Florida Panthers: Expect Henrik Borgstrom to Reach 35 Points This Season

Just turning 22 today, the youngest player on our roster, Henrik Borgstrom had a very promising season in 2018-19 and could build on it in 2019-20.

Borgstrom, a former 1st round draft pick from the University of Denver, showed glimpses of talent last season for the Florida Panthers. With stats of 18 points (8 goals, 10 assists) across 50 games, the numbers may not jump out at you, but the talent is well and truly there.

Borgstrom is a certified playmaker but really struggled to contribute consistently last season. There’s a lot of reasons for this, but the main reason I’d eye was the lack of foundation that Borgstrom had throughout the season.

By this, I mean Borgstrom’s role was never truly set during his time under Bob Boughner. Borgstrom would play on the second line at right-wing one night and as the fourth line center the next night. For a 21 year old that hasn’t made groundbreaking waves in the NHL yet, this was a challenge for Borgstrom throughout the year to truly showcase his talents.

The difference between the Florida Panthers’ second and fourth lines last season was immeasurable. Setting up Michael Haley is a lot harder than setting up Mike Hoffman.

While playing on the fourth line last season might have taught the Finn some valuable defensive tips, it’s not the player he is. The Panthers struggled to give Borgstrom talent besides him, with power forwards and grinders like Haley, Jamie McGinn, and Colton Sceviour just not fit to play with Borgstrom.

Even with that, Borgstrom did well to showcase his talents this last season. He’s got a great hockey IQ to plan out attacks, dispensing beautiful passes or being in the right place at the right time. He has one of the nicest wrist shot releases on the team, the motion of his shot is so smooth, but hasn’t benefitted too much off of it.

This next season, I think his production changes. Borgstrom should (bar any injuries) have a consistent line that should help his game progress next season.

Next season, Borgstrom should be playing alongside two young wingers with a keen eye for goal, who will help Borgstrom’s assist numbers. On the left side should be 20-goal-scorer Frank Vatrano.

While he spent a lot of time away from Borgstrom last season on the 2nd line, the new acquisition of Brett Connolly might knock Vatrano back down the pecking order. This isn’t a knock on Vatrano’s play, however, but it may benefit him even more.

As covered before, Vatrano is the type of forward who wants to get into good positions in the attacking zone. His speedy movement gives defensemen nightmares and should give Borgstrom a very good linemate.

This would definitely help his assist numbers, giving a reliable left-winger, who can bag somewhere between 15-25 goals next season, depending on how Vatrano progresses. Vatrano’s 15 assists might also give Borgstrom a few goals on two-on-one opportunities.

On the right side is a bit of a mystery, it’ll be a toss-up between rookie Owen Tippett and Denis Malgin. Both have solid claims to be on the third line, and it’ll be decided at a later date by head coach Joel Quenneville.

Tippett, like Borgstrom, played with linemates that didn’t fit his style of play as a sniper. One goal in 10 games as a pro shows that something wasn’t right during his first stint with the Panthers.

Tippett has a legitimate shot and would give Borgstrom two great goalscorers next to him. This would up his assist numbers, but would also allow Borgstrom more separation from defensemen when he gives the puck up.

Malgin is going to give Borgstrom a better chance for the Finn to score goals. Malgin is a playmaker similar to Borgstrom, not quite known for his finishing, but able to grab some pretty assists. If Borgstrom wants to reach more than 8 goals, Malgin could help.

Malgin is also exceptional at getting to the right positions. He’d give Borgstrom some great assist opportunities if he can improve his finishing. Malgin is still an RFA and needs to be signed by Florida.

In terms of a projection, I think Borgstrom can roughly double his point tally from last season in 2019-20. Playing under Joel Quenneville, playing alongside better linemates, and playing with a year of experience under his belt, he should improve next year.

Realistically, expecting 35 points keeps the pressure down from him being too hyped up. A clean 11 goals and 24 assists as a 22-year-old third-line center is nothing to complain about.

It wouldn’t surprise me, however, if Borgstrom finished with 5-10 more points. He showed he can dominate games in the NCAA and AHL, but keeping expectations realistic, especially for a young gun prevents knocking his confidence.