As the 2019-20 season draws near, many fans begin to speculate and wonder how the Florida Panthers will favor this season.
For Florida Panthers fans, the anticipation has mounted on what can only be described as a revolutionary offseason, thus sparking heavy pressure and speculation for the team’s success.
Here, I will present five predictions for the upcoming season and because this piece is intended to prognosticate, I have gone further in detail than was probably necessary. However, I’ll let hubris get the best of me and lay my ego on the line. Let’s have some fun!
First, the Florida Panthers will make the playoffs in a division spot. To further add to the prediction, the Panthers will join the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning in the top three.
The placement is going to be hard to predict, as I believe the teams will be separated by less than ten points altogether due to how competitive the division will be.
However, due to the intention of the article, I’ll go for it and predict the final standings will result with the Bruins first in the Atlantic, followed by Florida and Tampa.
Second, Sergei Bobrovsky will have more than 40 wins. Bobrovsky has been a workhorse the last three seasons, as the two-time Vezina Trophy winner averaged 63 games played over that time. In one of those seasons, Bobrovsky won 41 games and claimed the Vezina as well.
While I don’t contend for Bob to win the Vezina, I do believe he will amass a season of Vezina caliber. With a strong system, forward and defensive group in front of him, Bob will provide that competitive edge needed to finish off close games for the team.
Third, Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau will both regress a bit statistically. Statistically is the keyword, as the two forwards will likely play all season with each other and keep the chemistry ignited between them.
However, the team has committed to reducing the time on ice and pressure mounted on the top line, and rightfully so.
Although the reduction in playing time will be beneficial for the team as a whole, it will ultimately lead to fewer offensive attempts throughout the year. It will also ensure that there’s more scoring balance throughout the lineup, taking the offensive burden off Barkov and Huberdeau’s shoulders – eliminating the top-heavy reliance that we’ve seen over the last few seasons.
At the conclusion of the season, I believe Barkov and Huberdeau will finish in the mid-80s in points, with Barkov finishing with 86 to Huberdeau’s 84.
Fourth, Aaron Ekblad and Mike Matheson will both have career years. There are no two players more in the spotlight right now for the team than Ekblad and Matheson.
Ekblad has played very well over his first five seasons but has yet to show the talent and consistency the franchise expects from a first overall draft pick.
Matheson, another former first-round pick, showed flashes of brilliance during his first two seasons but absolutely collapsed last year. Both are expected to be cornerstones for the franchise long term, and this is going to be the season they both demonstrate their talents.
Both will attain more than ten goals each and more than twenty assists as well. To further predict, Ekblad’s stat line will conclude with 19 goals, 28 assists for 47 points and a +14 rating most importantly.
Matheson, on the other hand, will conclude with 11 goals, 27 assists for 38 points and a +16 rating. Lofty goals considering the previous seasons, but definitely within the talent level of the players and overall modest numbers for players the team have invested heavily in.
Finally, the Panthers will have a top-ten power play and penalty kill. Last year, the team finished second on the power play with a 26.8% success rate and tenth on the penalty kill with an 81.3% kill rate.
Well, nearly all the players from both units returned (with Troy Brouwer the only one on the cusp), and the team has invested in a coaching staff with the pedigree to develop and structure success in the special teams department.
With the right structure and personnel, the success gained last year should not be out of reach for this team this year. At the season’s conclusion, the team will rank ninth on the power play and seventh on the penalty kill.
Of course, it should go without saying that the predictions are predicated with modest injuries and an overall healthy team this year. However, the predictions laid forth are attainable and necessary for the success of the team throughout the course of the season.