Florida Panthers’ Youngsters are Their Only Bright Lights
March 1st, 2013 by Alan Greenberg Leave a reply »When the Florida Panthers managed to finish atop the Southeast Division last season, and then take the New Jersey Devils to double overtime in the seven-game first-playoff round, Panthers followers were saying that Dale Tallon's long-term rebuilding plan was ahead of schedule. Maybe so. Tallon made a few seemingly ingenious moves by stockpiling draft choices and selective veteran acquisitions.
As credible as the first-place finish had seemed—in reality, they barely qualified for the playoffs—it might have hurt them by dropping them to No. 23 in the 2012 draft. In the previous two years, the low finishes gave the Cats the No. 3 pick each year, which landed them Erik Gudbranson in 2010 and Jonathan Huberdeau in 2011. These two have already established that they are ready for the NHL, with a formidable group behind them still in juniors or college.
Unfortunately, with the disastrous start to the shortened season, the hopes built up last season have been deflated. It's been the perfect ice storm. After 20 games, the Panthers are No. 27 in NHL points and, among other dubious stats, have given up the most goals and have the highest neg ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Alan Greenberg
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