Florida Panthers: Micheal Haley’s 2017-18 Season Recap

By Jake Tucker | Jun 19, 2018

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 31: Adam McQuaid #54 of the Boston Bruins squares up against Michael Haley #18 of the Florida Panthers at the TD Garden on March 31, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images) /

In his first season with the Florida Panthers, forward Micheal Haley brought a physical presence to the fourth line, especially when it came to the fisticuffs.

When Micheal Haley previously played for Florida Panthers head coach Bob Boughner with the San Jose Sharks, he had only one job. This job is best described in the hockey world as the enforcer of the roster, known as deterring and responding to dirty or violent play by the opposition. He did just that as he fought his way across the Western Conference.

As he left the West to come to South Florida, Haley brought the same mentality he maintained in San Jose. He understood his job on the fourth line with captain Derek Mackenzie and winger Colton Sceviour: to bring momentum to the squad.

The Canadian enforcer seemed to draw fights every game he appeared in. He finished the 2017-18 NHL campaign with the most penalty minutes in the league (212), according to the leader’s page on Hockey-Reference. It seemed not only that he would pick a fight every game, but that he also found a way to create energy.

When you look at Micheal Haley, you wouldn’t first expect him to be the enforcer that he is. He’s much shorter than most of the tough guys you see in the league. Sitting at 5’11”, you’d think that he’d be one to two steps out of most brawls against the towers of the hockey fighting world. But, his mentality differs much from how people would assume.

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He pictures himself as this big, tough contender that everyone should be scared to take on, and that’s how most players saw him. In his first season as a Panther, Haley used his fists as his primary method of fighting his way through the league, giving the momentum his team needed throughout the season.

One example of the violence shown off by this enforcer comes from

against the

Tampa Bay Lightning

at BB&T Center. When the game was tied at two, with about seventeen minutes left in the second period, the game’s pace started to slow down. In order to generate momentum for the home team, Haley decided to drop the gloves with Lightning defenseman

. They held each other for the first few seconds with a hugging-like state, until Haley suddenly threw Dotchin’s body to the ground. This was the arguable climax of the game, generating momentum, and leading the Cats to a big 5-4 win on opening night:

On the other hand, throughout the organization and fan base, most didn’t see Haley as an essential piece to the roster. They’ve said that he takes up roster space for the prospects and younger players that could be getting experience in the big leagues. In today’s game, fighting has become less prevalent in the sport of hockey. Fans and the organization have argued that due to the need for more talent on an NHL roster, Haley should be scratched more often.

Throughout the list of Panthers prospects and upcoming players, it’s been said by many that there are more individuals in the Panthers’ pipeline that deserve more games than Haley. Some of these players include but aren’t limited to Owen Tippet, Aleksi Heponiemi, and Henrik Borgström. These youngsters are part of the future for the Panthers, and many have argued that they deserve the current roster spot that Micheal Haley owned throughout the previous year.

Next: Florida Panthers: Keith Yandle’s 2017-18 Season Recap

With controversy over his playing time, Panthers forward Micheal Haley did what he was told to do while receiving minimal ice time. Ultimately, heading into next season, it’d be advised that he features in fewer games, but knowing Tallon and co. that unfortunately won’t happen.

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