Are team's going to try to copy Florida's style?

[ref19]

You believe what you want to believe lol

He/she is not wrong

 

[Fatass]

Maybe teams copy the oilers?

 

[PistolPete]

He/she is not wrong

You believe what you want to believe too.

I'm not going to debate such a vague, unprovable thesis. You nor he can support it since it's an empty statement

 

[PistolPete]

Maybe teams copy the oilers?

Please do!

 

[Kshahdoo]

You mean this style?

 

[Nerowoy nora tolad]

Maurice doesn't get enough credit. He is an excellent head coach.

On the other hand, wasn't this his masterpiece from his leafs days too?

 

[Colezuki]

they waltz through a soft conference every year, totally different to making it through the bruisers of the West

The Atlantic has three teams alone that would be on par with the best of the west, irregardless of what you think of the Leafs there still a quality team. This BS that gets spouted here every year about the west is "Tougher" is such a farce.

"Bruisers of the west", but get to pad stats against the bottom dwellers of the last 3 years
2025->2023
- Chicago, (31st, 31st, 30th)
- Anaheim (25th, 30th, 32nd)
- San Jose ( 32nd, 32nd, 29th)

 

[WarriorofTime]

I think Florida is experts in maximizing a particular window. I don’t look at anything Zito did as a gm that got bored or decided to start doing things to do things. Everything seemed heavily centered around getting players in a narrow age bracket that synced up with the premium draft picks for premium spots (1C, first pair RHD). Zito successfully realized the best opportunity to pounce is at the end of rfa years soon before UFA years when players and their prior teams are heaving towards a natural divorce with team control expiring.

The result has been group of players in a tight age range that hit their prime together and has had a lot of success. Notice how Florida unlike say Dallas doesn’t have players all over the age map right now. Obviously some luck (like home runs from Verhaeghe and Forsling) and and some internal advantages along the way. But this shows how well timed aggression is very beneficial if there’s real thought behind it.

I imagine many will take wrong lesson and just “be aggressive, make trades” but if they aren’t synced up with players you drafted many years earlier, it probably won’t be as successful.

 

[Dread Clawz]

I think Florida is experts in maximizing a particular window. I don’t look at anything Zito did as a gm that got bored or decided to start doing things to do things. Everything seemed heavily centered around getting players in a narrow age bracket that synced up with the premium draft picks for premium spots (1C, first pair RHD). Zito successfully realized the best opportunity to pounce is at the end of rfa years soon before UFA years when players and their prior teams are heaving towards a natural divorce with team control expiring.

The result has been group of players in a tight age range that hit their prime together and has had a lot of success. Notice how Florida unlike say Dallas doesn’t have players all over the age map right now. Obviously some luck (like home runs from Verhaeghe and Forsling) and and some internal advantages along the way. But this shows how well timed aggression is very beneficial if there’s real thought behind it.

I imagine many will take wrong lesson and just “be aggressive, make trades” but if they aren’t synced up with players you drafted many years earlier, it probably won’t be as successful.

Good point. If you don't have a Barkov and Huberdeau at least to start with, you aren't going to copy the Panthers. You can't trade for a player like Barkov, and they were also lucky that Huby had hit 115 pts the season before, and still that was only one of four pieces required to land Tkachuk .

 

[BTP]

Leafs are already doing this by signing all of our UFAs and making noise about trying to poach Sam Bennett. Problem for the Leafs is that they're the Leafs.

Humble yourself kid. You were the panthers unttil you weren’t. Let’s not forget that zero series wins from 1996 stat, until it happened.

The difference between us is after this run is over, you’ll go back to being the panthers lmaoo

 

[Poppy Whoa Sonnet]

What is Florida’s style and what are they going to copy?

 

[razor ray]

Well….they won again.

 

[Harvey Birdman]

Sports in general but especially the NHL is a copy cat league. So yes more teams will try to copy Florida. Even just in recent memory look what happened after Pittsburgh won back to back using speed and passing. The whole league trended that way for a few years.

 

[Jared Grayden]

What is Florida’s style and what are they going to copy?

Disciplined puck management and physicality is what I would imagine teams want to emulate. Florida is nothing special with size or speed.

 

[SharksFan1992]

I don't think their style is anything new or unique.

They're a relentless forechecking team and they're good at taking away space and time and are unpleasant to play against.

A lot of teams can try to play that way, but their success isn't predicated on playing scrappy, heavy hockey alone. They have a lot of talent and depth (and yes, they do have a few rat type players, making them all the tougher to play against). Hell, CAR plays a similar style but isn't as gritty or rough and doesn't have close to the high end talent or depth FLA has.

When Tampa was winning their Cups, they had unbelievable depth. PIT won one year with Crosby winning the Conn Smythe with 19 points.

Regardless of style, teams with elite talent and good depth are the ones that tend to come out on top.

This^
There's nothing new or revolutionary about Florida. They just have a better lineup than everyone else and reliability in net. It's going to take time or wear-and-tear to take this team out.

 

[nowhereman]

An elite team, from top to bottom, who can play the game any way you like? I think everyone has been chasing that rabbit since the league started.

 

[PCAisBest]

Gonna be tough to replicate what the panthers are doing. You need the players to all buy into their role and not just be good, but Excell.

Many who post here want teams like the Oilers who have one or two stars and proclaim them hall of farmers, point out regular season stats, individual awards, etc.

Good NHL GMs find the pieces needed to win Cups.

Not like us, indeed....

 

[Jean Luc Discard]

What is Florida’s style

winning

 

[atlanticobserver]

We will probably find out at the draft if skill guys start slipping in favor of more physical players. But I think that’d be an overcorrection. Florida can hit, forecheck, score, and aren’t out of position much. Decent goalie, too. Although it’s hard for me to see their team being as good as this one next year.

 

[llwyd]

I think they are an exceptionally well balanced team that plays in a disciplined and well executed style most suited to their strengths. A pretty individual situation, not a kind of a mechanical magic formula that would be easy to replicate. But maybe a certain message to top heavy teams whose top is not ideally suited to intense and physical playoff hockey.

 

[pelderhostiga]

When I try to think of a comparable to the Panthers' roster, the only thing that comes to mind is the 2010s Bruins. A very tough and annoying team lead by an undisputed Selke winner and elite (or at least very good) goaltending etc. They went to the finals twice in a three year span but then really botched the re-tool for the team, yet still managed to get to the finals once more with the same core pieces much later.

The thing is, it's just not that easy to build that kind of a team. Sure, you can build a tough and annoying team like the Panthers or the Bruins, but there aren't many players that can elevate that to a higher level like for example multiple Selke winners Bergeron or Barkov. All kinds of things have to come together to make it work so well that you get to eventually hoist the cup.

Btw Barkov was the 7th player in history to win an individual award and a cup in back to back years in history. The last three guys before him were Crosby, Lemieux and Gretzky. Good luck trying to copy that style.

 

[BagusJohn]

Weren't they over the cap during these playoffs?

 

[nuxnux11]

I would love if my team played with the tenacity that Florida does.

 

[Fatass]

Weren't they over the cap during these playoffs?

Is there a cap in the playoffs?

 

[behemolari]

Dont forget Weegar did cost two post seasons for Florida with his bonehead plays, big part of success Zito cut away players who were not on same page