Panthers reshuffle lines with top defenseman out. Now a rookie gets his shot on top line
In one day, Aleksi Saarela stormed all the way from outside the Florida Panthers’ top four forward lines to a spot on the team’s top line, playing with Aleksander Barkov and Evgenii Dadonov.
Part of Saarela’s climb is due strictly to matter of circumstance — Aaron Ekblad is out right now, which means pieces are moving all over the lineup. Part of his climb is also due to how much he has impressed Joel Quenneville throughout postseason training camp.
“He’s got a unique set that you’ve got to love and appreciate,” the coach said. “When we look back on our team, we’ve got some depth now. We’ve got some decision-making to do as we go forward here, but he does push us to make some tough decisions along the way.”
Saarela, who came to Florida in an early season trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, has played just nine games in his NHL career, all since joining the Panthers this season. The center was up in the NHL for three games late last year, then got sent back to AHL Springfield, Massachusetts, before returning for good in February. In Florida’s last game before the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted the regular season in March, Saarela assisted on both goals in a 2-1 win against the St. Louis Blues.
Quenneville has raved about Saarela’s shot, which lets him potentially slot in as a left wing playing with Barkov.
“I played my first pro game ever against Barky, and I have always looked up to him,” Saarela said, “so it is a dream come true to be on the same line with him.”
Saarela took winger Frank Vatrano’s spot on the top line Friday during practice at the Florida Panthers IceDen as Vatrano moved down to the third line to be the left wing playing with forwards Brian Boyle and Brett Connolly. Center Lucas Wallmark, who had been the third-line left wing in training camp, slid down to the fourth line with center Noel Acciari and winger Colton Sceviour because Mark Pysyk moved from right wing back to defense with Ekblad out.
Pysyk, originally a defenseman, has almost exclusively played forward this season, but Ekblad’s absence leaves a void on defense. On Friday in Coral Springs, Pysyk replaced Ekblad on Florida’s top defensive pairing with defenseman Mackenzie Weegar.
Quenneville did not give a reason for Ekblad’s absence. The defenseman also missed practice Wednesday, but Quenneville said he has been inside the Panthers IceDen, which suggests he isn’t dealing with COVID-19. The coach expects him back by the time Florida opens the qualifying round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the New York Islanders next month.
“We’ll see how it goes the next few days, but was around today,” Quenneville said. “He’ll be ready to go in real games.”
NHL’s COVID-19 policy
When the NHL season resumes in August, commissioner Gary Bettman will not be in either of the two hub cities hosting games. The commissioner will, however, have the ability to make the final call on player eligibility regarding the coronavirus.
“In the final analysis, it may be me, but I’m going to defer to the medical people, both from the governmental authorities and our own medical people in conjunction with the players’ association,” Bettman said. “I won’t be making the medical decisions. I’ll be taking the guidance, but I suppose it’s my authority to decide who plays in our games and who doesn’t. But that’s a decision I’m going to leave to the people who are experts in doing this.”
The NHL’s policy for Phase 4 does lay out protocols for players returning to play. If asymptomatic, a player could rejoin after two consecutive negative tests in a 48-hour period or after 10 days in isolation. If symptomatic, the player will be able to rejoin after symptoms have subsided for 72 hours, provided the player was in isolation for at least 10 days.
NHL players will not be subject to an extended quarantine upon entry to the “bubble.” Florida, for example, travels to Toronto on Sunday and is slated to play a scrimmage against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday. In the meantime, the NHL is testing players every other day, and the first week of testing during camp yielded only two positive tests.
NHL plans five-second delay
The NHL broadcasts from Toronto and Edmonton for the expanded postseason will obviously look different this year. They will also include a five-second delay built in to censor foul language, the league’s Phase 4 plans said.
Arenas will also have 32 cameras set up — 12 more than usual — and the league will also broadcast with artificial crowd noise with the help of EA Sports, which produces the popular NHL video game series.
