One newcomer’s first thoughts on Panthers? ‘Swagger’ and ‘most skilled team I’ve been on’
Ben Chiarot never shared the ice with these Florida Panthers until Thursday, about eight hours before he debuted with his new team in Canada. He missed the Montreal Canadiens’ first meeting with the Panthers back on New Year’s Day due to COVID-19, then stayed up in Quebec for a week after Florida traded for him, waiting to meet up with his new team when they got there to play the Canadiens.
It took him less than 27 minutes to find out what it’s really like to play with an offense like Panthers’. In the second period, a deep point shot turned into his first Florida assist when Anthony Duclair rose his stick nearly to shoulder and deflected the puck past Jake Allen to give the Panthers the lead for good in their 4-3 win in Montreal.
The rust was gone after a relatively slow start — Claude Giroux and Robert Hagg, Florida’s two other debuting newcomers, had their first assists in the opening minute Thursday — and Chiarot already felt like he fit right in. Really, how could he not?
“I’ve only been on the ice with them for a morning skate and a game, but it’s obvious the talent that’s on the team — so much skill, easily the most skilled team I’ve been on and it shows,” the defenseman said Thursday. “The plays they make are pretty incredible. ... You can see the skill up front.”
Even though the Canadiens are the worst team in the league this year, it’s high praise from Chiarot, who led Montreal in average time on ice during their unlikely run go the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals.
From a sheer skill standpoint, Chiarot is right. At least on offense, there’s no comparison. Florida (43-14-6) is averaging 4.06 goals per game this year and is on pace to become the first team to average at least four goals per game since the 1995-96 NHL season.
The Canadiens last year averaged just 2.82 goals per game in the regular season and actually got outscored.
The Panthers make it easy for anyone to fit in, as evidenced by Hagg notching an assist in his first minute with his new team after managing just eight points in 48 games with the Buffalo Sabres before his Sunday trade to Florida.
“They fit in well,” interim coach Andrew Brunette said Thursday.
The acclimation process continued Friday as Chiarot took part in his first Panthers practice at the Bell Centre before the team traveled to Ontario for a back-to-back set over the weekend with the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs over the weekend. It will continue Saturday at 7 p.m. when Florida faces the Senators (23-36-5) at the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa.
For all three newcomers, the early returns were good, even beyond the assists.
The Panthers outscored Montreal, 3-1, when Giroux was on the ice, and the All-Star forward had four shots and two assists.. Florida had a 9-3 edge in scoring chances when Hagg was on the ice, and the defenseman had a shot and a hit, and drew a penalty. When Chiarot was on the ice, the Panthers outshot the Canadiens, 20-8, and the 30-year-old Canadian blocked three shots.
“To get that added boost, it’s always fun,” forward Sam Reinhart said. “Obviously, all the guys can contribute good in their own way.”
They’re a potential boon for Florida and, after they all spent most of the season playing for some of the worst teams in the league, the Panthers can be a boon for them, too.
“There’s a good swagger in the room, good energy, guys are excited to play,” Chiarot said. “That’s the signs of a good team when it has that energy, has that excitement, especially this late in the season.”
