Florida Panthers: Expect Denis Malgin to Bounce Back in 2020

After an underwhelming 2018-19 season, forward Denis Malgin will push to bounce back in 2020 with the rejuvenated Florida Panthers.

2018-19 wasn’t so kind to the Swiss native. His season was filled with lots of inconsistent play and healthy scratches which kept him out of the lineup for an extended amount of time.

In 50 games played, Malgin produced a disappointing tally of 7G, 9A, and 16 points. His prior year (2017-18), which was unquestionably his best season as a Panther to date, saw the 5’9″, 177lb forward record 11G, 11A, for 22 points in 51 games.

It was in that season where Malgin received some playing time in the top six (primarily on the second line), where he scored a couple of crucial goals that landed Florida a few extra points.

It seemed that the young Denis Malgin was starting to find a home on the roster, but eventually, that role started to diminish.

As the Panthers brought in other guys like Frank Vatrano and Mike Hoffman to shore up on the offensive depth, Malgin’s role was undoubtedly going to be reduced.

To make matters worse, his play became more inconsistent, and because of that, it didn’t help his case for being in the lineup.

Over a period of time, Malgin was bouncing around from the fourth line to healthy scratch throughout the majority of the 2018-19 campaign. Now, with the Panthers expected to land a certain somebody up front through free agency, where’s Malgin’s home going to be?

Depending on the extent that the Panthers address their bottom-six concerns, Denis Malgin could play a crucial role as a depth player for the Cats next season.

Yes, he won’t feature on the top two lines; that’s certain, but if the Panthers decide to push Frank Vatrano down to the third to play alongside Henrik Borgstrom, Malgin could fight for the last spot on that line.

He will face staunch competition from rookie Owen Tippett, who’s looking to crack the Panthers’ opening night lineup this fall.

Worst case, even if Malgin doesn’t cut the top nine, he could still crack the bottom line if the Panthers feel he could add to their cycle game.

The Panthers’ fourth line has been weak for a while, and adding some speed to go along with what they’re trying to build down there couldn’t possibly hurt.

Yes, the argument could be made that Malgin isn’t a fourth-line type of player, nor is he the most “physical” of players either, but with the game evolving through more speed and skill, Malgin provides that cycle play that could benefit Florida’s fourth line, allowing them to retain more possession of the puck.

Either way, finding a home for Denis Malgin won’t be easy. And with the team likely to become deeper offensively, spots are only dwindling from the top to bottom.

It’s ultimately up to Malgin to find his own way in this particular situation and work hard enough to beat out the others who are fighting for the same spot.

If Malgin does find a home anywhere on this Panthers roster, do expect him to contribute in a more meaningful way than he has in seasons prior.

Now with Joel Quenneville on the end of the Panthers bench, ready to provide some stability from a coaching standpoint, players like Malgin will start to receive a real chance and will have to perform in the now to really show their worth.

His contributions won’t be regarded as high as the others, but on a team, you need everyone to fulfill their respective roles.

If Malgin becomes more consistent with his play and finds his niche on this team, you could very well expect a bounce-back season from Denis Malgin in 2019-20 that could give the Panthers that extra bottom-six spark.