BY A.J. KURZMAN
After the NHL and NHLPA reached an agreement that effectively ended the 119-day lockout on January 6th, 2013, players were vaulted into the bedlam that is a 48 game season. Teams had a mere week of training camp before opening night. A total of 510 games were cancelled this season as a result of the lockout, including the annual winter classic and the NHL all-star game.
With the 2013 season being shortened to 48 games, it’s imperative for teams to get off to a good start. Unfortunately with only five games completed, the Panthers are a dismal 1-4. A fantastic opening night for Florida was followed up with four very poor performances where the ailing cats looked sloppy and out of shape. It doesn’t help though that top forwards Tomas Fleischmann, Kris Versteeg, and Stephen Weiss are all dealing with injuries, as well as Sean Bergenheim, Marcel Goc, and defenseman Erik Gudbranson. The key for the panthers will be to make a recovery as soon as possible considering every game truly counts. With a long road trip ahead of the Cats, players must step up and lead the team back to a winning record.
The player to watch this year on the Panthers is rookie forward Jonathan Huberdeau. He’s been paired on a line with veteran and recent signee Alex Kovalev, and Peter Mueller. Mueller was a former first round pick by the Phoenix Coyotes. Mueller is a very talented forward who has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. He was given an opportunity by the Panthers because when healthy, he has a knack for putting the puck in the net. General Manager Dale Tallon is hoping veteran Kovalev will have a positive impact on the young Huberdeau. Huberdeau was drafted 3rd overall by the Panthers in 2011 and shows all the talent necessary to be an NHL star one day. With the Saint John Sea Dogs last year, he tallied 30 goals and 42 assists in just 37 games played. Huberdeau’s NHL debut went extremely well as he scored on his first career shot and second career shift. He added on two assists as well, en rout to a 5-1 victory opening night against Carolina.
Unlike last year, where the Panthers edged out their opponents for the first division title in franchise history, the road to repeat will be much tougher. It will be much more difficult this year because every other division team has made key additions. Carolina added Jordan Staal and Alexnder Semin, Winnipeg added Olli Jokinen, Washington added Mike Ribeiro, and Tampa Bay added Anders Lindback, Sami Salo, and Matt Carle. Given the improvements of the other teams, I can’t see the Panthers realistically winning the division again this year. I believe with the key defensive additions Tampa made, they will take home the 2013 division title as long as their offense continues to produce. Even if the Panthers don’t make the playoffs this year, the future is bright for these young cats as they boast the number one prospect pool in the NHL.
