Arriving in South Florida on July 1, 2014, Derek MacKenzie was presented as a Florida Panther on a three-year deal. The intention of the signing was to add a gritty, veteran who would show the young core the ropes.
In his first season with the Panthers (2014-15), MacKenzie produced 5G, 6A, and 11 points while playing on the bottom line. Additionally, he was also placed on the penalty kill, relied upon heavily to kill the opponent’s man advantage.
And in that same year with the Cats, MacKenzie was apart of a young team who missed out on the playoffs by seven points.