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Florida Panthers October Report Cards

By Cal Friedman

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 08: Florida Panthers mascot Stanley C. Panther waves a flag prior to the game between the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes at BB&T Center on October 08, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 08: Florida Panthers mascot Stanley C. Panther waves a flag prior to the game between the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes at BB&T Center on October 08, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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A’s: Jonathan Huberdeau, MacKenzie Weegar

SUNRISE, FL – OCT. 18: Jonathan Huberdeau #11 of the Florida Panthers celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at the BB&T Center on October 18, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL – OCT. 18: Jonathan Huberdeau #11 of the Florida Panthers celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period against the Colorado Avalanche at the BB&T Center on October 18, 2019 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images) /

As far as 90 or above, I don’t think the Panthers have had too many exceptional players this month. It’s been a relatively pedestrian month, so I don’t feel that too many players are deserving of a top grade.

For Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar, however, they’re both in need of some serious praise. Huberdeau’s 15 points (7 goals, 8 assists), with 12 of them coming at even-strength has been a serious focal point in the offense. Weegar has made a serious claim for being the defenseman on the roster, excellent on both ends.

Under Quenneville, Huberdeau has looked seriously improved in front of goal. While Huberdeau never had a “problem” scoring goals, he did squander a lot of opportunities.

Out of a lot of the roster, Huberdeau would seem to always be the one to waste an odd-man rush due to a poorly timed extra pass. Those extra passes have gone out the window for the French-Canadian, replaced by some lethal wrist shots.

MacKenzie Weegar’s play this month has to be worthy of some praise not just within the Panthers’ organization, but by other organizations as well. This past month was the most goals, assists, points, and takeaways Weegar had earned in a single month ever. What makes it better is that he’s done it with multiple different defensemen.

Whether it was with Anton Stralman or Aaron Ekblad, the 25-year-old kept his incredible form on both ends. Weegar’s minimal penalty taking has also shown a growth of maturity.

In my “Candidates to Break Out” piece, I mentioned Weegar could be the best defenseman on the roster. What I didn’t see coming was the offensive output. To put it in reference, Weegar is now only 7 points from his career-high after one month. His three goals and six assists have him as the top scorer amongst defensemen in the first month.

Jonathan Huberdeau: 97 (A+)

MacKenzie Weegar: 95 (A)

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