Florida Panthers: MacKenzie Weegar Will Strive in his Sophomore Season
By Jake Tucker
After a mediocre year, defenseman MacKenzie Weegar will strive in his second season with the Florida Panthers.
Florida Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar is coming off of his first NHL season. He competed in sixty games in the previous year, posting two goals and six assists for a total of eight points. This may have been a mediocre rookie season for Weegar, but in a bigger role, he’s due for a breakthrough.
At the start of the season, not many knew how Weegar would fit in with the Cats. The typical fan would think that he’s another typical roster filler, but Weegar showed that he’s more than that.
His playing style resembles the type of play that is needed in today’s brand of hockey: speed. His ability to quickly move the puck up the ice while also maintaining a steady presence on the defensive side will only improve and grow as he matures.
An example of this offensive skill comes from a game against the Carolina Hurricanes. After defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk put the Canes up 1-0, the Cats quickly answered back.
Weegar picked up a drop pass from forward
to then make a heads up play to go to the net and score. The smarts displayed in this move can help show how Weegar can continue to grow offensively.
In addition, there’s something that Weegar has that not many bottom pairing defensemen have in this league: the ability to play with anyone.
In his particular role last season, this trait is a must because of how much he’s in-and-out of the lineup. Since he was in-and-out of the lineup quite frequently, MacKenzie learned to play with other players, especially with those he didn’t have set chemistry with.
Throughout the course of the season, he was matched up with several defensemen ranging from Ian McCoshen to Alexander Petrovic.
His ability to play with anyone at any given time was a very important quality to the team. It ultimately meant that in any situation, any time, and any game, Weegar was ready to play. This trait particularly showed his commitment to play more, learn more, and improve more.
Finally, his ability to provide depth on a consistent basis is what makes him a viable option for the bottom pair. Florida’s roster currently has nine defensemen, with only six getting to play per game. When bodies start to pile up on the injury chart (which they have in the past), defensemen like MacKenzie Weegar come in handy to fall back on.
If a player gets hurt or has another reason that prevents him from playing, depth is a key factor that keeps successful hockey teams from plummeting.
Say a player like Keith Yandle gets hurt or the Panthers lose a couple of top-four pairing defensemen to injuries, Weegar is the type of guy who can step right in and get the job done at any expense.
Sure, Weegar isn’t a traditional top-four pairing defenseman, he isn’t close to that ceiling yet, but what MacKenzie can offer is some reassurance if the Cats ever got that desperate at the back, and taking a trip down memory lane from the injury-riddled 2016-17 campaign, just about anything can happen to this team in terms of injuries!
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With his first NHL season in the books, MacKenzie Weegar can only improve in the coming years. As he continues to mature over the years, the Panthers will continue to expect more out of the Ottawa native, regardless of what line he plays on.