On Wednesday, NHL.com posted an
article where newly-acquired Calgary Flames defenseman MacKenzie Weegar had the following to say:
“Obviously, coming from Florida on a good team and then coming here now, I'd say we're a better team than Florida is. It's going to be really exciting. I think a lot of people have come up to me in the city, a lot of fans and stuff that they're really excited for this season and [Jonathan Huberdeau] and I and [Nazem Kadri] and a couple of new faces here. It's going to be a good season, and I'm excited just as much as they are."
Of course, every Florida Panthers fan’s eyes (yes, I know someone will insert the “all six of them” joke here) immediately zoned in on the “we’re a better team than Florida is” portion.
And they should.
But as Eric Bischoff often says, context is king. While it’s easy to read that and think Weegar has turned heel (and maybe there’s a little bit of that going on), the reality is that he said this at the 2022 Flames Charity Golf Classic. It’s likely more a case of a guy trying to get over with his new team and fanbase.
That being said…it still fires me up and I hope it fires up Florida, too.
I can’t tell if the comment is harmless, an attempt at some gamesmanship heading into the season, or if it’s more of a passive aggressive dig at the Cats. It feels like the latter because it would have been easy to leave Florida out of the comment entirely.
Whether it was intentional or not, I like it because it may have set off a (fun) new rivalry between these teams and I’m always down for rivalries. I know I’d have that quote on the board any time I played Calgary!
Look, there’s no doubt about it, Flames GM Brad Treliving did an incredible job this off-season. After receiving not one, but two, gut punches with Gaudreau and Tkachuk - arguably their two best players - departing, Treliving managed to add Huby, Weegar, prospect Cole Schwindt, AND the summer’s top target: Nazem Kadri.
The Flames are a big, skilled team that look poised to beat up on a lot of opponents in their division and across the league.
But are they a “better team” than the Panthers as Weegar says?
None of us have a magic eight ball, so that remains to be seen when it plays out during the 2022-23 campaign.
via GIFER
But I’ll say this…while I don’t think the Cats will be filling the net like they did last year, and with Calgary seemingly owning the edge on the blueline, that does not mean Calgary is a better team than Florida. The Panthers will find success in a different style than they did last season and should be a top dog in the division.
I’m really interested comparing the goaltending between these two teams because the numbers are very similar.
Florida
Bob (39-7-3)
GAA: 2.67
SV%: .913
SO: 3
Knight (19-9-3)
GAA: 2.79
SV%: .908
SO: 2
Calgary
Markstrom (37-15-9)
GAA: 2.22
SV%: .922
SO: 9
Vladar (13-6-2)
GAA: 2.75
SV%: .906
SO: 2
Markstrom was a beast for the Flames and Bob found his form again last season.
but check out the stats for the backups. With 10 games separating Knight and Vladar, the numbers are very similar - with those extra 10 games giving Knight the edge. Florida’s success between the pipes this upcoming season will come down to three things:
1. Bob is in prime Bob form
2. Knight breaks out (as he’s predicted to do by many around the league)
3. Tighter/better overall team defense
Speaking of goalies…
Per
CBS Sports:
“Berube signed a professional tryout agreement with the Panthers on Thursday, per CapFriendly.
Berube went 3-2-0 with a 4.12 GAA and a .900 save percentage in six appearances with the Blue Jackets last year. It was his first NHL action in four years. The Panthers' goaltending plans are likely set with Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight as the tandem for the big club, so Berube is likely auditioning for a two-way deal or a minor-league contract for the upcoming season.”
__________________
Enjoy the prospect tournament the next couple of days and then let’s get the big Cats on the ice!
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
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