Florida Panthers go all in again to bring another championship to South Florida
The NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and once again the Florida Panthers are one of the most talked about teams in the NHL.
General manager Bill Zito and his staff left no stone unturned in making big moves to bring in players that in some ways shocked the hockey world. Amid it all, the defending Stanley Cup champions are red hot on the ice: They've won 11 of their last 13 games and allowed only 20 total goals.
The Panthers swept the recent five-game homestand and now hit the road for the next two weeks, riding a season-high six-game winning streak and are in first place in the Atlantic Division.
Brad Marchand, the new Panther
This was the deal that really shocked the sport. After nearly two decades with the Boston Bruins, the Panthers pried the captain from the organization. What went on between Marchand and the Bruins behind closed doors is still debatable, but the bottom line is in the final hour before the trade deadline the Panthers gave up a future draft pick to bring in a player that can help them win the Stanley Cup this season.
At 36 years old, he still has plenty left in the tank with 21 goals this season. Right now, Marchand is out with an upper body injury but will return to make his Panthers debut in several weeks. This move also gives head coach Paul Maurice an extreme amount of flexibility with his wingers and Marchand will also help on special teams.
The new Panther met with the media on Monday morning at the Panthers' practice facility and was clearly emotional about leaving Boston. He also stated how excited he was to be in Florida, as the goal every year is to give yourself a chance to win the Stanley Cup, and he clearly has that here.
Seth Jones fits
Perhaps a little bit of a coincidence, but not totally. In Seth Jones' three games as a Panther since the trade from Chicago, the Cats have allowed a total of one goal. Jones has fit in seamlessly and is thriving in the Panthers system. At 6' 4", and a smooth skater with a long reach, Jones is a perfect fit for the team, and opponents don't get much open ice against Jones and his defense partner Niko Mikkola.
Sharks bite
Two players were brought in from San Jose, where the team has had major struggles.
Forward Nico Sturm made his Panther debut on Saturday night against Buffalo, and he was even better than advertised. With good size, playing a north-south game and leading the NHL in face-off percentage, Sturm was more than impressive. He drove to the net to get some scoring chances, was terrific in the face-off circle and looks to be a perfect fit as the fourth line center on a team trying to repeat as champions.
In goal, Vitek Vanecek made his Panther debut and became just the third goalie in franchise history to get a shutout in his first game with the team. There were some quality scoring chances and Vanecek turned them all away with very strong play down low. He is an athletic goaltender and, in the past, has had good seasons when he was on good teams. He now has a great team skating in front of him and the early indications are that he will be more than adequate in the final 5 weeks of the season and into the playoffs.
Are the Cats the favorite?
Keep in mind what the Panthers have done lately. They had a great defensive game and were scoring, doing it all without Matthew Tkachuk. The Panthers hope he is back for the playoffs and Marchand will join in a few weeks if healthy. Adding those two players, with their great emotional leadership and Stanley Cup champion pedigree, to the team as it is currently playing is downright scary. It takes a lot to win this Stanley Cup including a little bit of luck in the playoffs. But this team is primed to challenge for a third straight Eastern conference championship and second straight cup.
Multi-year runs like this do not happen often and South Florida sports fans should appreciate and enjoy it. Now, there are other teams that made moves to get players and have quality rosters. But the thought here is, all those teams in the back of their minds are thinking, "can we beat the Panthers four times out of seven games?" It's a tall task to say the least and over the past two years only 1 out of 8 teams has been able to beat the Panthers in a seven-game series. It should be a fun spring into summer in South Florida.
