Florida Panthers

Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov was announced Friday as the winner of the Frank J. Selke Trophy for being the NHL's best defensive forward during the 2020-21 season.

Two-time Frank J. Selke Trophy winner, Rod Brind'Amour, presents the award to this year's recipient, Aleksander Barkov (@Barkovsasha95)! #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/8uV6Jjs3ei

— NHL (@NHL) June 18, 2021

Barkov edged out fellow finalists Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins and Mark Stone of the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Selke Trophy, which is named after the Hall of Fame general manager with Montreal and Toronto, has been awarded since the 1977-78 season. Canadiens winger Bob Gainey took home the honor in each of the first four years it was awarded.

Barkov was one of the league's best two-way players this season. He registered over a point per game (26 goals and 32 assists in 50 appearances) while also taking care of business defensively.

At even strength, the 25-year-old Finnish center registered a 59.4 Fenwick For percentage despite 46.2 percent of his faceoffs coming in the defensive zone, per Hockey Reference. His relative Fenwick was also plus-7.7 percent at even strength, showing his defensive prowess compared to his teammates.

Barkov becomes the first Panthers player to win the Selke, and he's the third straight first-time winner of the award, joining the St. Louis Blues' Ryan O'Reilly and Philadelphia Flyers' Sean Couturier.

The NHL named the three finalists on Friday for the Jack Adams Award given to the league's top head coach.

The finalists are Minnesota Wild head coach Dean Evason, Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour and Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville.

Congratulations to the Jack Adams Award finalists! 👏

Who was the coach of the year? #NHLAwards @NHLdotcom has more ➡️ https://t.co/L0MjaVSuDu pic.twitter.com/MxrqAe5eoE

— NHL (@NHL) June 11, 2021

Both Evason and Brind'Amour are first-time finalists. Quenneville is looking to become a two-time Adams winner after winning it in 2000 with the St. Louis Blues.

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Evason got his first NHL head coaching opportunity in the 2019-20 season when he coached the Wild for the final 12 games. After helping lead them to the playoffs, the 56-year-old was named the full-time coach entering 2020-21.

That decision paid dividends for the Wild as they went 35-16-5, finished third in the West Division and reached the playoffs, where they lost in seven games to the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round.

Brind'Amour, 50, completed his third season as head coach of the Hurricanes, leading Carolina to the playoffs for the third straight year.

The former Blues, Philadelphia Flyers and Hurricanes center guided Carolina to the Central Division title with a 36-12-8 record, finishing ahead of the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Canes needed six games to beat the Nashville Predators in the first round of the playoffs before falling to Tampa in five games.

Of the three finalists, Quenneville is by far the most experienced and accomplished NHL head coach.

The 62-year-old won three Stanley Cups as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, '13 and '15.

The likely future Hall of Famer also ranks second in NHL history in career coaching wins with 962. That puts him behind only Scotty Bowman and his 1,244 career victories.

This season, Quenneville led the Panthers to a 37-14-5 record, which was good for second place in the Central Division. They fell to the Lightning in the first round of the playoffs in six games.

If the Ontario, Canada, native wins the Jack Adams, he will become the eighth head coach in NHL history to win it at least twice.

Also, his 21 years between winning the award would be a new record, breaking the one of 19 years held by Bowman.

The winner of the Jack Adams Award and the other NHL awards will be announced during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

As NHL teams begin to draft preliminary offseason plans to improve for the 2021-22 season, many have assuredly shortlisted a certain franchise center who may be eager to move on from his chronically losing franchise. Indeed, what does the future hold for Aleksander Barkov? 

Sorry, were you thinking of someone else?

Yes, Jack Eichel will enter the offseason as the top storyline. His marketability as an American and the ugly manner in which his tenure in Buffalo appears to be ending justify that, and make no mistake: He's a game-changing, All-Star center who completely alters the complexion of any acquiring team for the better. 

Barkov, also a former second overall pick in the NHL draft, had a career year in Florida. His 26 goals ranked fourth among all NHL centers, and he just about matched a career high in points per game. The 25-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July 2022. Ostensibly, that gives the Florida Panthers a long time to convince him to re-sign. More realistically, the small-market team can't afford to lose him without compensation and probably does not want to endure the 2021-22 season with daily questions regarding the future of its captain. 

TSN's Frank Seravalli reported in January that teams were calling Panthers GM Bill Zito to inquire and were "skeptical" that Barkov would want to re-sign in Florida. If Barkov is displaying any resistance to re-signing in the summer then it behooves Zito to at least explore the trade market. If that does happen, then there's a strong argument to be made that Barkov would supplant Eichel as the top player available.

                      

The Situation in Florida

Supplementing Seravalli's report, TSN's Darren Dreger reported in January that Barkov "wants to win" and that he wants to make sure that the Panthers are "on that road to get to that point of being a contending team." 

Given his career in Florida so far, that hesitation is certainly warranted. From the 2013-14 season, when Barkov began his career, through 2019-20, the Panthers ranked 22nd out of 31 teams by points percentage. Under the misguided command of former general manager and president Dale Tallon, his teams made the playoffs just once out of those seven seasons, exiting the first round in 2016 after losing in six games to the Islanders.

To new general manager Bill Zito's credit, he's done a remarkable job retooling the team. Faced with a little financial wiggle room, Zito jettisoned a few bad contracts and made some smart low-budget signings. Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaeghe, picked up off the free-agent scrap heap, have both had career years on Barkov's wings. Gustav Forsling, claimed off waivers, has been a phenomenal two-way defenseman. Against most predictions, the 2021 Panthers finished fourth in the league by points and comfortably made the playoffs.

There is still a fair dose of uncertainty about the team's outlook beyond this season, though. The team will remain impaired by multiple undesirable contracts. Keith Yandle, Anton Stralman and Sergei Bobrovsky have declined rapidly and combine for over 25 percent of Florida's cap space next season. After accounting for raises to restricted free agents, Florida will likely only have $3-5 million in cap space to make improvements. The Panthers do have some exciting prospects approaching NHL-readiness such as Spencer Knight, Anton Lundell and Grigori Denisenko, but how soon can they become impact players and will that be enough for the Panthers to compete with Toronto, Tampa Bay and Boston at the top of the division?

                      

What Makes Barkov Different from Eichel?

In terms of actual on-ice output, Barkov has the upper hand early into both of their NHL careers. Over the last six seasons, Barkov (1.00) has registered more points per game than Eichel (0.95). In terms of goals above replacement (GAR), a macro statistic that estimates a player's total contribution to his team over the course of a season, Barkov has been consistently worth more than Eichel except in 2019-20.

In fairness to the younger Eichel, environment matters and Buffalo has been an absolute nightmare. Maybe it's sufficient to note that Barkov has a different playing style that may be of more use to teams in need of a certain skillset.

Both Eichel and Barkov are dual threats (passing and shooting) in the offensive zone who have produced similar point totals. However, the ways in which they generate that offense differ. Eichel demands the puck on his stick and typically operates from the left face-off circle. Barkov meanwhile positions himself more traditionally for a center. He hovers in the slot and, while he's skilled with the puck himself, he's content to let linemates set up the play. Meanwhile, Barkov uses his big frame and quick hands to be dangerous closer to the net. He's a tremendous shooter from in tight and wins a lot of battles to pucks for deflections and rebounds.

Barkov takes far fewer shots than Eichel yet scores at a higher rate. Simply speaking, Barkov not only has a better shot but also generates his shots from more dangerous positions closer to the net.

Another area of the game in which Barkov can affect play in a superior way to Eichel is through forechecking and cycling the puck. Don't confuse this as an assertion that the Buffalo center is "soft." He battles and outworks the opposition in his own way on the ice. Rather, this is a continuation of describing Barkov's superior effectiveness down low and off the puck. 

The repeated skill here is Barkov's ability to recycle possession even when his team initially concedes the puck in the offensive zone. Barkov angles his forechecks brilliantly to close off space and then has the strength and stickwork to win back and keep possession. At the best of times, Barkov not only quickly regains possession below the goal line but then quickly flips it up to an open teammate for a quality scoring chance. It's a devastating situation for the opposition team, as they are set up for their own breakout and are in no position to recover and defend the middle of the ice after Barkov takes the puck. 

Where Barkov most clearly separates himself from Eichel is on the defensive side of the puck. Truthfully, Barkov's reputation on that front did not match his actual output. Though he was a staunch defensive player in his early seasons, his defensive performance dropped in recent seasons as he stretched his game offensively.

Now in his prime, Barkov has found the right balance and has returned to defensive prominence. He supports the puck down low in his defensive end and uses many of his forechecking skills in the same way below his own goal line. He's incredibly talented at winning back pucks to kill the opposition's cycle and finding outlets out of the zone.

The other impressive aspect of Barkov's defensive game is his positioning on controlled possessions and his ability to prevent dangerous shots.

When the puck shifts to his left, a lesser forward might have panicked and rushed directly toward the puck. Barkov remains calm and collected, and makes the important decision to shift laterally first to take away the shooting lane, then pressures the puck and forces the turnover. It's a subtle read that turns a potentially dangerous screen/deflection opportunity for Columbus into a dead play. 

                          

Potential Fits

The Rangers are the clear favorites to acquire Jack Eichel, and it would be a massive windfall if they do land him. If the team needs to diversify its player types, then it's a worry for down the lineup. However, Barkov arguably provides more of what the team needs. The team already has some elite talent that creates plays from the perimeter and strikes quickly but needs to add players who can forecheck, defend and penetrate the interior. 

There are other teams for whom Barkov might be a more feasible option as a matter of pragmatism. The Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota Wild and Montreal Canadiens will be incredibly eager to make big additions that will help them win in 2022. However, all three teams lack enough quality trade assets to outlast other teams in the Jack Eichel bidding war.

Barkov, if available, won't come cheaply, but the one year remaining on his contract (compared to Eichel's five) would take away much of Florida's leverage.

If teams battling the salary cap like Boston or Colorado go for broke, then Barkov's $5.9 million cap hit next season makes him a significantly more feasible fit, particularly if Florida was willing to eat some of the contract to obtain a better return. There's little chance of Buffalo eating any of Eichel's contract.

Yet the best fit may very well be in Florida. The circumstances warrant a discussion on his future, but Florida deserves its share of respect for the progress made this season and its remaining future upside. Barkov had a career year under head coach Joel Quenneville. If the Panthers can continue to put up a credible fight in the playoffs, the most likely scenario could be a contract extension over the summer.

                    

Information from Evolving-Hockey, Hockey Reference and Hockey Viz were used throughout this article.

The Florida Panthers have earned another shot at the postseason.

They clinched a postseason berth Tuesday, using a four-goal third period to overcome the Nashville Predators, 7-4.

The Panthers will head to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1996-97.

Florida fell to the New York Islanders in the qualifying round last year.

This year's playoff format is different than in previous years. The league's four location-based divisions will send their top four teams to the playoffs, with the first two rounds consisting of intradivision games. The teams that make it out of that "group stage" will be reseeded based on their regular-season results.

With that in mind, here's a look at the current landscape of the playoffs if the regular season were to conclude today:

       

West Division

*Vegas Golden Knights: 70 points (34-11-2)

*Colorado Avalanche: 66 points (31-11-4)

*Minnesota Wild: 65 points (31-13-3)

St. Louis Blues: 48 points (21-19-6)

         

Central Division

*Carolina Hurricanes: 69 points (31-10-7)

*Florida Panthers: 69 points (32-14-5)

*Tampa Bay Lightning: 68 points (33-14-2)

Nashville Predators: 56 points (27-22-2)

        

East Division

Washington Capitals: 68 points (32-13-4)

Pittsburgh Penguins: 67 points (32-15-3)

New York Islanders: 63 points (29-15-5)

Boston Bruins: 62 points (28-14-6)

         

North Division

Toronto Maple Leafs: 65 points (30-13-5)

Edmonton Oilers: 58 points (28-16-2)

Winnipeg Jets: 57 points (27-18-3)

Montreal Canadiens: 51 points (21-17-9)

         

* = already-clinched playoff spot

Standings via NHL.com

             

The Panthers were again led to a postseason berth by the combination of Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov.

Huberdeau, who paced the team in points last season, has tallied 57 points by way of 18 goals and 39 assists, while Barkov is leading the team in goals with 24 goals and 28 assists.

Following the departure of Mike Hoffman to the St. Louis Blues, the Panthers needed to make up for his 59 points from the 2019-20 campaign. And Carter Verhaeghe, who signed with the team as a free agent in October, has stepped up with 17 goals and 18 assists.

The Florida offense had scored 158 goals this season, seventh-most in the league entering Tuesday.

Heading into Tuesday, backup goaltender Chris Driedger made 22 starts with a 2.17 GAA and .923 save percentage while splitting time with Sergei Bobrovsky (2.86 GAA, .907 save percentage through 28 games).

If the Panthers can perform on both sides of the puck as well as they've demonstrated this season, they should have a good chance at advancing in the postseason.

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad is expected to miss 12 weeks after undergoing surgery on a leg injury suffered during the second period of Sunday's game against the Dallas Stars, the team announced Monday.

Panthers general manager Bill Zito addressed the situation in a statement:

"To be without a player of Aaron's caliber and character is an irreplaceable loss to our hockey club. Aaron is an incredibly driven and talented young player and a tremendous leader for our team. He has the heartfelt support of our organization, his teammates and fans as we wish him the best in his recovery and his eventual return. Despite Aaron's absence from our lineup, we are confident in our group's resiliency and motivation as we move forward."

Ekblad left Sunday's game on a stretcher, with the Associated Press noting trainers placed an aircast on his left leg. The 25-year-old landed awkwardly on the leg after a hit into the boards by Dallas Stars defenseman Esa Lindell and immediately began clutching his knee.

Though the Panthers did not have an update on the 25-year-old's status on Sunday night, the team did send out its best wishes to the defenseman:

Ek ❤️

Incredibly, incredibly hard to watch. Not much else to say right now.

— x - Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) March 28, 2021

Teammate Anthony Duclair spoke about the situation, as well:

"All our prayers and thoughts are with Eky right now."

Anthony Duclair discusses having to play on after the devastating Aaron Ekblad injury.#FlaPanthers #OneTerritory #NHL pic.twitter.com/f5OI6tBFXW

— FanDuel Sports Network Florida & Sun (@FanDuelSN_FL) March 29, 2021

Ekblad has enjoyed a strong 2020-21 campaign so far. His 11 goals are only six away from setting a career high, and he delivered the overtime winner in Saturday's 4-3 victory over Dallas. 

Florida, meanwhile, will have to cope without yet another key player. Aleksander Barkov is nursing a lower-body injury, and Patric Hornqvist is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.

The Panthers sit third in the Central Division with 48 points at 22-9-4, putting them in position to qualify for the playoffs. Ekblad's injury could loom large should the team qualify for the postseason, though.

The NHL is investigating an allegation that former Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon used racist language while in the NHL bubble in Toronto. 

George Richards of FloridaHockeyNow.com was the first to report the news. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly later confirmed to ESPN's Emily Kaplan that the league is investigating Tallon over an alleged comment that "did involve race."

After the Panthers were eliminated 3-1 by the New York Islanders in the NHL's qualifying round earlier in August, the organization decided against signing Tallon to a new contract, thus ending his 10-year tenure in Florida.

It isn't publicly known what Tallon allegedly said or when he said it, but it reportedly happened while he was in Toronto for the NHL's postseason qualifying round.

The 69-year-old Tallon joined the Panthers as their GM in 2010 after a lengthy tenure with the Chicago Blackhawks. Tallon began as the Blackhawks' director of player personnel in 1998, was promoted to assistant GM in 2003 and then became the general manager in 2005.

In 2009, Tallon was demoted from GM to senior adviser in favor of Stan Bowman. The Blackhawks went on to win the 2010 Stanley Cup, which gave Tallon his first championship.

Chicago also won the Cup in 2013 and 2015, and although Tallon left the Blackhawks for the Panthers in 2010, he has long been credited for building the Chicago team that won three Cups in six seasons.

Tallon was responsible for drafting or acquiring many of the players who played key roles on those Blackhawks teams, including Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa.

During his 10-year stint in Florida, the Panthers only went to the playoffs twice, not including their spot in the qualifying round this season.

Tallon built a talented team that includes the likes of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mike Hoffman and Aaron Ekblad, but his time in Florida was largely a disappointment.

Two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky agreed to a seven-year, $70 million contract with the Florida Panthers on Monday.

"[Bobrovsky] is an elite starting goaltender who has consistently proven to be one of the best in the NHL," Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press.

He should replace Roberto Luongo, who recently retired after 19 seasons.

After starting his career with the Philadelphia Flyers, Bobrovsky spent the past seven seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, establishing himself as one of the best goalies in the NHL.

The 30-year-old posted a .921 save percentage and a 2.41 goals-against average during his time in Columbus, compiling a record of 213-130 with 27 ties/overtime losses. He is coming off a season in which he went 37-24-1 with a .913 save percentage and an NHL-high nine shutouts. 

The Russian recorded four shutouts during a seven-game stretch in the final month to help Columbus reach the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

Prior to his arrival, the Blue Jackets had made the postseason just once in 11 seasons. They have made the playoffs in four of the past six seasons, winning a series for the first time in the process.

Bobrovsky was heavily criticized throughout his Columbus career for not coming up big when the stakes were highest. He registered a .908 save percentage and a 3.03 GAA in four postseasons with the Blue Jackets. However, it was his stellar play (.932 save percentage) that led his team to a historic sweep of the record-setting Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019.

And after finally exorcising his playoff demons in Columbus, he will be moving on to Florida.

It appeared to be a foregone conclusion throughout 2018-19 season that Bobrovsky would not re-sign with the Blue Jackets. After The Athletic's Aaron Portzline reported in August that the veteran goalie was seeking "Carey Price money" (eight years, $84.5 million), negotiations went nowhere. 

Bobrovsky declined to publicly address his contract situation ahead of the season, only telling reporters that he had informed the club of his intentions.

"After the last season, I told [the team my] situation to the management of the Blue Jackets," Bobrovsky said. "They know my plans for the season. They know my plans for the future. So they know everything. They know exactly what we're going to do."

A one-game suspension during the season amid struggles didn't appear to help the Blue Jackets' cause, either.

Columbus had the opportunity to try to get something for Bobrovsky at the trade deadline but instead opted to go all-in for a playoff push, acquiring the likes of Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel and Adam McQuaid. While that approach resulted in a series victory in the postseason, it was not enough to convince Bobrovsky to re-sign.

Florida Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo announced his retirement from the NHL on Wednesday.

I’ve decided to take my talents to a South Beach retirement home ✌🏼 pic.twitter.com/BTuZIo8XT8

— Strombone (@strombone1) June 26, 2019

Luongo, who also played for the Vancouver Canucks and New York Islanders during a 19-year professional career, wrote an open letter to his fans about the decision.

"This is one of the toughest decisions I've faced in my life, and it took me a long time to make it," he explained. "After thinking about it a lot over the past two months and listening to my body, I made up my mind. It just feels like the right time for me to step away from the game."

The 40-year-old had three seasons left on the 12-year, $64 million contract he originally signed with the Canucks in 2009.

Roberto Luongo is indeed retiring with three years remaining on his contract, as opposed to going on LTIR. There will be cap recapture penalties for both #FlaPanthers and #canucks as a result.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 26, 2019

New York selected Luongo with the fourth overall pick in the 1997 NHL draft. He made his NHL debut with the Isles during the 1999-2000 campaign but ended up making just 24 appearances for the organization before getting traded to Florida in June 2000.

He spent 11 seasons with the Panthers across two stints sandwiched around an eight-year run in Vancouver.

The legend hangs up his pads.

Thank you for everything, Lu. pic.twitter.com/eOUjanrJGU

— x - Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 26, 2019

Luongo struggled with injuries in recent seasons, however, which prevented him from taking on a workhorse role. He said those issues factored into his decision, and he detailed the moment he knew it was time to call it quits in the open letter.

"Then thinking about getting onto the ice in late July, for the first time in my career, I wasn't excited about it," he wrote. "That was the sign for me. It's not that I don't love playing hockey anymore, but I had to listen to my body. I'm at the point where my body was telling me it just needed a rest. It didn't really want to get going."

After an incredible 20 seasons in the @NHL, @Strombone1 has officially announced his retirement. Thanks LUUUUUUUUU! for everything you did as part of the #Canucks. pic.twitter.com/aYrLdPrCIM

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) June 26, 2019

The Montreal native finishes his NHL career as the owner of a 614-489-124 record with a 2.52 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage across 1,044 regular-season appearances.

His resume features six All-Star Game selections and splitting the William M. Jennings Trophy with Canucks teammate Cory Schneider for the 2010-11 season.

Luongo never captured the Stanley Cup as a player—"but perhaps I can still put my name on it in another way. It wouldn't be quite the same, but it would still be quite the accomplishment," he wrote, hinting at a possible front-office or coaching role—but he did win five gold medals while playing for Canada, two in the Olympics, two in the World Championship and one in the World Cup.

Any new jobs will have to wait, as the goaltender wrote he's going to let his body rest and spend time with his kids before deciding his next step.

For the first time in eight seasons, a member of the Florida Panthers won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy.

On Wednesday, Aleksander Barkov beat out Sean Monahan of the Calgary Flames and Ryan O'Reilly of the St. Louis Blues for the NHL's sportsmanship award.

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner @Barkovsasha95 had the fewest penalty minutes among the NHL’s top 50 scorers with just eight penalty minutes and a career-high 96 points. Full Results: https://t.co/trRDOGLc3U #NHLAwards #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/TCVcbBBYD7

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) June 20, 2019

Since the official definition of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy states it is given to the player "who exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability," few players would be more deserving than Barkov.

The 2018-19 season was another leap forward for Barkov. The 23-year-old set career highs with 35 goals, 61 assists and 96 points in 82 games. He is also terrific at avoiding the penalty box, drawing just 34 minor penalties and eight penalty infraction minutes.

This marks the second straight year Barkov has been a finalist for the award. He finished third in 2017-18, behind William Karlsson of the Vegas Golden Knights and O'Reilly.

In addition to Barkov's career year, his 96 points also set a Panthers franchise record, surpassing Pavel Bure's 94 in 1999-00.

Barkov became only the second Panthers player in franchise history to be awarded the Lady Byng Trophy, with the other being former defenseman Brian Campbell.

The Florida Panthers did not have to wait long to find their new head coach.

General manager Dale Tallon announced Joel Quenneville will take over on the bench Monday, a day after the team fired Bob Boughner.

Tallon said:

"Joel is a three-time Stanley Cup champion head coach who will be a transformative leader for the Florida Panthers franchise. We've seized the opportunity to add one of the most successful head coaches in hockey history, and we're thrilled that Joel has agreed to take on the challenge of leading our promising young team.

"I've worked with Joel previously and have seen firsthand how his passion for the game, head coaching experience and leadership can impact an organization. Joel will accelerate our growth into a club that qualifies for the playoffs consistently and competes every year toward our goal of winning the Stanley Cup."

The Panthers likely sought to act fast because the Philadelphia Flyers were pushing to hire Quenneville, per Dave Isaac of the Courier-Post.

Quenneville, 60, is the second-winningest NHL coach in history with 890 wins. He's coming off more than a decade on the Chicago Blackhawks bench, where he won three Stanley Cups and made the postseason nine times. The Blackhawks fired Quenneville 15 games into the 2018-19 season.

Quenneville also previously coached the St. Louis Blues from 1996 to 2004 and the Colorado Avalanche from 2005 to 2008. His teams have made the playoffs 18 times in 22 seasons.

The Panthers, meanwhile, have made the postseason five times in their entire existence. The franchise has missed the playoffs each of the last three seasons and has not advanced past the first round since 1996—when the Panthers made a surprise run to the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Avalanche.