GDT: 2024 Training/Rookie Camp/Preseason Discussion

[Great8Cam]

Samo has to stay up to learn anything because he will not learn anything from Kinnear

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

Samo has to stay up to learn anything because he will not learn anything from Kinnear

You might be on to something here.

 

[Panthers Propaganda]

Watched that Amazon series, man Paul really unloaded on them in that Boston game.

Kinda sad it just focuses on MT, but I hear we have a "team" docuseries coming out at some point. I just don't know if Ill get to watch it in Canada.

 

[austropanther]

Gadjo scored 46 goals his last year in the WHL, he is severely underrated around here, he could be much more than just a punching bag.

Also IMO Zito will prioritize Swaggy Benny Ekblad and in that order.

Completely agree. You can clearly see that the guy is capable of making plays and technically knows which play to make in what situation, the hands just don't always follow his thought. And he looked good last year as well as 4th line winger. I'd be 100% fine if he gets the nod as 4th line regular most of the time

 

[Chaos2k7]

Completely agree. You can clearly see that the guy is capable of making plays and technically knows which play to make in what situation, the hands just don't always follow his thought. And he looked good last year as well as 4th line winger. I'd be 100% fine if he gets the nod as 4th line regular most of the time

I think Greer is the tweener on the 4th/5th forward lines.

Gadjo Nosek Jesper when healthy.

 

[Jean Luc Discard]

I think Greer is the tweener on the 4th/5th forward lines.

Gadjo Nosek Jesper when healthy.

Greer-Nosek-Gadjo

 

[Mogo]

Watched that Amazon series, man Paul really unloaded on them in that Boston game.

Kinda sad it just focuses on MT, but I hear we have a "team" docuseries coming out at some point. I just don't know if Ill get to watch it in Canada.

Didnt that already start on our youtube channel?

 

[BabyBennettov]

Didnt that already start on our youtube channel?

No, I thought so too myself… I thought it would be another new inside document…

But on our YT channel, it is only what looks like the pre-game show of our new broadcast channel… First episode was a compilation of the « day with the Cup » videos that we saw over the summer with Chucky, Benny, Eky, Reinho and forgot the last one.

Nothing amazing, nothing new.

 

[BabyBennettov]

Gadjovich clearly the weak link at forward.

Gadjo just doesn't have any offense in him and his hands are stone, to me he is just an enforcer for specific match-ups. I don't think he'll be seeing much ice barring injuries. Greer-Nosek-Boqvist is the fourth line.

So Gadjo basically scored two goals in his last game after people called him only a goon that couldn’t handle a regular spot in the NHL ?

…

Yeaaaah…

How much we know huh ?!?!

Don’t change Panthers fans ! You’re in Stanley-Cup-shape already !! lol



Can’t wait for the Broqvist to sign their extensions after their horrible start of the season proving they don’t belong at this level…

 

[Great8Cam]

So Gadjo basically scored two goals in his last game after people called him only a goon that couldn’t handle a regular spot in the NHL ?

…

Yeaaaah…

How much we know huh ?!?!

Don’t change Panthers fans ! You’re in Stanley-Cup-shape already !! lol



Can’t wait for the Broqvist to sign their extensions after their horrible start of the season proving they don’t belong at this level…

Bullying works! See last year.

 

[TotalHomer]

I think Greer is the tweener on the 4th/5th forward lines.

Gadjo Nosek Jesper when healthy.

Last year Greer scored as many goals as Gadjo has in his career. He's stepped up his game in the past two years, Maurice mentioned it as well as a reason why they signed him.

His problem has been injuries which is why he hasn't been able to stick. The same goes for Nosek and A Boqvist, it's actually pretty surprising they signed so many guys with durability issues which is why Gadjo will probably get plenty of looks. I just haven't seen the offensive touch from Gadjo that some of you guys see, it certainly hasn't translated to points so far.

 

[batting1k]

Well, glad I spent $200 on a ticket for opening night and $150 on flights only for a storm to put both in jeopardy.

 

[floridada]

Well, glad I spent $200 on a ticket for opening night and $150 on flights only for a storm to put both in jeopardy.

Why does everything go horribly wrong when you buy a ticket to come here EVERY TIME

 

[PSLguy]

Watched that Amazon series, man Paul really unloaded on them in that Boston game.

Kinda sad it just focuses on MT, but I hear we have a "team" docuseries coming out at some point. I just don't know if Ill get to watch it in Canada.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1842935430649634930

 

[floridada]

The ESPN doc is on ESPN2 now and it's pretty bland. It's just a recap of the playoffs with some player interviews. No behind the scenes footage or anything like that. The Amazon doc is definitely better.

 

[ScottyMascotty]

I think it's because we see in the playoffs it's very hard to win that tradeoff between offense and defense if you focus on offense. Defense wins championships etc. Not impossible but probable looking at history.

You are talking about systems, but I am talking about individual skill. You're not necessarily needed to be a shutdown specialist to excel in Maurice system.

Speaking about systems, I think a good system generally doesn't get in the way of player's talent. It can be demanding and limit their production a bit by reducing the risks taken but eventually letting their talent take over. Analytics consider the talent of big 4 forwards as the biggest reason why Panthers are currently at the top of the league - who cares if they score a bit less in this system? They're there not for meaningless regular season statpadding. And 5v5 they're still dominating as they should, while the system adds overall solidity which makes the team unflappable. But I don't think that there is one clear way to win in the playoffs. It's just that not every team has McDavid or Mackinnon who can just run circles around opponents and have their usual 1,5-2 PPG in the playoffs.

 

[Maurice of Orange]

Well, glad I spent $200 on a ticket for opening night and $150 on flights only for a storm to put both in jeopardy.

Might have a bit of the turbulencia which could effect the entire state of Florida, Fort Laud/Sunrise could see some wind and big tropical monsoon.

If Milton takes a turn to the northeast could mean St. Pete/Tampa takes what could be a record storm surge.

Everyone stay safe, will see a banner raising when all is clear.

 

[BlueDream]

This is one of the funniest f***ing posts I’ve ever seen. The look on that mascot is perfect.

 

[Panthers Propaganda]

Well, I’ve taken stock of everything, and I hate to say it but I think we are overall a better team this year.

Some question marks on D but this forward group could be nuts.

 

[Ghoste]

Let’s try to clean up those breakaways we give up.

 

[austropanther]

Let’s try to clean up those breakaways we give up.

Why? We regularly had them over the last 3 seasons, and look where it got us

 

[IdleTraveller]

The ESPN doc is on ESPN2 now and it's pretty bland. It's just a recap of the playoffs with some player interviews. No behind the scenes footage or anything like that. The Amazon doc is definitely better.

That's a shame. I really liked the amazon doc but felt, like most media on our cup run, that it was heavily tilted to the Oilers. I was hoping for a good ESPN doc to give us something from our perspective...

I'll keep an eye out for it though: not sure when I'll be able to watch it from the UK though so waiting for some nice person to upload it to youtube!

 

[iam76]

Watched the Amazon video.. they shoulda talked to pomo or barky at least once

 

[Manc Cat]

Aside from the panthers episodes i really liked the nylander/pasta episode... Interesting to see how two long time friends manage being on rival teams and they both seemed like pretty good dudes

 

[IdleTraveller]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5811591/2024/10/04/florida-panthers-2024-25-season-preview/

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For people who don't have a subscription to Atheletic, here's the article:

The defending Stanley Cup champions always face an uphill battle to reach the top of the mountain again. That’s especially true for the Panthers, who lost a whole mess of talent during the summer. In a cap world, it’s almost impossible to keep a champion together and Florida learned that the hard way.

That means a lowered forecast for the 2024-25 season, one where Florida is not the favorite to win it all, or even the favorite in its own division. The Panthers enter the season with a weaker roster, one that will have to prove its place once again at the league’s apex.

Of course, this is the Panthers we’re talking about — arguably the league’s best-run organization.

This team is still expected to be elite with a 105-point projection and that may even be light considering Florida’s knack for unearthing gems at a bargain price. That means we may be underselling what this team can do once the newcomers assimilate.

The threat of a Stanley Cup hangover is real, but there should be little doubt the Panthers will once again have one of the league’s best teams this season. And at nine percent, a strong shot to win it all again.

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The big question​

Can Adam Boqvist be Florida’s next home run?

It’s worth getting something out of the way up top: the Panthers are here because of their stars. Winning titles requires elite talent, first and foremost, and Florida’s got that in spades. If you have any doubt, scope out their first line.

Where GM Bill Zito, the front office and the coaching staff have excelled, though, is in taking players who’d be around-the-margins additions on other teams and turning them into vital contributors, particularly on the blue line. Gustav Forsling is the bold-faced, flashing-light example, but he’s not alone; Brandon Montour, for all his obvious physical gifts, was a mid-career reclamation project. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, shortly before signing with Florida, seemed to be killing time on one of the worst contracts in the league. Dmitry Kulikov, Nikko Mikkola — afterthoughts, both. Those guys, along with Aaron Ekblad, all did in-uniform laps with the Cup a few months ago, and two of them (Montour and Ekman-Larsson) have since moved on, undervalued no longer.

For defending champs, stuff like that goes with the territory. Attrition happens. Cheap players with Cup rings tend not to stay cheap for long. Florida’s primary task, once Reinhart was locked up, was identifying a new batch of economical additions — the kind of guys who make as much of a difference on the books as they do on the ice. It’s a whole lot easier to pay your three best players more than $28 million combined when you’re icing a perfectly serviceable third pair for about $26.5 million less, all things considered.

And that brings us to Boqvist, a 24-year-old right shot who was bought out by the Columbus Blue Jackets in late June. He didn’t sign his one-year, $775,000 deal with the Panthers until July 9. An addition like that might not move the needle, but it made immediate sense. The eighth overall pick by Chicago in 2018, Boqvist might’ve been best known as part of the package sent to Columbus for Seth Jones in the 2021 offseason. He certainly didn’t pop with the Blue Jackets, where injuries and ineffectiveness seemed to progressively take their toll.

What Boqvist has, though, is a skill set that seems like it’ll play on Florida’s bottom pair. They don’t need him to eat tough minutes. Far from it. And even there, they can outsource some of the heavy lifting on puck retrievals and zone exits to Nate Schmidt, another specialized, economical addition. What they needed from Boqvist, the thinking went, was help in transition at five-on-five — something he managed to do even when things were at their roughest in Columbus — and rebound as a half-decent chance creator in the offensive zone. Anything else would be gravy.

Then at some point during training camp, it became clear Boqvist had the inside track at quarterbacking the power play, a role split by Montour and Ekman-Larsson for most of last season. By Sept. 30, he was doing the job in game action — and acting as the trigger man on a sequence that led to a Reinhart tip-in goal against the Lightning.

The Blue Jackets’ power play wasn’t any sort of juggernaut with Boqvist at the helm, scoring 4.96 goals per 60 minutes. He was a factor on 73 percent of those goals, though, fourth-most in the league in that span behind Ivan Provorov, Quinn Hughes and Shayne Gostisbehere. That’s enough to suggest he could be an asset on a group with improved personnel — and Florida, with Reinhart, Tkachuk, Barkov and Verhaeghe as the bones of a top-10 unit, certainly fits the bill.

“When we come to camp, we gotta ask ourselves that question about every player: what are you good at?” Maurice said before that game, according to Panthers reporter Alex Krutchik. “And then try to put them in that position as early as we possibly can to assess it, but also it gives just a guy a place to feel good about his game. And he’s been good up top.”

Should we start penciling Boqvist in as a Forsling-level success? Of course not. He’s going to have a shot, though. The Panthers are starting a title defense because they know how to get the best out of their best players — and because they know how to get the best out of players like Boqvist.

The wild card​

What can Florida expect from Spencer Knight?

The fact we’re talking about Knight in a season preview is terrific news, first and foremost. He hasn’t played an NHL game since February 2023, when he stepped away from the team to seek help for issues he was having with obsessive-compulsive disorder. By last fall, Knight was ready to resume his hockey career. The first step was the AHL, where he put up a .935 save percentage in his last 10 regular-season games with Charlotte, then a .925 in two playoff contests.

Now he’s a leading candidate to open the season as Bobrovsky’s backup, a job he held for the better part of two seasons. Back then, he was a top prospect biding his time behind a starter with a huge contract and a relatively inconsistent track record. Things have changed now, though Knight is still just 23 years old. If nothing else, Bobrovsky has a firmer grip on the net; Stanley Cups tend to have that effect.

That doesn’t mean Knight (or Chris Driedger) won’t get their opportunities — or that the Panthers won’t need them to make the most of any chances. Anthony Stolarz was outstanding in 27 starts last season, putting up a save percentage (.925) 10 points higher than Bobrovsky’s, a sparkling 21.7 goals saved above expected and earning a two-year deal with a $2.5 AAV from the Maple Leafs. If Knight manages anything similar, the Panthers could have a champagne problem on their hands. Realistically, the bar doesn’t need to be quite that high; league-average play would probably suffice.

The strengths​

The reigning champs come into the season boasting a solid defensive core and a lot of high-octane offense. The Panthers’ star power is the driving force behind that. It starts with Barkov, who leads the charge in Florida.

Barkov has been one of the best centers in the league for some time, but heading into 2023-24, a few nitpicks held him back from the very top of the pack — one of which was how he was fading in a playoff environment. And then the 2023-24 season happened.

Barkov’s coming off of one of the best seasons of his career. He was stout defensively against top competition, limiting opponents to just 1.99 expected goals against per 60 in his minutes, with even better results to show for it. Barkov matched elite defense with high-end offense as the best all-around forward in the game.

The difference between 2023-24 and seasons past was his accomplishments didn’t stop with a Selke Trophy. Barkov thrived in the playoffs and was a key reason why the Panthers hoisted the Stanley Cup at the end of it this time around. He was Florida’s MVP in the playoffs and earned more Conn Smythe votes than any of his teammates.

Barkov’s 2023-24 elevated him to 1B in this year’s Player Tiers project as one of the top eight players in the league — and he certainly doesn’t rank eighth in that group.

The creative all-around center has a lot of support on the top line to kick his game up a notch.

On the right, there’s Sam Reinhart, who is coming off a 57-goal, 94-point career. A regression seems inevitable for a player whose shooting percentage skyrocketed to almost 25 percent last season — though we still expect a 40-40 campaign. He’s great at creating quality chances and any dip shouldn’t be too drastic. Scoring isn’t all he brings to a lineup either. Reinhart has progressed into an all-around threat who can be trusted on both ends of the ice in any situation. His two-way game got him some hype in the Selke race that unsurprisingly went to his center. Barkov’s the driver of that duo, but Reinhart provided the support to help him reach these heights.

Barkov and Reinhart make up an elite 1-2 punch. With a combined plus-37 Net Rating, they come in well ahead of the average playoff team’s leading duo. Carter Verhaeghe likely rounds out that top line, which stacks up as one of the best around the league, ranking fourth. In over 200 minutes last year, the line rocked a 68 percent expected goals rate and outscored opponents 11-4. Verhaeghe is a spark plug, especially at five-on-five, between his play in transition and rush scoring. He’s dangerous in the offensive zone and is the ideal supporting player.

If the top line wasn’t dangerous enough, the Panthers have an elite weapon on their second line, too.

Tkachuk, who leads the team with a plus-21 Net Rating, is a game-breaker. Tkachuk wasn’t able to replicate his MVP-caliber season in 2023-24, but he was still effective. It’s not that he set the bar so unrealistically high in 2022-23 that a repeat is impossible. If anything, the recovery period for his broken sternum was underestimated.

To start the year, Tkachuk deferred to more playmaking instead of being the dual threat of the season prior. But he started heating back up in the second half of the season with stronger play-driving impacts and a much higher-scoring pace. That’s the Tkachuk to expect this year — and that’s what the Panthers need to carry their second line. He should have some defensive support on the left from Evan Rodrigues, who kept up and complemented Florida in different top-nine capacities last season. He only played about 40 minutes of regular season time with Tkachuk and Sam Bennett before adding another 80-plus in the playoffs. But the results were promising — in the postseason, the combination controlled play with 73 percent of the expected goals share and an 8-2 edge in scoring.

Beyond the top six, Anton Lundell is a player to watch down the middle of the third line. He has strong chemistry with Eetu Luostarinen and got his game back on track in the playoffs after a slower regular season. If he can carry that level into the season, Baby Barkov should keep progressing. On the fourth line, Jesper Boqvist is one of Florida’s best forward depth signings of the offseason.

Deep playoff runs are an opportunity for players to make a name for themselves on a national stage. That’s what Forsling did last season after an excellent regular season. Forsling gained some traction in the Norris Trophy conversation for his elite shutdown play. He plays a smart game, using his vision and anticipation to contain some of the league’s best scorers. His positioning is an asset that shined even in the highest-pressure environment last postseason. If you didn’t know how good Forsling was before the playoffs, there was no denying it once he was doing laps with the Cup in June.

Forsling proved he is the driver of the Panthers’ top pair. He’s emerged as one of the league’s best shutdown defensemen and now heads into 2024-25 with the fifth-highest Defensive Rating of the position.

With Forsling cementing himself as the Panthers’ number one, it slots Ekblad into a more fitting role as the team’s number two. With a plus-nine Net Rating, he stacks up well relative to the role and showed last year he can shoulder the burden of matchup minutes with Forsling. Last year the duo earned 58 percent of expected goals together while outscoring opponents 29-15.

Behind the top pair, Mikkola and Kulikov should be fine enough defensively for the bottom four. Schmidt’s passable as a number six option, while Adam Boqvist has some potential if the Panthers can keep working their magic with depth defensemen. Over the last few years, Florida’s cap crunch has forced management to get creative with their depth signings. Maurice and the coaching staff have found ways to maximize those defenders in appropriate roles — just look at Kulikov and Ekman-Larsson last year. That’s why Schmidt and Boqvist are swings this team can afford to take.

The weaknesses​

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of Playoff Bob. The name has taken on a new meaning after his unbelievable 2023 run to the Stanley Cup Final. But sometimes that hype overshadows Bobrovsky’s true value — and makes it a lot trickier to assess.

Bobrovsky had a fine regular season in 2034-24, with a .915 save percentage and the 17th-best goals saved above expected in the league. And he was solid for most of the postseason. But his numbers were pumped up by one of the best defensive teams in the league and his play trailed off in the Stanley Cup Final down to a 0.899 save percentage.

What works against Bobrovsky is his age (being 36 takes 2.7 goals off his projection) and his inconsistent track record over the last five years. What hurts the Panthers even more is that they may not have the support behind him to balance the workload in the regular season if Spencer Knight can’t get back on track. As it stands, they enter this season with a combined minus-five Net Rating in goal which ranks 27th in the league.

Bob staving off the effects of age and repeating last season’s magic isn’t difficult to imagine, though, and if the Panthers can maintain their stout defensive play, goaltending shouldn’t be a problem. If they trend down at all after some turnover on the back end, however, it could make life harder for their goalies.

That turnover led to Montour’s departure. While the Panthers were right not to invest in his long-term contract, it leaves this team without an offensive stud on the back end — unless Boqvist can emerge into that. Ekblad doesn’t have the puck skills to stack up to other elite offensive defensemen around the league. At this point, there have been questions on whether he’s still a top-pair staple on a contending team. Forsling’s a strong two-way defender, but doesn’t have the same offensive upside as Montour either.

If the Panthers’ blue line loses any of its scoring pop, they may not have the depth up front to make up for it. Tomas Nosek and A.J. Green stack up pretty poorly as fourth-liners compared to other contenders, with a combined minus-22 Net Rating.

The third line doesn’t have a ton of offensive upside on paper, either, unless Lundell and Luostarinen can pick up the pace. Mackie Samoskevich is a wild card in that combination, too. The pressure is on Florida’s supporting cast to make up for any lost offense, but the depth may not be cut out for it.

There’s one more player in the supporting cast that may be a weak link: Bennett. The Panthers are obviously coming off a Stanley Cup win with Bennett as their 2C. But with a plus-three Net Rating, it’s the most glaring hole in the top nine. We’re nitpicking a champion, we know, but this season would be a good time for Lundell to succeed Bennett in the lineup so the team can measure up better down the middle. Florida doesn’t need an otherworldly second-line center since Tkachuk has shown he can drive the line himself. But it’s less than ideal to have a weakness in such a pivotal position, especially when there are potential exposure points developing lower in the lineup.

Florida has an elite team, no question, but there are significantly more flaws with this year’s version than the one that hoisted the Cup last summer.

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The best case​

Boqvist and Schmidt thrive, continuing a lengthy tradition of Florida finding diamonds in the rough. The core stays electric, Bobrovsky has another strong season and the Panthers go back-to-back.

The worst case​

Boqvist and Schmidt flop, leaving Florida with a porous blue line exacerbated by a weak bottom six. The core has a Cup hangover leaving the Panthers one-and-done as a wild-card team.

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The bottom line​

There is always a risk of things going south after winning the Stanley Cup, especially in a salary-cap world. But some low-key signings and reclamation projects could go a long way in supporting Florida’s star power this year, helping the Panthers remain the team to beat.

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