2012-13 record: 15-27-6 (36 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: Ed Jovanovski
Just when you thought the Florida Panthers were on the path to respectability, last season happened, and it was not pretty. And now, the Panthers will be minus Stephen Weiss, who bolted for Detroit in the off-season. The Panthers were roundly criticized for taking Aleksander Barkov instead of Seth Jones in the 2013 Draft, but given Weiss' departure, Barkov is now, for better or for worse, the Panthers' number one center. He will be given a chance to center a line between the team's leading scorer Tomas Fleischmann and Kris Versteeg, who missed time due to injury. Jonathan Huberdeau is the team's best hope for anything exciting, as they were tied for 29th on offense and last on defense. As if that wasn't enough, the Panthers may very well be breaking in rookies on half of the forward spots. The blue line is in better hands, provided that Ed Jovanovski can make a full return from injuries that limited him to six games last year. At the very least, the Panthers can roll six capable players on defense that have played in the NHL prior to this season. It will have to be good, as the goaltending will be very young, as in right now, Jacob Markstrom is the starter with Michael Houser as the backup. With Scott Clemmensen expected to miss the first part of the season, it was no wonder the Panthers extended training camp invites to an old hand (Jose Theodore) and two goalies on their own planet (Tim Thomas and Ilya Bryzgalov).
Prospects: Barkov is a given to make the Panthers' roster, as the Panthers don't really have anyone else at center capable of being even a good second liner. Quinton Howden, Nick Bjugstad, and Vincent Trocheck are likely to get a look as the season progresses, as will Alex Petrovic on defense.
Prediction: 8th in the Atlantic Division
The playoff appearance in 2012 was an encouraging sign for a team that needed a confidence boost. In 2013, the Panthers crashed back to Earth, and now, they are about to find out just how accurate their drafting and development in recent years really is, as potentially a third of their roster could be made up of players getting their first taste of NHL action.
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