Hey Cats Fans - hope everyone had a nice holiday! It’s been one of those weeks and I’m playing some hockey catch up here...
Always enjoy the NHL’s “31 in 31” where they break down each team prior to the start of the season and give their opinions on their strengths, weakness, etc. I was expecting the standard Panthers report this year where they talk about defensive woes, scoring inconsistencies and goaltending issues.
Sure, they hit on all those notes, but they went one step further:
We all know it and I’m glad E.J. Hradek said it: The culture, or lack thereof, has been a major problem.
Harvey - you were the first guy I thought of when I watched this. Haha.
Hradek talking about Bob and bluntly contrasting CBJ’s culture to FLA’s isn’t always easy to hear, but it’s something that needs to be repeated if the right change is to happen.
The bottom line is that Florida has its on-ice issues, but its off-ice issue (lack of solid winning culture) is a serious catalyst to this organization’s troubles.
Do I believe the new ownership wants to win? Yes. But that hasn’t really been strongly established to me quite yet.
I think their best move thus far, and one where the results still remains to to be seen, is the hiring of Bill Zito. I’ve said it before, but I truly believe Zito is the right guy for this organization right now. I like his resume and what his peers say about him. He seems to be an intelligent guy on many fronts.
This is a team that has fallen victim to the “splash” signings with no real plan. Overpaying, getting talent with no compliments to surround said talent with, guys at the end of their careers, etc. And all of that with no true culture (except for the early years) as the icing on the cake.
Zito’s moves so far indicate (at least to me) that he has a vision; a plan in mind of how he sees this team shaping up long term.
The plan?
I think Zito is trying to change this team’s DNA, and with it, it’s culture. His moves so far indicate a step in the direction of a team that will be a little tougher to play against. Not just because of the additions of gritty veterans like Hornqvist and Gudas, but the not-so-flashy signings of guys like Wennberg, Nutivaara (both of whom he went back to the CBJ well for), Hinostroza and future fan favorite, Ryan Lomberg.
These guys should be hungry to prove they belong here and will be alongside Panther mainstays (Barky and Huby) who need to take the next step and become players that can consistently take over games. Add to that the eager young guns that will flank these guys. I think there’s a lot of potential for a hungry team here.
Will it all come together? Who knows? But it feels like the groundwork to something of substance is beginning to build.
What do you guys think? What happened to the organization’s winning mentality it had the first few years?
By the Numbers
As part of the 31 in 31, NHL.com posted an article with some key stats.
So for you numbers nerds, here’s what they had to say. Kind of interesting:
“ 1. SAT percentage
The Panthers had a shot attempt percentage (SAT%) of 49.8 percent that was 16th in the NHL last season, and their minus-29 SAT (3,079 shot attempts for; 3,108 shot attempts allowed) also was 16th. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad led the Panthers with a plus-164 SAT, which was impressive considering he led Florida in average 5-on-5 time on ice at 18:16 in 67 games. But three of the Panthers' top four forwards in SAT% (minimum 20 games) won't be back this season. Denis Malgin, who was first at 52.8 percent, was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 19. Vincent Trocheck, second at 52.6 percent, was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes on Feb. 24, and Evgenii Dadonov, fourth at 51.8 percent, signed a three-year contract with the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 15. The only remaining forward in the top four is Brett Connolly, who was third at 52.5 percent. With that big a change to their forwards, the Panthers could see a decline in SAT% this season.
2. 5-on-5 save percentage
The Panthers were 29th last season with a 5-on-5 save percentage of .911. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky had a .903 even-strength save percentage, tied with Mike Smith of the Edmonton Oilers for 41st among the 45 goalies to play at least 30 games. The Panthers allowed 151 5-on-5 goals, seventh-most in the NHL last season, and they allowed five goals at 4-on-4, tied with the Philadelphia Flyers, Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche for third-most. One answer for improvement could be more playing time for goalie Chris Driedger. He had a .944 even-strength save percentage in 12 games, second in the NHL behind Anton Khudobin of the Dallas Stars (.945), among goalies to play at least 10 games.
3. Power-play percentage
Florida was 21.3 percent on the power play last season, tied with the Minnesota Wild for 10th in the NHL. Forward Jonathan Huberdeau led the Panthers and was fifth in the NHL with 29 power-play points, and forward Mike Hoffman and defenseman Keith Yandle were tied for second for Florida with 21. Hoffman and Dadonov tied for the Panthers lead with 11 power-play goals, but Dadonov left in free agency and Hoffman is an unrestricted free agent. Without two of their top power-play goal-scorers from last season, the Panthers could rely on forward Patric Hornqvist, who was acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sept. 24. Hornqvist has scored 84 power-play goals since 2009-10, 12th among NHL players.“
Party Like It’s 1999...Ehh, Not So Much
I must have wanted to be depressed earlier this week because the NHL Network aired a replay of the infamous Panthers - Avs game from 1999 over the weekend, and like a sucker desperate for hockey, I set the DVR and watched it on Tuesday. And yes, I watched it fully knowing the outcome.
Maybe you don’t remember the game? I’ll refresh your memory. It’s the one where the Panthers play 40 minutes of great hockey, Pavel Bure was electric with a hat trick (a hat trick!) and somehow they blow a four-goal lead in the third.
Yep. I knew I should have grabbed my beer and called it a night, but I watched the third period like an idiot. Watching that 5-1 lead quickly, yet somehow painfully slow, turn into a 7-5 lose is something else...I have to say though, what a performance by Peter Forsberg. Guy got a hat trick and three assists. Unreal.
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
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