In his second season with the Florida Panthers, Colton Sceviour provided a nice boost to his line, as well as on special teams as FLA’s most dominant penalty killer.
Sceviour followed up a promising first year in Sunrise with an equally productive season in 2017-18. He finished with 24 points on 11 goals and 13 assists, while handling responsibilities on MacKenzie’s line, penalty kill, and occasionally in the face-off circle.
Colton Sceviour, an Alberta native, was drafted by the Dallas Stars in 2007. He didn’t appear in an NHL game until 2010-11, but his first season with significant playing time came when he appeared in 26 games in 2013-14. Sceviour always had the ability to step up in the clutch, scoring two game-winning goals in those 26 games.
He saw increased playing time over the next two years, and signed with the Panthers as a free agent in the 2016 offseason. Furthermore, through this piece, I examine the value that Sceviour brought to the Panthers in 2017-18, which includes his best game and best play of the year.
Sceviour was a valuable, 4th line player who was willing to shoot the puck when the chance arose. He had multiple shots on goal in most games last season and shot at a higher percentage than his first year in Sunrise. Most of his ice time was spent on a line with Derek MacKenzie and Micheal Haley. That line had a good year providing energy, face-off wins, and the occasional goal or two, largely thanks to Colton Sceviour.
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He was also a very important contributor on the penalty kill, which ranked 16th out of 31 teams with an 80.2% success rate. Sceviour and MacKenzie were also on the ice more than anyone else when the Panthers were down a man. Additionally, Sceviour greatly improved defensively between 2016-17 and 2017-18.
He held a -16 plus/minus rating his first season as a Panther, but recorded a +6 this past season. Moreover, his value must be understood in the context of his contract. 2017-18 was the last year of the two-year, $1.9M contract that sent him to the Florida Panthers in 2016.
The Cats recently signed him to a three-year extension that is very cap-friendly at $3.6M. So the Panthers have a solid supporting cast player locked in for just over a million dollars per year until 2021. This bodes well for the front office, with the free agency market set to explode after Evander Kane’s latest contract.
Throughout this past season, Colton had many strong games in 2017-18, but his best performance came on Saturday, November 4th at home against the
. Sceviour scored the first goal of the game in the 2nd period, tipping the puck over
shoulder off of a gritty steal and pass from Haley.
After the Rangers answered, Sceviour stole the puck in the offensive zone, creating a scoring chance shortly after. He battled for position in front of the net, and was rewarded when Derek MacKenzie’s rebound landed right in front of him.
For the second time that game, Colton Sceviour gave the Panthers the lead. They unfortunately failed to hold onto the lead, eventually losing 5-4 in overtime; although, they likely wouldn’t have gotten to that point if Sceviour hadn’t provided a two-goal performance.
Sceviour’s best play of the year came back on November 16th in San Jose. The Sharks were red-hot at that time of the year, and facing them on the road was a tough test for the young Panthers. After a scoreless first period, Sceviour came up with a huge goal to break the ice.
First, he won a battle along the boards behind the net. Then he maneuvered past two Sharks and shot a wrap around attempt on goal. Martin Jones saved Colton’s first attempt, but he scored on a second effort to give Florida a 1-0 lead. His goal ended up being the game-winning goal, as Roberto Luongo shutout the Sharks, propelling the Cats to 2-0 victory.
In closing, Sceviour was by far the Panthers’ most reliable 4th line player through 2017-18, stepping up to the plate when called upon to do so. Beginning the first year of his new three-year extension next season, lots will be in store for both Sceviour and the Cats next year.