RD, Robert Svehla, (1994-2002)
Robert Svehla might be the most underrated Panther of all-time.
The 6-foot-1 Slovak played eight of his nine NHL seasons in South Florida, and he holds the record for most points and games played by a defenseman in franchise history (290 points in 573 games played).
Svehla held the record for most career goals by a defenseman in the team’s history before being surpassed by current Panthers stud Aaron Ekblad this past season.
He recorded five 40+ point campaigns in just eight seasons including a 57-point year.
His points-per-game total of 0.511 is 100th best in NHL history for blueliners and has him above the likes of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Ryan Suter, and Niklas Kronwall.
While I know that offensive production isn’t everything when analyzing a defenseman, Svehla’s output from the back-end was too impressive to ignore.
For fans of the game, it’s a shame he retired at the age of 34.
Svehla decided it was time to hang up his skates and spend more time with his family in Slovakia after playing his final season with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2003.
For more information regarding his retirement, check out this article posted by The Globe and Mail.