Posted by 
The Panthers have made good use of wheelchair accessible beach ramps this year... (photo Oquendo lickr)
The Panthers closed the book on the 2009 portion of this season on yet another downturn, losing 3 straight. They fell to 13th in the conference before they played their first game in 2010. Granted, the difference between 13th and 7th is a paltry 4 points, but I digress. Is there a serious reason to pay attention to this team in the New Year, except for how much they’ll dump at the trade deadline? Don’t make tee times yet, boys…
Florida has hung around in the standings, fluctuating between 8th and 13th most of the season. Win streaks were countered by winless stretches. Losing trends were turned around with a lengthy point-per-game streak. The only consistency the Panthers could count on in 2009 was a flight from Rochester to Sunrise every other day. Injuries have forced the Cats to lean heavily on their AHL affiliate, and somehow, someway, Rochester answered the call. No fewer than 8 players have played at least 9 NHL games that started the season in the minor league system. It hasn’t always been the highest level of hockey being played by the guys in Panther sweaters, but they have found a way to stay relevant. And finally, the starters are healing. And as the regulars get back into the lineup, ice time will become that much harder to earn. The AHL kids will be fighting tooth and nail for a roster spot, and since they are no longer lacking in NHL experience, head coach Pete DeBoer can not only threaten to take ice time away from the underperformers, he can actually do it knowing there is someone else dying to get a chance.
The biggest question mark heading forward is the status of David Booth. He was knocked out with a concussion in an
It's only a matter of time before these Amerks get their chance (photo Lets Go Amerks\flickr)
October game against the Flyers and hasn’t played since. The Panthers thought they’d get back last season’s leading scorer sometime in January, but now DeBoer isn’t sure if he’ll be back at all this year. “Despite our record, I believe we can go on a serious run and make the playoffs. Obviously, David Booth is a wild-card factor whether or not he comes back. We’re going on 30-plus games playing without him now, so we’re not counting on that.” Not exactly confidence inspiring stuff. Then again, there’s no way of really knowing when Booth might be able to return. The science of understanding concussions is infamously vague. The Panthers signed Booth to a 6-year deal this past offseason, so it isn’t hard to figure out why they might be hesitant to bring him back too early. Then again, if the Panthers are still a contender in the playoff hunt come March and Booth still hasn’t skated, do they push him to come back and push the Panthers into the postseason? Or could they shut him down for the season and go hunting for a short-term replacement at the trade deadline? Hopefully he is able to take the decision out of management’s hands and make a full recovery, but at this point, no one knows.
2010 got off to a solid start for the Panthers. The Cats scored 6, s-i-x, unanswered goals in their first game of the calendar year, handing the Pittsburgh Penguins their 5th straight loss in a 6-2 decision. A 3-game Canadian road trip is up next, and with 5 of their next 7 games against teams that are no more than 7 points ahead of them in the standings, the Cats have a great opportunity to gain ground. The flip side is that obviously a loss to those teams puts them even further behind just 1 week into the new year.
Some Other Articles That You May Enjoy:
Florida Panthers
Panthers To Open 2009 In Europe
Second Half Preview; the Playoff Push
Pete DeBoer: Play-in Game?
Florida Panthers Acquire Reinprecht For Prospect
Panthers Promise!
We hope you enjoyed this post. As always, leaving a comment below is both appreciated and encouraged. Thanks!
