Panthers Begin To Head Back to Relevancy
Feb 27, 2022 16:07:22 GMT -5
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Post by Florida Panthers on Feb 27, 2022 16:07:22 GMT -5
Is the 50 game mark the new trade deadline? Maybe not quite but it’s still a spicy time of year in the VHL. This was marked by the Florida Panthers making 3 trades including 2 blockbuster trades to bring in superstars Mika Zibanejad and Connor Hellebuyck. Shipping out plenty of prospects and draft picks in return, fret not cats fans as the cupboards are still stocked and the Panthers are adding a legit 1C along with an elite goaltender. We sat down with GM Rensby-Wills to pick his brain on why he made these moves.
Wow, 3 trades in one day including 2 blockbusters. What spurred this flurry of activity?
Our front office has gone over different scenarios and directions we could take with this team. With adding Meier and Cirelli earlier this year, we felt that our team wasn’t actually too far off from being a playoff team next season. After reaching out to multiple GM’s about pieces we felt our team was missing, talks got going and we ended up here.
Why rush the rebuild to try to make playoffs next season? Won’t these moves hurt your teams draft stock this year?
I wouldn’t say we are rushing the rebuild, I know we are a basement dweller but the core pieces were already there to have a successful squad. We just needed to add a bit more to get there. To be completely honest we’re all sick of rebuilding and want to build a winning culture again. As for our draft stock, we trust our scouting and believe that if we’re picking anywhere in the top 15 that we will draft an impact player. We would rather be closer to the cup next year than closer to 1st overall this year.
Do these trades set you back in the long term?
I mean you could argue that…but I believe we are extending our playoff window by a few years by making these moves. Instead of waiting for every prospect to develop, which can take 5+ years. We still have a strong enough prospect pool to keep us competitive for the long term.
Lets change things up here, who are your pleasant surprises so far this year? Roster player wise and prospect wise.
We’ve had a few roster players take significant steps forward this year. But the biggest surprise for us is probably Seth Jarvis. Our scouts were extremely high on him in his draft year ranking him 5th, but we had no idea he would be this good this early. While he’s struggled as of late, he’s shown at 20 years old that he isn’t out of place as a top 6 winger in the NHL. Prospect wise we have a few guys have great seasons, but one who stands out to me is Scott Morrow. He’s looked fantastic in the NCAA and has proven himself to be an elite offensive defenceman. I think both of these players show the importance of drafting in the VHL. We landed Jarvis at 14th overall in the 2020 draft and Morrow at 56th overall in the 2021 draft, showing you don’t always need lottery picks to draft great players and prospects.
You’ve gone from 7 1st round picks to 3 in the next 2 drafts in a matter of 2 trades. Did you overpay? And should you have held onto these picks until draft day?
Listen we understand that any of these picks can wind up winning the lottery, but that’s part of the risk we take when making trades. Not only is the sim unpredictable but the draft lottery is a game of chance! Maybe we overpaid, it’s easy to say that in hindsight but maybe we also got a steal here who knows? All I can say is I’m happy with all 3 deals and am very much looking forward to becoming a winning team again.
Can you comment on Drake Batherson’s contract status as a pending RFA?
All I can say is we’ve had preliminary talks and they are currently ongoing. We love the Drake and hope we can reach an agreement quickly to lock him up!
Thank you for your time today, do you have any parting words for the 4 Panthers fans reading this article?
Break out your rubber rats because next year we’re making a run baby!
Panthers fans finally have something to look forward to that isn’t a draft lottery! Now if you have spare time please answer and comment on the questions below!
Did Florida over pay in either trade? If so which one and why?
Will the Panthers make the playoffs in the 2022-23 season?
Will Florida be ahead of Scott Davidson and his stinky Sabres in the standings by next years trade deadline?
Cheers!
Wow, 3 trades in one day including 2 blockbusters. What spurred this flurry of activity?
Our front office has gone over different scenarios and directions we could take with this team. With adding Meier and Cirelli earlier this year, we felt that our team wasn’t actually too far off from being a playoff team next season. After reaching out to multiple GM’s about pieces we felt our team was missing, talks got going and we ended up here.
Why rush the rebuild to try to make playoffs next season? Won’t these moves hurt your teams draft stock this year?
I wouldn’t say we are rushing the rebuild, I know we are a basement dweller but the core pieces were already there to have a successful squad. We just needed to add a bit more to get there. To be completely honest we’re all sick of rebuilding and want to build a winning culture again. As for our draft stock, we trust our scouting and believe that if we’re picking anywhere in the top 15 that we will draft an impact player. We would rather be closer to the cup next year than closer to 1st overall this year.
Do these trades set you back in the long term?
I mean you could argue that…but I believe we are extending our playoff window by a few years by making these moves. Instead of waiting for every prospect to develop, which can take 5+ years. We still have a strong enough prospect pool to keep us competitive for the long term.
Lets change things up here, who are your pleasant surprises so far this year? Roster player wise and prospect wise.
We’ve had a few roster players take significant steps forward this year. But the biggest surprise for us is probably Seth Jarvis. Our scouts were extremely high on him in his draft year ranking him 5th, but we had no idea he would be this good this early. While he’s struggled as of late, he’s shown at 20 years old that he isn’t out of place as a top 6 winger in the NHL. Prospect wise we have a few guys have great seasons, but one who stands out to me is Scott Morrow. He’s looked fantastic in the NCAA and has proven himself to be an elite offensive defenceman. I think both of these players show the importance of drafting in the VHL. We landed Jarvis at 14th overall in the 2020 draft and Morrow at 56th overall in the 2021 draft, showing you don’t always need lottery picks to draft great players and prospects.
You’ve gone from 7 1st round picks to 3 in the next 2 drafts in a matter of 2 trades. Did you overpay? And should you have held onto these picks until draft day?
Listen we understand that any of these picks can wind up winning the lottery, but that’s part of the risk we take when making trades. Not only is the sim unpredictable but the draft lottery is a game of chance! Maybe we overpaid, it’s easy to say that in hindsight but maybe we also got a steal here who knows? All I can say is I’m happy with all 3 deals and am very much looking forward to becoming a winning team again.
Can you comment on Drake Batherson’s contract status as a pending RFA?
All I can say is we’ve had preliminary talks and they are currently ongoing. We love the Drake and hope we can reach an agreement quickly to lock him up!
Thank you for your time today, do you have any parting words for the 4 Panthers fans reading this article?
Break out your rubber rats because next year we’re making a run baby!
Panthers fans finally have something to look forward to that isn’t a draft lottery! Now if you have spare time please answer and comment on the questions below!
Did Florida over pay in either trade? If so which one and why?
Will the Panthers make the playoffs in the 2022-23 season?
Will Florida be ahead of Scott Davidson and his stinky Sabres in the standings by next years trade deadline?
Cheers!
