The Panthers have 2 ‘superstars’ on their top line. Another All-Star could join them
The Florida Panthers’ vaunted, high-scoring top forward line will look a little different this year.
While center Aleksander Barkov and left wing Jonathan Huberdeau, a pair of All-Stars and mainstays on that for the past three years, are back, the Panthers are still figuring out who will get the bulk of the time alongside them at right wing after Evgenii Dadonov left via free agency.
The first player to get that shot during the team’s first day of on-ice practice in their condensed training camp session at the BB&T Center on Monday: newcomer Anthony Duclair.
While it’s a small sample size, the 25-year-old did enough in his 75 minutes on the ice Monday to leave a solid first impression on both his new coach and potential future linemates.
“You notice his quickness and pace,” coach Joel Quenneville said.
You also notice his willingness to shoot the puck, something that will work quite well with the pass-first mentality that Barkov and Huberdeau have showcased throughout their careers. Duclair is coming off his first All-Star appearance and had arguably his best season from an offensive standpoint last year (23 goals, 17 assists in 66 games).
Now, he’s poised to potentially play a key role for the Panthers when the season kicks off Jan. 14.
“It’s obviously a great opportunity for myself, especially to be paired with those two guys,” Duclair said. “They’re pretty special players. They’ve been superstars since they entered the league and to be put with those two guys is a great opportunity. Definitely not gonna take it for granted.”
Should Duclair get the role, he’ll have big shoes to fill. Dadonov, now with the Ottawa Senators, scored 81 goals and racked up 182 points over the past three seasons. Barkov assisted on 41 of Dadonov’s 81 goals; Huberdeau on 35. Meanwhile, Dadonov had assists on 53 of Barkov and Huberdeau’s 162 combined goals during that three-year span.
“Daddy was obviously really good with me and Barky,” Huberdeau said, “but there’s some things you don’t control. ... Today, we had Duclair and he was similar [to Dadonov]. Fast, poised with the puck. Somebody has to fill the role, and we’re going to find another linemate.”
Duclair already has a little bit of a rapport with Huberdeau. Although they never played together, the two skated together a few times during the offseason in Montreal and know the other likes to play.
Huberdeau’s message to Duclair on Monday?
“Shoot the puck,” Huberdeau said. “He’s a guy that’s really fast. He’s a great shooter. ... He can be a great asset on our line. Let’s see how it goes.”
Message quickly received.
“I have one job,” Duclair said, “and that’s to get open. Those two guys are a pass-first mentality, so for myself being a shoot-first guy, I think I fit in pretty good.”
Other first-day notables
▪ Five Panthers players listed on their training camp roster were not on the ice for the first day of practice: forwards Patric Hornqvist and Juho Lammikko; defenseman Markus Nutivaara; and goaltenders Sam Montembeault and Sergei Bobrovsky. Quenneville said they’re following safety protocols but called them “unfit to play,” the catch-all term the NHL is using now during the age of COVID-19.
“We will see how that all plays out as we progress though training camp,” Quenneville said.
Under NHL guidelines, teams are not allowed to comment on whether players are out due to COVID-19 testing or are in contact tracing.
However, the league will announce if players test positive during the season.
▪ Other notable line pairings from Monday outside of the Huberdeau-Barkov-Duclair trio: Alexander Wennberg centering Frank Vatrano and Brett Connolly; Noel Acciari centering Grigori Denisenko and Vinnie Hinostroza; and Eetu Luostarinen centering Owen Tippett and Carter Verhaeghe.
▪ Quenneville was quick to single out Wennberg as one of the Panthers’ top performers on Day 1.
“I love how he can skate,” Quenneville said. “He definitely caught a lot of guys’ eyes today.”
▪ The Charlotte Checkers, the Panthers’ American Hockey League affiliate, announced Monday it is opting out of the 2020-2021 AHL season.
“Despite the travel and business challenges involved with this year, we feel that this decision will not impact our player development system as we continue to provide necessary environments for growth,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said in a press release. “We look forward to the continuation of our partnership with the Checkers organization and the puck drop of 2021-22 in Charlotte.”
This story was originally published January 4, 2021 at 4:57 PM.
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