Remember the years the Florida Panthers did not compete for a playoff spot and all we beleagured fans had to look forward to was the draft and watching our prospects play, dreaming of the day when they would be NHL players in the postseason? Those days seem gone, as whether the team makes the playoffs or not (and 99.7% seems like strong odds to make it), the days of watching our big lottery picks while salivating are in the past. Those players are almost all in the NHL now.
But this is not to say that there are not some sweet prospects to watch in the road to the NCAA Frozen Four this year.