Florida Panthers: Jonathan Marchessault was the biggest loss this off-season

The Florida Panthers may have lost several key players this off-season, however, Jonathan Marchessault remains the biggest of them all.

Jonathan Marchessault was a key part of the Florida Panthers offense last season. Management decided not to protect him from the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft, thus losing him for nothing. With the small additions that were made this off-season, the team will hope for new guys to step up and replace Marchessault’s presence (which will be difficult).

What Marchessault did for the Panthers last season was nothing short of amazing. Jonathan had an offensive outburst for the Florida Panthers, potting 30 goals in the 2016-17 season. In result, he racked up 51 points which ranked third on the team. When Marchessault scored his 30th goal, he became the first Panther to score 30 goals in 9 years since David Booth (08/09 campaign).

Those offensive stats that Marchessault put up last year will surely be missed by an already lackluster Panthers offense. Some fans may point out that the stats Marchy recorded may be a fluke, which could honestly be true. Regardless of this though, the Panthers can use all the help they can get upfront (mainly on the wings) and would gladly welcome even a 10-15G Marchessault in hand.

The replacements that the Panthers brought in, may not to have the ability to directly replace Marchessault’s production from last season. The Cats will hope that everyone (including their new additions) will all step up to the plate and deliver accordingly. Replacing a 30 goal scorer is never easy, but having 2-3 guys who can spread out the scoring could be vital.

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Ultimately, Marchessault’s loss will be felt up and down the lineup throughout the season. The young stars on the Panthers will have to step up big time, to fill the shoes of the biggest loss this past summer, Jonathan Marchessault.