Panthers seeking different direction

Coach Bob Boughner brings new system

CORAL SPRINGS — Inside the Panthers dressing room, more than five months removed from the disappointment of the 2016-17 season, the words “last year” border on vulgarity.

The two syllables are a reminder of the underwhelming 81 points and disappointing sixth-place division finish. They conjure memories of injuries to young stalwarts like Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Nick Bjugstad. And they do little to capture the arrival of new coach Bob Boughner.

So when Florida opened training camp on Friday morning at the IceDen in Coral Springs, the message was clear: Last year is over.

“We got over that,” Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said. “We discussed that. I said ‘I’m going to mention it one time. Here’s what happened. Here’s what we learned from it and this is what we’re going to do. We’re going to focus on that.’ The past is the past. I don’t live in the past. I’m focused on today and tomorrow. Our players should do the same thing.”

Panthers forward Derek MacKenzie added: “Losing is frustrating. Winning always helps. Two years ago, things seemed to just flow and just go in the right direction. Last year, they didn’t.”

The Panthers bring a new look into

2017-18. It no longer houses the familiar faces of Jaromir Jagr, Jussi Jokinen, Reilly Smith or Jonathan Marchessault. Instead, the forward lines are filled with Evgenii Dadonov, Radim Vrbata, Henrik Haapala and potentially first-round pick Owen Tippett.

Boughner on his own is a distinct change. Last year, interim coach Tom Rowe took over 22 games into the season for the fired Gerard Gallant. Under Rowe, the Panthers had only two winning streaks of longer than two games. They had six losing streaks of longer than two games.

“I wasn’t here last year, and it’s not my job to really dwell on what happened,” Boughner said. “I’m more excited about what we’re going to roll out and what this year has to offer.”

At 46 years old, Boughner is a young coach, installed to help connect with a still youthful Panthers core. He said he spent the first day of camp talking about the team’s identity, who he wants the Panthers to be when they start the season Oct. 6 at Tampa Bay.

“We want to be a fast team. In order to be a fast team, you have to have a plan when you go back for pucks. And you have to have a plan when you don’t have the puck. Those are some of the things we talked about today.”

On Friday, the Panthers practiced in two shifts. Group A took the ice at 10:25 a.m. Group B arrived at 12:30 p.m. Both groups underwent the same drills designed to familiarize the Panthers with Boughner’s new systems.

The Panthers learned the systems this morning in a video session, Tallon said, and then Boughner drilled it on the ice.

Tallon labeled the systems as “very simple.” He praised all parts of the scheme — the defensivezone coverage, the forecheck, the breakouts — and said the players were going to like playing “with some structure.”

“It’s a high pace,” Tallon said. “Our guys are going to enjoy playing it because it’s cut and dry what you have to do. Everyone’s going to know what their role is on every situation.”

Tallon himself is reverting back to an old role as general manager after Rowe took over those duties last year. Tallon is back in charge after watching the team he built into a playoff bunch slip near the basement of the Eastern Conference.

“This is the most excited I’ve been in a long time,” Tallon said. “How can you not be excited about doing this?”

Bjugstad is one of the Panthers looking to rebound from a lackluster campaign in which he scored just seven goals in 54 games. The 25-year-old scored 55 goals in the previous three seasons combined.

Over the summer, Bjugstad returned to Minnesota and spent more time on the ice than he had in the past. His offseason routines used to feature a lot of time in the weight room. Not this year, not with the sting of last year still fresh.

“I won’t even talk about it,” Bjugstad said. “It’s over with, but for me, obviously, I didn’t have the greatest season. Disappointed in myself, but this summer was a good time to kind of reset. To take a positive, sometimes you got to have some ups and downs to succeed.” mdefranks@sun-sentinel .com, Twitter @MDeFranks

Boughner