Florida Panthers sign Troy Brouwer to one-year deal

The Florida Panthers have announced they’ve added another competitor to their fourth line forward competition in Troy Brouwer. However, it’s fair to question why they did so with potentially better internal options.

The Florida Panthers were dangerously close to making the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. A late season surge had them in the hunt until April 5, when the New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers both got wins, ensuring the Panthers wouldn’t make the postseason. Assuming they have good health, they’ll be contenders.

One thing the Panthers have addressed this offseason is their fourth forward line. It’s hard to pinpoint what cost Florida a postseason appearance. Their slow start certainly didn’t help. But the fourth line is a good place to start.

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Michael Haley, Derek McKenzie, and Colton Sceviour contributed virtually nothing as a trio. The first two were the biggest offenders, combining for just 23 points. Meanwhile, Sceviour put up 24 points. The Panthers are addressing this issue by giving a PTO to veteran center Mark Letestu and signing veteran forward Troy Brouwer to an $850,000 deal for one-year.

Now, the former is a good guy to take a chance on. Letestu struggled last season but has a history of being a special teams and face-off specialist. If healthy, he is likely an upgrade over Haley and McKenzie. At worst, Letestu’s versatility is a good thing to have as an extra forward.

Brouwer, on the other hand, is a bit baffling. After signing a four-year deal with the Calgary Flames in 2016, they bought him out after just two seasons. It’s not hard to find out why. Brouwer had 39 points in 2015-16 with the St. Louis Blues. With the Flames, he combined for just 47 points in 150 games.

It’s clear Brouwer isn’t the guy who he used to be. In a league driven by speed, his lack thereof is being exploited. Brouwer was never a fast skater, so his decline has hit him especially hard. He’s never been a good possession player, but up until the 2016-17 season, usually produced enough to hide that wart. Once Brouwer stopped producing, his flaws became far more evident.

Signing him isn’t going to move the needle much, neither positively nor negatively. However, the Panthers likely have better options available than Brouwer. Frank Vatrano has been an amazing goal scorer in the AHL. While this hasn’t translated to the NHL yet, Jon Marchessault is a great example of why players who can score in the AHL are worth giving chances to.

Henrik Haapala and Dryden Hunt are also intriguing options. They’ve shown enough in the AHL to warrant a promotion. Sure, both Haapala and Hunt are largely unknown commodities at this point. Meanwhile, Brouwer, for better or for worse, is a known commodity.

However, you know Brouwer’s going to be at best a fourth-line calibre player. Haapala and Hunt possess far more upside and could give the Panthers better value. If those two young players don’t fit into what Florida wants in its fourth line, perhaps they should reconsider what they want in it. Brouwer will likely keep them from becoming known commodities should he get a spot on the NHL roster.

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NHL teams value the known (even if the upside is minimal) over the unknown. Every team is guilty of it. Maybe it’s time to start making those unknown commodities known. That’s more valuable than giving Brouwer, Haley, and McKenzie playing time while keeping unknown commodities like Haapala and Hunt unknown.

The Vegas Golden Knights took chances on a few players who were unknown commodities, such as William Carrier, Tomas Nosek, and Malcolm Subban. And they nearly won a Stanley Cup with them. Perhaps that’s the wakeup call the rest of the league needs.

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