Florida Panthers: Players with a PTO to most likely earn a roster spot

As the Florida Panthers‘ training camp nears, the Panthers will look for their PTO invitees to make a good impression. Will any of them crack the opening night roster?

Over the past few weeks, the Florida Panthers announced three PTO’s to three players: Brandon Pirri, Harry Zolnierczk and Nikolai Belov. While only Pirri’s name may sound familiar, all three of these guys could potentially make the team. Each of these guys has a certain skill set that the Panthers could benefit from during the season.

Although players that are signed to PTO’s usually never make that big of an impact on a team, these three players could be a different case for the Panthers. According to a list of all the players that have been signed to a PTO, the Panthers list has the best players on them. While all three of these talented forwards could make the team, let’s look at who would be the best fit.

1st choice: Brandon Pirri: Pirri is obviously the easiest and predictable choice to make the Panthers’ roster this season. In both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, Pirri had his best years in the league. He registered a combined 48 points over 101 games for the Panthers. It is very obvious that Pirri has a natural goal scoring talent. He is a forward who is quick to shoot the puck rather than look for the perfect pass.

Though this can be dangerous defensively, the Panthers are desperately in need of any sort of scoring and should welcome Pirri with open arms (if he has a good training camp). Placing Brandon on the third line with Bjugstad and 1st round draft pick Owen Tippett could be the perfect combination for everyone to succeed on that line. It would be very wise for the Panthers to bring back Pirri once again.

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2nd choice: Harry Zolnierczk: When most people hear Zolnierczk’s name, all they think of is some guy who played a few minutes during the Nashville Predator’s Stanley Cup Playoff run. While this is true, Zolnierczk could be a diamond in the rough. Although Zolnierczk tallied a measly 4 points in 24 games last year with the Preds, he played such a small amount that he barely had any time on the ice to make a big impact. Harry will not fill a role on the Panthers that places him on any of the top three lines, but he could solidify himself on the fourth line.

The Panthers could potential form a pesky fourth line between Zolnierczk, Derek MacKenzie and Micheal Haley. While not a ton of offense will come from this line, when the top three lines need a break during a tight game, the Panthers coaching staff would feel comfortable putting this line out on the ice. If the Panthers do decide to keep Zolnierczk, expect him to occupy a spot on the fourth line.

3rd choice: Nikolai Belov: Who is this guy? Not many people know. The Russian defenseman stands at 6’2 and weighs 194 lbs. Although nobody really expects Belov to make the team, there is one reason why the Panthers could keep him around. The only reason the Panthers keep Belov around is if the Panthers decide to trade Jason Demers and do not receive a defenseman in return.

While trading Demers would likely summon one of the Panthers many talented defensive prospects, Florida could keep Belov as the 7th defenseman. Florida could give Belov a very cheap contract and keep him on the bench for most of the year. Rather than calling up another prospect and have him be the 7th defensive man, the Panthers could simply keep Belov as a backup option in case of an injury. Besides this option, the Panthers will most likely not keep Nikolai.

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All in all, look for the Panthers to most likely keep Pirri on the team this season. Zolnierczk could help on the fourth line, but the Panthers will likely turn to a prospect to fill that role. By bringing back Pirri, the Panthers automatically get better in the scoring department and get three solid offensive lines.