Apr 8, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs left wing David Booth (20) against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The Jackets won 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
After months upon months of waiting, the Florida Panthers will finally make their way back on the ice as a team. Training camp will officially open this Friday (Sept. 18) bright and early at 9:45 AM, at Florida Panthers IceDen.
Oh, how we have waited! Here are three stories to look at for Friday and beyond, as this season gets underway:
1) Jonathan Huberdeau is not on the dang roster. Restricted free agent Jonathan Huberdeau appears to be antagonistic toward pens, paper, contractual stipulations, or some combination of the aforementioned nouns. Despite the rumors throughout the summer that Huberdeau and Dale Tallon were getting closer to a deal, training camp has arrived and the deal has not yet been struck. And perhaps disconcertingly, TVA Sports’ Renaud Levoie is reporting that some teams are “kicking the tires” on an offer sheet situation with Huberdeau. That would most likely translate to a 1st and 3rd round pick in compensation for the Panthers, according to Harvey Fialkov. But reasonably speaking, no Panther fan should be too worried just yet. Contractual disputes happen, but the scintillating prospect of skating on a line with Jaromir Jagr for a full season should be enough for Huberdeau to overcome his contract animus.
*UPDATED* Jonathan Huberdeau has truly made peace with pens by signing a 2 year, $6.5 million contract — according to George Richards of the Miami Herald. He’ll make $2.5 million this year, $4 million next year, and at the end of the contract he’d still be a restricted free agent under the Panthers’ control. Sounds like a sweet deal to me. Huberdeau was added Thursday morning to the training camp squad, so consider this very long and tiresome story over and done.
2) Let’s check out some new fellows. There are 50 (nay, 51!) skaters and goalies on the roster, and there are some intriguing new faces to capture our attention. The first one to keep an eye on is Lawson Crouse, the Panthers 11th overall pick of the 2015 Draft. The kid is 6’4″, 215 lbs, and is three years younger than me. My NHL dreams are fading fast, but Crouse’s combination of size and skill make him a must-watch as he starts to work against higher talent. If he performs the way in which Tallon expects, you ought to see him on the ice for the Panthers during the regular season.
Nov 21, 2014; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; New Jersey Devils right Wing Martin Havlat (9) in action against the Edmonton Oilers in the first period at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Chris LaFrance-USA TODAY Sports
Also coming to training camp are two familiar faces, one especially so. David Booth and Martin Havlat have both been invited for professional try-outs, and it is believed that both sent RSVPs in time. It’ll be interesting to see what the two wingers have left in the tank. Last time we saw Booth in a Panther sweater, he was careening wildly down the left-wing and shooting pucks either into the goalies stomach or out of play, and he did this with ruthless consistency. After stops in Vancouver and Toronto, Booth will be looking to make a strong impression, and I suspect he still has some magic in his luscious, blonde flow. Havlat has displayed great productivity in years past, but injuries have sidetracked his top-line status in the NHL. But there’s no denying the man has a great shot when healthy, and I expect him to be invigorated playing alongside fellow countryman Jaromir Jagr.
And also don’t forget Reilly Smith, the big acquisition over the offseason. Tallon had to give up the 19 goals of Jimmy Hayes to nab him, but most hockey minds find Smith to be the better player, both on offense and defense. He’s a creative right-winger with good vision passing the puck and good anticipation defending his own zone. The Panthers picked up a solid player, and one we can anticipate spending much less time in Gerard Gallant‘s doghouse than Mr. Hayes.
3) Who will pick up the open spots by the regular season? Of course, it’ll be a blast to watch top-six stalwarts like Nick Bjugstad, Aleksander Barkov, and Brandon Pirri. But there isn’t much drama involved with their spots on the Panthers. They’ll be there October 10 (knock on wood), because those guys are the bomb. What we’re unsure about is who will take the spots below them. You have to imagine Derek MacKenzie will stick on the 4th line for his penalty killing, and Vincent Trocheck ought to have a head start in one of those bottom-six roles. Tallon is hoping guys like Rocco Grimaldi, Quinton Howden, and Garrett Wilson give convincing showings so the youth movement can keep churning.
Just as interesting is the race for the 6th defenseman spot. Brian Campbell, Aaron Ekblad, Willie Mitchell, Erik Gudbranson, and Dmitry Kulikov have their spots on the team cemented (chucks salt over shoulder). Steven Kampfer performed great last year, but he’ll be pushed for that last spot by Dylan Olsen and Michael Matheson. And whoever loses out on that 6th spot will also be auditioning for the 7th spot, which is also important but not as good to brag about in your Tinder profile.
So what say you Panther fans? What are you guys looking forward to in this training camp, other than everything? Comment below if there’s anything you’d like to share.