New coach, Panthers look for fresh start
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) -- The Florida Panthers open the season markedly different from last year's club, which failed to reach the postseason for the eighth consecutive year.
The Panthers have a new coach behind the bench and last year's captain, Olli Jokinen, was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes this summer. But just what identity first-year coach Pete DeBoer is crafting for this club remains unclear.
"I can tell you what we want it to be," DeBoer said. "And that's that you better be ready to play. They're going to come and they're going to work hard and they're going to play a team game."
When the Panthers open their season Friday night at Carolina, they hope DeBoer, a bolstered defense and an increased responsibility placed on their offensive leaders will help end their playoff drought.
"I think there was a lot of guys dragging a lot of negative stuff and some baggage into this season," DeBoer said. "I really wanted to come in this season and give everybody a clean slate and not have any preconceived notions on players or attitudes. I wanted to give everybody an opportunity and I think that has worked. Everyone, so far, seems to be buying in."
DeBoer, 40, came to Florida after Jacques Martin left his dual role of general manager and coach to concentrate on the team's front office. The highly touted junior coach from the Ontario Hockey League is known for his fiery style, and has been described as capable of putting the "fear of God" in a player.
The Panthers -- who haven't won a playoff series since 1996 or a playoff game since 1997 -- will face every Western Conference team at least once this season, including home and away games against St. Louis, Dallas and Nashville. They will play the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in Sunrise on Nov. 14, two days after hosting in-state rival Tampa Bay.
DeBoer has not yet named a captain to replace Jokinen. Instead, the coach has named three assistant captains -- two-time Stanley Cup winner Cory Stillman, center Stephen Weiss and defenseman Bryan Allen. Florida will also rely on players like Weiss and Nathan Horton to pick up the offensive void created with the trade of Jokinen, the Panthers all-time scoring leader.
"Obviously, losing Olli, we lost 30 plus goals and a lot of points," Weiss said. "We're going to have to find that from other guys."
Florida will again turn to Richard Zednik for an offensive spark. Zednik had 15 goals and 11 assists in 54 games before a gruesome injury in February, when his throat was slashed by a teammate's skate and his carotid artery was sliced. Zednik has said he plans to wear a neck guard this season.
The Panthers have also overhauled their defense. Keith Ballard, Nick Boynton and veteran defenseman Bryan McCabe will join Jay Bouwmeester, who was re-signed for another season. Ballard and Boynton both came to Florida in the Jokinen trade and McCabe was traded from Toronto last month.
"We've kind of retooled our hockey club and we really retooled our defense," Martin said. "I think we've got people that bring more speed, more quickness on the back end. But also, probably the biggest factor, I think we've got people that play a grittier game, a more physical game on the backend."
Florida flirted with a playoff berth late last year but again missed the postseason. They went 38-35-9 to finish with 85 points, nine behind Southeast Division champion Washington.
"You only get a certain amount of time to play in this league and I want to try and win a Stanley Cup," Weiss said. "I want to see what it's all about. Your career is going to go quick and I want to get a few kicks in the can and try and win."
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
