This season was particularly frustrating, not because they missed the postseason – which has happened all but two years since 2001 – but because a lot of pundits and hockey enthusiasts viewed the Florida Panthers as a dark horse for a deep playoff push.
Having a strong team on paper makes it difficult to understand what holes can be improved without causing major turbulence, something the Panthers have a knack for doing.
The trade deadline this year provided some insight on what free agency could look like for the Panthers. Much of the focus and rumors circling the Panthers revolved around Blue Jackets netminder Sergei Bobrovsky and forward Artemi Panarin.