The Cardiac Cats made an appearance Saturday night when the Panthers went down two goals to the San Jose Sharks and had to claw their way back into the game - ultimately ending in thrilling 5-4 OT win for Florida.
With the way Florida has been playing at home as of late, I thought the Cats were going to run over the Sharks. It just goes to show that you can get put on your heels any night by any team. Add to that the fact that the Cats have a big target on their backs, so opponents are raising their level of play to beat the top dogs.
While hockey is a team sport and the Cats are firing on all cylinders in that regard, how about Huby? The guy is having the best year of his career and it’s like watching a superstar every game.
Incredible work by #11. It’s like he has the puck on a string this season!
Florida turns it’s sights on Columbus tonight when they face a Blue Jackets team they crushed 9-2 a mere two weeks ago. In fact, the last 10 meetings between the two clubs has seen the Panthers go 8-0-2 mark, with a commanding seven straight wins over CBJ.
I suspect the Jackets will be fired up to not let what happened last game happen again. Coming off wins against the Rangers and Canadiens will have CBJ’s confidence built up as they go for three a row tonight - maybe even with a little bit of an advantage with the Cats on the road.
But the Florida machine looks to keep rolling, and with it, some possible changes…
A couple weeks back, Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman discussed the Panthers on their
podcast (30 min mark), ironically after Florida’s 9-2 route of CBJ.
Friedman talks about the Cats being all-in, even mentioning this is a “go for it year” and saying “they have no choice.” Marek chimes in says the way Bob, Weegar, Huby, etc., have been playing, this HAS to be the year.
I agree with all of this and have said it a lot. They’re in that rare territory wher production from a large percentage of their roster has been at a high all season and they’ll need to add a bit more before the playoffs. Yes, they’re going to have to give to get in terms of a trade(s), and they need to go for broke - not pussyfoot around and try and get an under-the-radar guy.
It’s time to go big, fellas.
On Saturday’s broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada, Marek mentioned that Tippett appears to be a consistent name coming up in trade rumors, and one that Florida has made known they’re willing to move.
This doesn’t come as a total surprise since a lot of us have suspected Tippett would a piece that was traded out.
As George Richards points out in his latest
blog:
“
Florida GM Bill Zito is going to have to give something up something of value — and not just Frank Vatrano’s expiring contract — to make a decent-sized deal go down.
Grigori Denisenko, Florida’s first-round pick in 2018 who is currently playing in Charlotte, would be expected to be included into any mid-to-major sized deal Florida is involved in.
Teams in a rebuild mode are looking for young players with some NHL experience — and plenty of upside — and Tippett certainly checks those boxes.
In his previous report on the Panthers, Marek offered that the Coyotes would want Florida’s Anton Lundell or Spencer Knight — perhaps both — in any deal for Chychrun.
That’s simply not happening.”
In many ways, this is a good place for Florida to be in regarding Tippett. While he hasn’t really lived up to Panthers fans’ expectations, Florida has the luxury of forward depth right now that would make parting with Tippett easy.
His age, contract and potential make it tough to think about moving him. But those are the exact ingredients that make him attractive for other teams.
Regarding potential, there is a great quote from Mike Mentzer that goes like this:
“
Potential is only the expression of a possibility. Something that can be assessed accurately only in retrospect.”
I think we have seen Tippett’s potential as a Florida Panther and it’s enough to be OK with him being part of trade. He might even benefit from a change of scenery. The Panthers need guys that can contribute each night if they’re going to make a legitimate run in the playoffs. Tippett is not that guy (right now) and may need to be on a team that can afford a slower developing player at the NHL level.
This is a special season for the Cats. They need to seize the opportunity and there’s always some roster “casualties” when putting on the finishing touches.
I have a feeling Zito is going to pull off something big…
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Let’s get it done again…Go Panthers!
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