Sceviour evolves game for stability

Forward’s versatility on ice leads to contract

CORAL SPRINGS — This offseason was supposed to be one of uncertainty, potentially one of transition, for Panthers forward Colton Sceviour. The 29-year-old was set to be an unrestricted free agent for the second time in his career, racing towards the guessing game that comes with free agency in the NHL.

Then the cloudiness disappeared when Sceviour signed a three-year, $3.6-million extension that will keep him in Sunrise through the 2020-21 season.

“I’ve only done the free agency thing once, but it is stressful,” Sceviour said over the weekend at the Panthers’ annual Hockeyfest. “There is a lot that goes into it and there’s a lot of uncertainty. Having the deal done before the season ends and going into the summer with it is very nice mentally and it’s obviously exciting for next year.”

Sceviour is one of the steadiest, most unsung players on the Panthers. He mostly plays on the fourth line with Derek MacKenzie and Micheal Haley. He chips in on the penalty kill and had between 23 and 26 points in each of his last four seasons.

But the Panthers aren’t paying him to be one of their top scorers. They’re asking him to be a versatile player that contributes in a bunch of different ways. This season, Sceviour was one of three Florida players to start a game on all four lines. He played all three forward positions.

“I feel comfortable offensively, defensively, in different situations,” Sceviour said.

“It’s one of those things that helps because there’s only so many spots. If all the certain spots are taken, I can maybe fall into a different role and fill that role until something opens up, or an opportunity arises. That’s kind of how I view it.”

Over the years, Sceviour has molded his game to survive in the NHL. He used to be a 30-plus-goal scorer in the AHL, averaging more than a point per game during his last stint there four years ago. But Sceviour realized that was not going to be his ticket to the best league in the world.

He needed to adjust, to adapt to a more defensiveminded style instead of the offensive game he grew up playing.

“I had to do that or I’d still be in the American Hockey League,” Sceviour said. “It was one of those things where everyone wants to score 30, 40 and sit on the power play and do that, and that’s it and it’s awesome.

“But unfortunately, the guys that do that are special and unique. It’s tough to fill that role. When I realized that may not be me, I had to figure out something else. I slowly started developing the other side of my game and fortunately, that worked out for me.”

Sceviour discovered a home on the penalty kill. He’s only played on it for the last three seasons, but he’s gained more trust each season. In 2015-16 with Dallas, he averaged 1:40 per game while shorthanded. In 2016-17 with Florida, it ticked up to 2:00 and this season, he averaged 2:20.

He’s also scored four shorthanded goals in the last two seasons.

“The defensive side, a lot of it is just mental,” Sceviour said. “You just commit to certain situations where if you’re an offensive player, you maybe cheat a certain way or don’t come all the way back. … You kind of hesitate a little bit defensively at times just to make sure you don’t give something up, even if it may cost creating something. After that, it’s just finding a spot that fits. For me, that happened to be the penalty kill.”

Sceviour’s game fits the modern NHL built on speed and skill throughout the lineup, and his game should allow the Panthers to build a deeper bottomsix group of forwards than they rolled out last season.

Florida missed the postseason by one point this season, finishing with 96 points.

“A little bit of obviously disappointment watching the playoffs, watching teams that we felt like maybe we were better than, maybe we could’ve passed that we didn’t,” Sceviour said. “Seeing them get to play after the regular season and being at home was tough, but it definitely adds a little motivation to not do that next year.”

Sceviour