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The Curious Case of the Cats

January 19, 2019, 4:47 PM ET [4 Comments]
Guest Writer
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By Matt Ross

Back in November of 2016, the Florida Panthers made a move that left many people scratching their heads, when they fired (then) head coach Gerard Gallant. They were 11-10-1 and only 2 points out of the playoff picture when Gallant got the axe. What made things stranger was that he had led the Panthers to a franchise-record of 103 points the season before (helping make the playoffs) and cementing him with the best head coach record in Panthers’ history at 96-65-25.

Many believed at the time that Gallant and the front office were at odds in terms of the direction the team should move in. Florida had shifted gears to a more numbers-heavy mindset and a causality of that was moving Defenseman Erik Gudbranson (whom Gallant really liked, Dale Tallon saw as a future Captain and was a major part of the Panthers nucleus) to the Vancouver Canucks, as well as making other moves to bring in guys that statistically looked good. This decision coincided with the analytics vs. ‘gut feeling’ debate that has raged across pro sports – most notably in baseball. There’s obviously a place for both and there needs to be a balance between the two.

It’s also important to note that in the summer of 2016, the Panthers had unveiled new sweaters and a complete marketing overhaul. The explanation by the front office was that the inspiration for the new look came from the Army’s 101st Airborne Division (hence the new logo looking like military insignia). This is interesting/ironic to note because after Gallant was fired, Brian Lawton mentioned on NHL On the Fly that it seemed like Florida may not be looking for leaders so much as they would be looking for soldiers. Maybe Panthers brass had made a decision that they wanted guys in there that would keep their heads down and follow orders and not necessarily guys who might push back by offering up their own ideas, thoughts and opinions like Gallant? Who really knows?

Anyways…

So what ends up happening to Gallant?

He’s scooped up by the expansion Golden Knights who buy into his system and find tremendous success – leading to an unbelievable first season and appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. He also ends up taking home the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year.

What about the Panthers?

The firing kicked off what I saw as a tailspin. It was obvious that Gallant had the guys in the Florida locker room believing they could compete at a high level and with the top teams in this league. Removing him must have felt like a punch in the gut to the players since many experts said Gallant was a very well liked and respected coach who would go to bat for things he wanted to see in regards to the team. Granted, Florida saw their fair share of injuries to key players in that early 2016-2017 season that may have contributed to losses. They also lost veterans like Brian Campbell and Willie Mitchell. All of this tied probably in to a season record of 35-36-11 where they missed the playoffs.

The 2017-2018 season was a bit of a roller coaster for the Cats. A poor start to the first half of the season certainly hurt them. But a surge in the second half helped lead them to 96 points, but one short of a playoff spot.

This momentum, combined with trading for Mike Hoffman, helped build some optimism and excitement for the 2018-2019 season. Unfortunately, it’s been somewhat of a rough season for Florida (again). They currently sit at 18-20-8 (44 total points) – 1 point above the lowly Senators and Red Wings and 10 points behind the Sabres above them.

With an aging and oft-injured Roberto Luongo and streaky James Reimer (8-8-5), the Panthers have the odds against them. One way to for them to find success is to focus on playing a better quality team defensive game; which they are capable of doing, as evident last night with their big 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. This helped snap the Panthers 7-game losing streak and they should use it and the return of (the much needed) Vincent Trochek as something to build off of going forward.

They’ll have a serious test tonight against the Nashville Predators. Hopefully they take advantage of the Preds being without center Ryan Johansen, who is serving a two game suspension for axe-chopping Jets’ Mark Scheifele. A win tonight against a strong team in Nashville makes a statement and gets the Cats on a 2-game streak, which will do wonders for their confidence.

Yes, it’s been a weird ride for the Panthers these past few years, but they do have the ingredients to get back into shape. It’s just a matter of figuring it all out.

All for now.
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