There has been a rejuvenation in excitement and angst among the fanbase with the news of the Florida Panthers hiring three-time Stanley Cup winner Joel Quenneville as their new head coach.
Joel Quenneville will be the franchise’s 16th head coach and 4th coach in three years. While the move creates yet another change at the position, Coach Q actually brings a sense of stability for the future, along with prestige and a winning pedigree that has been missing from the recent Florida Panthers head coaches.
His resume commands respect and this acquisition further establishes the desire of a winning culture that management and ownership have been looking for.
An experienced head coach brings many facets. Coach Q brings an understanding of strategies, mid-game adjustments, and development of chemistry and fundamentals.
As well, his presence adds prestige which encourages success with recruiting free agency additions, drafting, and key player signings.
His development of young players will be intriguing to watch as the Panthers have a host of young players in need of direction and leadership from the head coaching position.
Two players that should benefit and develop well under Coach Q are Henrik Borgstrom and Michael Matheson.
Although we are confined to a small sample size of 54 games, over the past two seasons, Borgstrom’s presence with the Florida Panthers has been underwhelming to say the least.
Prior to joining the Panthers, Borgstrom was routinely touted from pundits and management as he tore through college hockey, winning the National Championship in 2017 and being nominated for the Hobey Baker award in 2018.
Following Denver’s elimination from the NCAA tournament in 2018, Borgstrom immediately joined the Panthers, signing a three-year entry-level contract.
The Panthers, while closing out the regular season, made a playoff push that had the team go 25-8-2 in their last 35 games.
Being only a few points behind the last wild-card spot, management decided to burn Borgstrom’s first year of his contract, hoping to create a spark and add depth to reach the postseason.
In a salary cap era, this is a very valuable expense to a low-budget team. Ultimately, the team missed the playoffs by one point, and Borgstrom only played a small role at third line center registering one point with a goal in the final game throughout the four games he spent with the Panthers.
When the 2018 season was approaching, most people anticipated Borgstrom to start the season with the Panthers. However, he was sent down to Springfield (AHL affiliate) to start the year.
He was eventually pulled up to the Panthers and ended the season having played 50 games, again in a limited third line center role and on the second power-play unit.
While averaging a measly 12 minutes per game, Borgstrom had limited exposure to situations that would develop or build his confidence.
Borgstrom still posted a respectable stat line of 8 goals and 10 assists for 18 points throughout the season. However, expect a larger and more unique role to be given to Borgstrom by Quenneville.
Having a tandem of Aleksander Barkov and Vincent Trocheck as your first and second line centers poses a difficult challenge to reserving time for a young prospect, but Coach Q has a history of getting creative with lines to utilize key players at certain times.
Through his tenure with Chicago, Toews and Kane were routinely put together to spark momentum. As well, he would jumble lines to allow younger players to develop and showcase their talent.
Expect to see Borgstrom used in more creative scenarios and his talent utilized more than just a third line center capacity.
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In comparison with Borgstrom’s, a much harsher description is needed for Michael Matheson’s season this past year.
While being viewed as a top three Panthers defenseman going into the season, Matheson was anything but that and unlike Borgstrom, Matheson averaged over 22 minutes a game.
His points total matched his previous season at 27, but his plus/minus accurately portrays his regression, going from a (-1) in 81 games last year, to a (-24) in 75 games this season.
His play was noticeably thought of as poor by management and coaching staff. He was benched numerous times throughout the season and made a healthy scratch this season as well.
However, anybody who has watched the Panthers over the past few seasons can see the potential is there for the smooth-skating and intelligent Matheson.
His game and talents are strikingly similar to that of a young Duncan Keith. Like the success he had with Keith, Quenneville should be able to develop Matheson into the confident skater we had seen prior and develop his defensive game limiting his mistakes while unlocking his offensive potential as well.
While the team as a whole should benefit from the hiring of Quenneville, Borgstrom and Matheson look to be in the best position to improve upon their recent struggled seasons. Expect to see them both have strong bounce-back seasons, which will be necessary for the Panthers to reach the postseason.