A LITTLE OFF THE TOP
JOEL QUENNEVILLE.
Sergei Bobrovsky. Florida was ready to ascend. But even those high-profile additions only had the Panthers clawing their way to the playoff bubble when the NHL season paused. On paper, they have one of the league’s most talented rosters, but the results haven’t come. They do have some high-ceiling prospects, so the rich will get richer once they use their first-round pick in a deep 2020 draft class. IMMEDIATE NEEDS: The defense, in flashing neon. Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle need help. Mike Matheson was supposed to be part of that anchor group but couldn’t settle in as a trustworthy option for Quenneville – and ended up playing some forward. GM Dale Tallon must pursue another top-four option this summer.
LONG-TERM NEEDS: The Panthers don’t have a defenseman among their top six prospects in Future Watch. They need to seed their farm with higher-ceiling blueliners, especially as Yandle, one of their most crucial contributors, turns 34 next season. CAP SITUATION: If Tallon wants to use the UFA or trade route to land a blueliner, he may have to sacrifice a forward. Rumors swirled that ownership wants $10 million trimmed from the payroll – just months after signing Bobrovsky to his big deal. Wingers Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman are both UFAs and will be expensive to retain, likely flirting with $15 million combined.
IN THE SYSTEM 2020-21: Florida can afford to part with some UFA forwards, as it could have three good young ones crack the lineup. Left winger Grigori Denisenko and right winger Owen Tippett have monstrous, star-level upside, and Henrik Borgstrom will get another long look as a middlesix center after being demoted to the AHL this season. DID YOU KNOW: With the No. 13 pick last June, Florida made Spencer Knight the highest-drafted goalie since Jack Campbell went 11th overall in 2010. Knight delivered on the hype in his freshman year at Boston College.