The Panthers organization is obsessed with shooting themselves in the foot. Coming off the most successful season in franchise history, the Florida Panthers decided to follow that up by trading away key pieces of their core and now find themselves 10 points adrift from the playoffs.
Is there a team in the NHL that is more synonymous with the word “losers”?
Okay, I don’t want to sound like a jerk or disrespectful to the fans of the Panthers as they are some of the best across the entire league to put up with their hometown team, but it’s true. Aside from maybe saying the Buffalo Sabers, who have only been horrific in the last two decades (2010’s, 2020’s), there’s not a single active team (yes, Atlanta Thrashers, I didn’t forget about you) in hockey that has been worse than the Florida Panthers.
From drafting in the Top-10 year after year, picking busts with many of those high-class draft picks, putting out some of the worst rosters consistently, finishing at the bottom of their division, conference, and the league year in and year out, to then repeating the cycle over and over again, the Panthers organization has earned its reputation as one of the worst run teams in the league.
And I’m sure the Panthers fans would agree with that statement as they have been closely following this team more than anyone else. Well, “closely following” might not be accurately describing how they are watching as the Panthers are notorious for hosting 25-30% empty stadiums every night, even when they were winning 50+ games like last season.
Unfortunately for Panthers fans, the extraordinary success of the Tampa Bay Lighting (aka: 3 Stanley Cup wins, 5 Stanely Cup Finals appearances) has made them the “Face of Florida hockey” in the minds of many and will take decades to match and overtake.
Nevertheless, that process could have been expedited a whole lot quicker if Panthers GM Bill Zito didn’t make the stupidest decision of his professional career by not only trading away two valuable, irreplaceable pieces of the Panthers’ winning core, but also trading away longtime leader and team legend Jonathan Huberdeau in the process.
I don’t need to explain why trading away Huberdeau, who was the team’s 3rd overall pick in the 2011 NHL draft, had played a decade with the franchise, is still the team’s all-time leader in points (613), assists (415), games played (671), and is second in goals (198), is just an awful move. That quick rundown of stats should prove it.
Yes, getting Matthew Tkachuk, who is a younger and more aggressive forward, was good for the franchise as they now have another marketable star that is currently on pace for 93-point season, but not at the expense of the heart and soul of the franchise.
Huberdeau was the longest concurrent serving member, the alternate captain, and was one of the two main on-ice leaders (captain Alex Barkov is the other) during the Panthers historic 58 win and 122-point season. His output, experience, and leadership were invaluable for an organization that is allergic to success.
Not since the mid 1990’s when the newly incorporated Panthers reached the Stanely Cup Finals against the Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, and Peter Forsberg-led Colorado Avalanche has a Panthers team made it out of the First round of the playoffs. Until last season…under the leadership of Jonathan Huberdeau and many others.
It was Huberdeau’s league-leading 85 assists and Panthers single-season record 115 points that powered the Cats past the Capitals in 6 games. Moreover, MacKenzie Weeger, the second major trade piece in the deal, was a rock in the back end of the Panthers defense all season long, resulting in the team giving up the 11th least number of goals (246 GAA).
And Weegar’s loss is a major reason why the Panthers have already given up 134 goals in just 39 games and are projected to allow 282 goals, nearly a 15% increase from last season. Reversely, the offense without Huberdeau has only scored 129 goals in 39 games and is project to score a grand total of 271 goals, an almost 70 goal drop off.
That’s horrific for a team that has not only dropped to 7th place in the ATLANTIC DIVISION (not even the conference), but also has a negative goal difference (-5).
This trade just goes to show that even though another team’s player might have better stats and more longevity, it’s always prudent to stick with the players that are working and actively producing. Especially so when those players combined for 159 points in a President Trophy winning season.
Images Source: Featured Images:
