Florida Panthers: Why the Cats Are Ready for a Major Move Forward

September 17th, 2013 by Alan Greenberg Leave a reply »

Understandably, most of the so-called experts picked the Florida Panthers to finish at the bottom of the NHL again this year. Last year's disastrous season, combined with the tough realignment, does not, on paper, bode well for the Cats.

Let's not rush to judgment. The 2012-13 season was the perfect storm. Injuries to regulars devastated the team more then any other NHL entry. Some of the key injuries did not even happen during the NHL season, such as Erik Gudbranson's wakeboarding accident or Sean Bergenheim's abdominal problems which began while he was playing in Europe during the lockout. Injuries reached the ludicrous stage when goaltending coach Rob Tallas had to sign a one-day contract and sit on the bench as the spare goalie while awaiting the arrival of Jacob Markstrom who was delayed en route from San Antonio.

Eleven players had surgery last season, if you count Aleksander Barkov's offseason shoulder operation. This year has already included one surgery (Scott Clemmensen). Underlying all of the other variables required for a successful season will be how well the body parts healed and how the team can stay healthy during the ...

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