Connolly (RW), Noel Acciari (RW).
Top forwards: Aleksander Barkov (80-95 points), Jonathan Huberdeau (80-95 points), Vincent Trocheck (65-75 points), Evgenii Dadonov (60-75 points), Mike Hoffman (30 goals, 50-60 points), Frank Vatrano (30-40 points), Denis Malgin (20-30 points), Henrik Borgstrom (20-30 points), (25-30 points), Colton Sceviour (25-30 points).
Must-improve forward: The real answer is "no one". The Panthers have one of the best offenses in the league. But Borgstrom is a 22-year-old former first-round pick who was a better-than-a-point-per-game player in the NCAA and, as such, could do better than what he's shown (albeit in limited ice time) so far.
Top defensemen: Aaron Ekblad (30-40 points), Keith Yandle (45-60 points but poor +/- showing and possession stats), Michael Matheson (20-30 points), Alex Petrovic (20-25 points), Stralman (10-20 points).
Goalies: Sergei Bobrovsky (96/100), Samuel Montembeault (75/100).
Top rookies: Spencer Knight (18, G, 13th overall pick in 2019), Vladislav Kolyachonok (18, D), Grigori Deniskenko (19, W, 15th overall pick in 2018), Owen Tippett (20 years old, RW, 10th overall pick in 2017), Ian McCoshen (24, D), Jayce Hawryluk (23, RW).
Analysis:
The Panthers wasted Roberto Luongo's sunset years with a string of bad decisions that stemmed from their promoting Tom Rowe to GM and dismantling the work Dale Tallon had made building a team that won its division. Tallon's ready to show his new and improved team with a head coach that's at least as good in Joel Quenneville as he had when Gerard Gallant was primed for glory years.
It helps to have the best two-way player in the game in Barkov, and more than a few other stars up-front (Huberdeau, Dadonov, and Trochek can all aspire to Olympic rosters one day, Hoffman is an All-Star-caliber forward), a defense that is coming into its own highlighted by the extremely strong and savvy defensive play of Matheson... and the best goalie in the world to back it all up. It's a team, built a lot like the 2003-04 Tampa Bay Lightning that won the Stanley Cup with guys like Martin St-Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Dan Boyle and Nikolai Khabibulin.
A couple of years ago, I thought the rebuilding process would be harsher, that they'd be wasting prime Barkov, Huberdeau and Trochek years. I was being too negative and may have underestimated Tallon's resources.
Prediction: 3rd in the Atlantic Division, 10th overall.
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