As the regular season approaches its halfway point, the Florida Panthers are in a far better place than they were a year ago. Florida is 12-7-1 through 20 games and is second in the Atlantic Division, despite losing back-to-back home games for the first time this season — 3-1 to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday and 3-0 to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.
And this is despite the fact that the squad only participated in two of the twenty games at full strength due to early season absences for players like Aleksander Barkov (three games), Sam Bennett (12 games), Aaron Ekblad (16 games), and Brandon Montour (16 games).
Bill Zito, the general manager of the Panthers, discussed the team’s performance through the first 20 games during Friday’s first intermission on the Bally Sports Florida broadcast. The highlights from that interview are included below.
What aspect of your team has pleased you the most this season so far? The guys’ tenacity and the new players we added over the summer’s ability to fill in rather well under pressure are probably the biggest factors. It’s gone rather smoothly.
The blue line underwent significant retooling in the absence of Montour and Ekblad. Particularly, Niko Mikkola (three goals, five assists) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (five goals, six assists) have shown promise. Do you find it surprising that they have performed this well?
“A little bit, but they really are skilled players,” We’ve had our eye on Mikkola for a while now. OEL was a well-known individual in the league. The fact that both of those players were a good fit in this scenario is a plus. Our requirements matched their areas of expertise. Thus far, it has proven effective. It has been functioning fairly well.
Another player who has had to step up at center because of injuries to Bennett and Barkov is Kevin Stenlund. He’s someone you know from your time in Columbus. What about him has jumped out? Compared to when I was in Columbus, he has truly stepped it up. He was more of a points producer and offensive player, but he has truly established himself as a defensive center. Having a right-handed center aids us.
Stenlund, who alternates between centering the third and fourth lines and playing a significant role on Florida’s penalty kill, has five goals and two assists in 20 games.
The statistics and underlying numbers are excellent when examining the defensive numbers. Did you anticipate that this club would have that kind of organization after playing for a whole season under Paul Maurice? Has it transpired more quickly than you anticipated? It seems to have occurred throughout the latter part of last year. In my opinion, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise for us to maintain the system. Not only are the boys adapting, but they are now beginning to thrive.
Prior to the previous season, Paul Maurice stated that motivating Anton Lundell is a major part of his work. What changes have you observed in Lundell? His approach to playing in unclean environments and taking on what Paul refers to as “the hard things”—going to places where, yes, you could be struck or popped—has advanced. Even though he hasn’t scored many points yet, his play is improved, and he’s played outstanding defense.
How are you finding the home crowds thus far? It’s amazing, isn’t it? It appears that everyone is enjoying themselves and that a large number of individuals have arrived.
Four of the Panthers’ first ten home games were sellouts, and this season, Amerant Bank Arena has not had a crowd less than 16,142.
That as well as this ▪ Mike Reilly, a defenceman, was placed on waivers by the Panthers on Friday. Reilly only participated in two Florida games. According to Maurice, defenseman Josh Mahura is anticipated to remain on injured reserve for a minimum of one more week.
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