Panthers Cup win worth studying

Opinion

It’s that time of year, when the marathon that is the regular season and Stanley Cup playoffs gives way to a two-week sprint that attacks the present and addresses the future.

With Lord Stanley’s silver chalice awarded to the Florida Panthers on Tuesday after they dispatched the Edmonton Oilers in a much-anticipated rematch, teams around the NHL are preparing for the 2025 NHL draft and the free-agent frenzy that quickly follows.

Before those two big events on the calendar arrive, the deep dives looking under the hood at how the Panthers captured consecutive titles will be happening in the other 31 markets, including Winnipeg.

Each title run is different, but there are some common themes for the Panthers, whose unwavering commitment to playing suffocating defence is the gold standard when it comes to post-season play.

Now, keeping this star-studded band together is going to be incredibly challenging for Panthers general manager Bill Zito, especially when you consider the list of pending unrestricted free agents includes Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett, runner-up Brad Marchand and top-pairing defenceman Aaron Ekblad just to name a few (more of this later).

Zito has shown his creativity on numerous occasions since taking over the job and you can bet he’ll be making his pitch to keep as many of the talented players together, while adding some additional hungry folks to round out the roster, just like Glen Sather did when he was running the Oilers during the dynastic years in the 1980s.

These Panthers, who have US$19 million in cap space available with 16 players under contract, are a juggernaut and if you expect them to just fade into the sunset, you haven’t been paying close enough attention.

Among the core players still under contract for multiple seasons include All-World goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, captain Aleksander Barkov, high-scoring forwards Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe, complementary checkers/scorers like Evan Rodrigues, Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen and defencemen Gustav Forsling, Seth Jones and Niko Mikkola.

No matter what happens in free agency, that’s an outstanding group to build around.

Speaking of building, it’s worth noting that the 2024-25 Panthers featured four homegrown talents among the 23 players to appear in these playoffs — all of whom were chosen in the first round.

Ekblad (first overall, 2014), Barkov (second overall, 2013) and Lundell (12th overall, 2020) had an outstanding playoff, while Mackie Samoskevich (24th overall, 2021) got into four playoff games this spring.

A total of 11 players were signed in free agency and seven were acquired in trades (including Bennett, Marchand, Tkachuk and Reinhart, who had four goals in the clincher).

One of the best D-men of the playoffs, Gustav Forsling, was claimed off waivers from the Carolina Hurricanes, before growing into a player that has made life difficult for Oilers captain Connor McDavid during the past two playoff meetings.

It’s worth noting the Panthers’ roster featured 14 returnees that also had won the Stanley Cup in 2024, while Marchand (2011 with the Boston Bruins) and forward Nico Sturm (2022 with the Colorado Avalanche) brought additional championship pedigree in separate deadline deals.

While it’s true that Zito doesn’t encounter some of the impediments the Jets run into when it comes to no-trade clauses and attracting top-end free agents, here are three lessons Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff and company can borrow from the Panthers as the the off-season ramps up:

Depth is critical

There’s no denying the impact that the Panthers top players had throughout the playoffs, punctuated by the final series, but when your third line provides outstanding defensive play to go along with 57 points, you know you’ve got the formula for success. Marchand (10 goals, 20 points), Luostarinen (five goals, 19 points — all of which came at even strength) and Lundell (six goals, 18 points) were the undisputed best third line of the post-season.

The trio of Adam Lowry, Mason Appleton and Nino Niederreiter were definitely in the conversation for a good chunk of the regular season before things tailed off on the offensive side. The future of Appleton, a pending UFA, is up in the air but the Jets already prioritize the importance of having a third line that delivers in all three zones.

The Panthers got at least one point from 21 of the 22 skaters that appeared in the playoffs, while 11 of them were in double digits — and six of those had between 20 and 23 points. The Jets had plenty of depth scoring during the regular season, but could have used a bit more during the playoffs.

Depth also applies to defence, where former Jets Nate Schmidt (three goals, 11 points in 23 games) and Dmitry Kulikov made up a solid third pairing. The Jets had 10 different D-men suit up during the regular season and eight in the playoffs, so they know the value of having capable blue-liners on call. Securing additional depth up front and on the back end will be a priority for the Jets.

Bobrovsky is flourishing at age 36

In any other playoff, Bobrovsky could have been a runaway winner for the Conn Smythe. Although he’s only concerned with the bigger silver trophy, Bobrovsky now has two Stanley Cups to go along with his two Vezinas (2012-13, 2016-17). As for growing into the goalie you want between the pipes when the lights are shining brightest, Bobrovsky wasn’t an overnight sensation — even with his flashy resumé.

During his first six trips to the playoffs when he made at least one start, Bobrovsky had only one outstanding showing and that was in 2019, when the Columbus Blue Jackets pulled off one of the greatest upsets in NHL history, sweeping the Lightning after they had won the Presidents’ Trophy. Bobrovsky and his teammates bowed out in six games to the Boston Bruins in the second round, but he finished with a save percentage of .925 and a goals-against average of 2.41 in his 10 starts that spring.

In 2023, Bobrovsky lost the starting job down the stretch to Alex Lyon but regained his form and helped spark the comeback against the Bruins before leading the team to the Cup final before losing to the Vegas Golden Knights. Bobrovsky has been tremendous the past two springs, earning each of the 32 wins required to get to the top of the mountain.

So, while there has been plenty of chatter about Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck needing to elevate his game in the playoffs, seeing what Bobrovsky has done into his mid-30s is another example that the development path isn’t always linear. It’s up to Hellebuyck to deliver, but to suggest he can’t reach that level because he hasn’t by the age of 32 is simply a bad take.

Follow the leaders

One of the narratives out there is that winning the Presidents’ Trophy doesn’t matter and that’s just not true. It’s been a lengthy dry spell since the Chicago Blackhawks finished first overall before winning their second of three Stanley Cups in 2013, there’s no doubt about that. And while it’s accurate that regular-season success doesn’t necessarily translate to playoff results, the Panthers showed recently that it’s part of the process of learning what it takes.

Florida was first overall in 2022, then refined the way they played after former Jets head coach Paul Maurice took over behind the bench. A coaching change isn’t always required either, since the Lightning were first overall in 2019 before winning consecutive Cups under Jon Cooper in 2020 and 2021. Jared Bednar guided the Avalanche to the Presidents’ Trophy in 2021 and they won it all in 2021. Going back a bit further, the Washington Capitals finished first overall in 2016 and 2017 before capturing the Cup in 2018.

The Jets are in the process of becoming more playoff ready and allowing the fewest goals in the NHL during the regular season is an important part of that. Strides have been taken in terms of play without the puck, but while Jets head coach Scott Arniel can find plenty of examples when it comes to growth, the Panthers commitment level is unmatched right now. They boast the perfect combination of skill and will and can also make life difficult on their opponent through physical play.

The Jets are on the right path and the template for success has been augmented and improved, but the next steps forward that are required are big ones.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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