Florida Panthers: Recapping Maxim Mamin’s Short-Lived 2019 Season

Following a brief stint with the Florida Panthers at the beginning of the 2019 season, the Russian-born winger was loaned back to CSKA Moscow of the KHL. How did Mamin perform and how does his Panthers future look moving forward?

General Manager Dale Tallon previously selected forward Maxim Mamin with the 175th draft selection in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

Mamin would spend the 2017 season with CSKA Moscow of the KHL (viewed as the second-best hockey league worldwide). In 42 KHL regular-season contests, Mamin recorded a respectable slash line of 12G, 13A, for 25 points on the year.

Additionally, Mamin also put together 2 goals and 1 assist while participating in nine KHL playoff games for CSKA Moscow in 2017.

Following the 2017 season, the promising winger finally made the highly awaited transition towards North America hockey. Essentially, Mamin began the 2018 season with the Springfield Thunderbirds of the AHL.

In 32 AHL games, Mamin tallied an outstanding line of 9G, 16A, for 25 points before being recalled by the Florida Panthers.

Mamin wasn’t necessarily as productive offensively with Florida, recording only 3G, 1A, for 4 points in 26 NHL games.

However, Mamin provided a sense of physical toughness and much-needed competitiveness towards the Panthers’ fourth line.

Mamin registered 51 total hits, averaging nearly 2 hits per night in limited playing time with the Cats. He was also a reliable defensive forward, posting a plus/minus rating of +2 while averaging approximately 10:31 minutes per game.

Furthermore, he produced more takeaways (14) than giveaways (12), indicating that he’s a highly cerebral two-way forward as a 24-year-old.

After an encouraging rookie season, Mamin would begin the 2019 season with the Florida Panthers on their fourth line.

Mamin would only participate in 7 regular-season games, averaging roughly 7 minutes of ice time per game before returning to CSKA Moscow.

The lack of minutes and playing time undoubtedly frustrated the promising Mamin, which sparked a reunion with his former KHL club.

The physical Mamin wasn’t too productive offensively during the 2019 KHL season for CSKA Moscow. Although, the 24-year-old seemingly developed into a star-level player during the KHL playoffs.

In 10 KHL playoff contests, Mamin recorded 2G, 3A, for 5 points, helping CSKA Moscow win the Gagarin Cup. The highlight of the Gagarin Cup Playoffs was the overtime game-winning and cup-clinching goal scored by Maxim Mamin in Game 4.

Mamin’s 2019 stint with CSKA Moscow was a necessary one for Mamin’s personal development. Mamin certainly improved offensively and gained more experience while playing for the best team in the KHL last season.

Unfortunately, it was reported on April 30 that Maxim Mamin decided to sign a two-year contract extension with CSKA Moscow who just recently won the Gagarin Cup.

While Mamin didn’t bring a game-changing level spark when he hit the ice, he was a decent bottom-six forward when given the opportunity to play.

For the Florida Panthers, this just means that they lost a serviceable depth option. It certainly won’t kill their depth, but letting him go so easily may not have been the right decision. Time will definitely tell…