Confidence: The Missing Ingredient To The Florida Panthers Season

The Florida Panthers had a disheartening season but what is to blame? Perhaps confidence has something to do with it.

Expectations. Everyone has them, whether it be because of prior success or because of excessive optimism about the future.

The Florida Panthers had high expectations coming into this season, after a record-breaking season the year before. With a record of 47-26-9 the Panthers won the Atlantic Division with a total of 103 points, during the 2015-16 season. The team would go on to play the New York Islanders, losing in the first round of the playoffs.

After such an incredible season, the expectations were much higher coming into 2016-17. The organization became focused on winning, aiming to bring the Stanley Cup to South Florida. This brought many changes during the off-season, including many trades.

The 2016-17 season got off to a rocky start. One of the Panthers top forwards, Jonathan Huberdeau, suffered a serious injury during the last game of the preseason. He was expected to return in 3-4 months after a skate came down on his leg, severing his Achilles tendon.

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Through 22 games, the Panthers record was 11-10-1, which led to head coach Gerard Gallant being fired.  This was yet another blow to the player’s mental states.

All of the changes during the off-season, the mounting injuries to key players and the coaching changes meant having to adjust to new line mates and new coaching philosophies early in the season.

It soon became apparent that player’s were not playing to the best of their abilities. This was particularly evident in players like Aaron Ekblad and Nick Bjugstad.

Aaron Ekblad

Ekblad was paired up with veteran defenseman Brian Campbell during the 2015-16 season. Campbell helped Ekblad throughout the season, giving him pointers along the way. However, this past season Ekblad had to step up in a new role. The rookie was expected to play even better than the last season, putting a lot of pressure on him. Ekblad had a very humbling start to the season, which he contributes to not feeling 100 percent mentally:

“When it comes to feeling 100 percent physically, I’d say yeah. Mentally, probably not. Mentally meaning in fear of making a play or something like that. So I think the first part of my season more or less I was not skating back quickly to get a puck worried about getting hit, making too quick of a play, not holding onto the puck and analyzing my outs and making the good, right option. The simple pass, I think that’s what I mean by not being 100 percent mentally and I think that’s what led me to not playing great. Halfway through, whatever it was, January 1st or even mid-December, my game turned right around. I had sat in Dale Tallon’s office and we had a long chat about a lot of things, more or less just how I was playing, how I was feeling mentally. I talked with Derek Anderson, our psychologist, and was able to work through all of that. And within probably two games, I noticed a difference. It was amazing to feel like you can just do things again, break through those barriers of the mental state that hockey is, it’s a mental sport. I had to break through that and I felt great after and I think from then until when I got hit, I felt unbelievable out there, it felt like year 1 and 2.”

Nick Bjugstad

Bjugstad has suffered many injuries throughout his career and has had to adjust accordingly. During the 2016-17 preseason, Bjugstad broke his hand during a pileup in front of the net. Dealing with all of these injuries took a toll on his confidence according to Coach Tom Rowe:

“It’s confidence,” Rowe said. “He has had so many days where he has been injured, then he comes back and tries to get into a rhythm but the top two lines are solidified. … We moved him to the right, the left, the middle; that’s affected him a tad.”

Bjugstad has definitely dealt with his share of confidence issues this season. Perhaps playing for Team USA in the upcoming World Championships will help to turn things around. This is at least the plan according to Jameson Olive.

Hopefully the tournament will help him to come back next season with a better mindset.

How can the Florida Panthers recover?

The 2016-17 season for the Florida Panthers was disappointing to say the least. The changes made in the off-season, coaching changes, and injuries all led up to a different state of mind for many players. A main reason the Panthers didn’t make the playoffs is because of the psychological aspect of the game. Hockey is a mental sport and it takes a lot of mental toughness to deal with the changes that were implemented this season.

This season has been a learning experience for the team. It has allowed for players to learn more about the mental aspect of hockey and the limitations of their own mental toughness. During the off-season, players need to regain their confidence and come into the next season mentally prepared.

If the Panthers can get over the mental obstacles they faced this season, then they will come back stronger next season, not just physically but mentally. This is critical since making a run at the Stanley cup is equal parts physical and mental toughness.