October 11, 2011, state of the Florida Panthers column for HockeyPrimeTime.com

Will this finally be Florida's year?

s

Written by Denis Gorman

Tuesday, October 11, 2011 08:23

As of this writing, it has been 4,194 days since the Panthers competed in a playoff game. Will this be the year the streak is broken? It was the night of April 20, 2000, and the Florida Panthers entered the fourth game of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series against the New Jersey Devils trailing three games to none. The Panthers had to be asking themselves a simple question: Why? Florida, after all, was the fifth seed following a regular season that saw them earn 98 points. The Panthers ranked sixth in the NHL with 244 goals scored and defensively their 209 goals against were ninth best. The Panthers were a pretty solid team. Yet, they found themselves on the cusp of elimination despite barely being outscored (8-6) through the first three games of the series. A few hours later, in front of 19,250 at what is now known as the BankAtlantic Center, the Panthers lost 4-1 despite a Pavel Bure goal in Game 4 against the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Devils. If only the franchise and its fans knew cruel fates that were in store for South Beach’s NHL franchise. It's been 4,194 days since the Panthers competed in a playoff game. Florida is the only NHL team not to qualify for the playoffs in the third millennium. In that time, the Panthers have employed seven head coaches and seven general managers. Their run of futility is rivaled only by attempting to retain one’s dignity while watching Jersey Shore. Slowly, there are signs that Sunrise is becoming a favored destination for NHL players for reasons other than the warm winter weather. “I’m in the place that I’ve wanted to be for a while now,” left wing Kris Versteeg told HockeyPrimeTime.com on Saturday. Versteeg and his teammates would open their season with a 2-0 win over the islander, a trendy playoff pick by some. Versteeg is one of 10 players General Manager Dale Tallon brought in this summer. This site noted in its Florida Panthers training camp preview that Tallon spent $121.5 million this off-season to overhaul a team that finished 15th in the East and 28th overall with a 30-40-12 mark. “I knew Dale was coming here right when I kind of knew my time was up in Chicago. I (decided) this was the place I wanted to be,” Versteeg said. Before coming to Florida, the 25-year old has played for the Blackhawks, Maple Leafs and Flyers in his five-year career. As a member of the 2009-10 Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks, Versteeg recorded 20 goals and 44 points in 79 games. The Blackhawks never had a chance to adequately defend Chicago’s first Cup in 49 years because of the salary cap. Players were jettisoned as the Blackhawks endeavored to create financial breathing room. Versteeg was dealt to Toronto in a five-player deal. Placed in the role of being a key component instead of a useful foot soldier, Versteeg totaled 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 53 games before being traded on February 14 to Philadelphia. With the then-league-leading Flyers, Versteeg had 11 points in 27 regular-season games, and added six points in 11 playoff games. Along with Kris Versteeg, Panthers GM Dale Tallon was able to bring ex-Blackhawks left wing Tomas Kopecky, right wing Jack Skille and defenseman Brian Campbell to South Florida. “Toronto, I knew what my role was; it was to score," Versteeg said. "After those first 12 games where I only had a goal and an assist, in the last 30 games as a Leaf, I was a point-a-game (player). I did score. I don’t know what else I really had to do there, especially playing on the third line. Go to Philly and you’re with (center Mike) Richards. Mike Richards is playing a third-line role and he’s a top-line center on any team in the league. “Your minutes drop as well going from Toronto to Philly. Your minutes drop about five minutes (a game) and that’s a tough thing to prepare for. But it’s ultimately something I had to do and try to make the best of the situation.” Playing time should not be a problem in Florida. Tallon acquired Versteeg from the Flyers on July 1 for a third-round pick in this June’s draft and a second- round pick in either 2012 or 2013. Along with Versteeg, Tallon was able to bring ex-Blackhawks left wing Tomas Kopecky, right wing Jack Skille and defenseman Brian Campbell to South Florida. Versteeg expects the change to be painless because it’s easy to acquiesce to new surroundings when there are people you can lean on. “The transition is a lot easier. I knew a couple other guys – (defensemen) Keaton Ellerby, as well, and (Jason) Garrison – so it makes the transition really easy,” Versteeg said. “Going to Philly, going to Toronto, I didn’t know one guy on the team. Obviously, they’re all great guys on both teams. But you don’t really know them. It’s always tough coming to a new climate where you’re not sure what’s going on. You’re not sure about everybody. Ultimately, I made a lot of good friends on both teams but now I’ve come to a team where I already had great friends. I already know how they play. I guess we can mesh on and off the ice.” It is a fool’s errand to judge how a team will fare after one game. There are too many variables to consider, not the least of which are the 81 games remaining on Florida’s schedule. Plus, the Eastern Conference appears to be incredibly deep. Convincing arguments can be made that at least six teams – Washington, Pittsburgh, Boston, Buffalo, Tampa Bay, New York Rangers – could represent the East in the Stanley Cup Final, and that there are 11 franchises that could play playoff games this spring. Even with the off-season spending spree, Florida appears to be a team that will watch the playoffs rather than participate. That said, the Panthers played a solid game Saturday night. They would not let the Islanders play with the puck. They took away the middle of the ice in their end and trapped the neutral zone. “Winning’s huge,” center Stephen Weiss said. “It’s better to be 1-0 than 0-1. Especially on the road and with a new bunch of guys. This will give us a lot of confidence going forward.” Weiss was speaking about the 2011-12 season but he could have just as easily could have been talking about the organization’s future. While Tallon has brought in NHLers, he has also been able to replenish the Panthers' farm system. He used three first-round picks in the 2010 Draft on defenseman Erik Gudbranson, center Nick Bjugstad and left wing Quinton Howden. Last June, Tallon grabbed center Jonathan Huberdeau from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Saint John Sea Dogs with the third pick in the draft. Huberdeau finished last season with 105 points and was named MVP of the Memorial Cup. Center Rocco Grimaldi, U.S. National Team product, was Florida’s second-round pick. That quintet, along with 21-year old goaltender Jacob Markstrom should become the core of a team that soon enough will end Florida’s playoff drought. You can follow us on Twitter @HockeyPrimeTime and @DenisGorman Photo by Getty Images

Last Updated on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 16:49

http://www.hockeyprimetime.com/news/columns/will-this-finally-be-floridas-year