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Florida Panthers: It Was Time For Jared McCann’s Departure

By Jake Tucker

OTTAWA, ON - MARCH 29: Florida Panthers Center Jared McCann (90) skates during warm-up before National Hockey League action between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators on March 29, 2018, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
OTTAWA, ON - MARCH 29: Florida Panthers Center Jared McCann (90) skates during warm-up before National Hockey League action between the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators on March 29, 2018, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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After a short opportunity in the sunshine state, it was right for the Florida Panthers to move on from Jared McCann.

In the 2014 NHL Draft, the Vancouver Canucks selected forward Jared McCann with the 14th overall pick. He had plenty of potential, based on his stellar offensive numbers combined with a promising defensive mind. In his first NHL season, McCann had a mediocre performance.

At the end of the year, he posted 9 goals and 9 assists for an 18-point season. While decent, the opportunity was there for McCann to develop into a great professional hockey player.

However, the Canucks wanted to go in a different direction. If Jared wanted to become a star in the league, it would have to be in the United States.

On May 25th, 2016, the Vancouver Canucks and the Florida Panthers conducted a trade that would change each organization for years to come.

The Canucks sent McCann and a few picks to Florida for a defenseman, Erik Gudbranson, and a pick. This move shocked the hockey world, leading to both fanbases being enraged for their team’s possible mistake.

For Vancouver, McCann was a big prospect that was selected high in the draft. He was supposed to be an offensive weapon for the future that proved in his first stint to have a unique skill set.

An example comes from a shootout goal he scored against the Panthers on Roberto Luongo, where he went from his backhand to his forehand on a beautiful deke.

For Florida, Gudbranson was a huge piece of their defensive core for the future. While he wasn’t gifted offensively, he was a tall, solid player who could intimidate any opponent.

He provided stability for the back end, helping the young guns play their game with ease, knowing they had someone who had their back and was ready to retaliate at an instant.

When he came into South Florida, Jared McCann was ready to take his NHL career into a new direction. While he was in Vancouver, he only got third/fourth line minutes, not getting much playing time in result.

Also, he didn’t even play a full season in a Canucks uniform, with 69 games being the highest amount he featured in a given season. As such, he expressed how he really had room for potential in a new location.

During his first season, due to a significant loss of playing time due to injury, McCann only played 29 games with the Cats. In this time, he had a depressing 1 goal and 6 assists.

This is largely due to his extended stint in the minors with Florida’s affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. That’s where he lasted most of the season, as it was determined he wasn’t NHL ready.

With this, he didn’t reach the potential the organization and fanbase had initially thought of. Once again, his true potential was not realized, and the critics were all over him. He was supposed to light the lamp around the league, and he was nowhere close to doing that.

In the following season, not only did he start to improve, but he received a sort of role reassignment for himself.

He turned from a possible NHL superstar when it came to the numbers on offense, to a two-way center in a bottom-six role, expected to fulfill the nitty-gritty work for his team.

During the 2017-18 campaign, he put up 9 goals and 28 points, reflecting an improvement in his offensive game, even with a new role.

This led to one of the best second-half runs in years, as the Panthers finished with 96 points, barely missing the playoffs. It seemed that McCann finally solidified his place as a Florida Panther. Unfortunately, this was far off.

As the following season began, it seemed to be make or break for McCann. He was doing decent in his role as a third line center, playing with Frank Vatrano and Denis Malgin.

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But after half of the season, in order to make cap room for the future, the organization needed to remove contracts. Players like McCann were easy to find, especially at his price.

As a surprise to a lot of people, Jared McCann was once again relocated to another city. Along with forward Nick Bjugstad, the two players were shipped off to the city of Pittsburgh to play with Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.

This move was made for the Pens to acquire center depth and help on the penalty kill, so this made perfect sense for both parties.

For Florida, they finally removed the contract that was adding a small, but unneeded amount on their salary cap: the multimillion-dollar deal held by Nick Bjugstad.

Essentially, the Cats were able to free up space to sign or trade for big names around the league to turn them into that cup-contending team they envision to be.

Bodies they might want to bring in/ones that they’ve been heavily linked to are none other than Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky. Regardless, Florida took the first step in going in this direction.

After a multi-year chance with the Florida Panthers, it was clear that it was time for Jared McCann to head out.

Next. Will Derick Brassard Remain in FLA After Monday?. dark

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