Last season the Florida Panthers won the Presidents’ Trophy finishing with the most points in the entire NHL. Unfortunately, that will not happen again in 2023. This season the Panthers find themselves outside of the playoff picture looking in coming out of the NHL All-Star game.
As of Monday, Feb. 6, 2023, the Florida Panthers are in fifth place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 24-22-6, good enough for 54 points. Being in fourth place behind Boston, Tampa Bay and Toronto would be a win for the Panthers, considering how elite the top three teams have been this season, but they are not even in that fourth spot.
The Buffalo Sabres have been great this year, led by Tage Thompson. The Sabres might not be actual cup contenders, but they are making it challenging for the Panthers.
The Panthers’ only path to the playoffs is through the wild card, and it is a crowded bunch of teams contending for the two spots. Assuming the top three teams in each division in the Eastern Conference stay the same, the wild card race consists of the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders. After those five teams, we find the Florida Panthers.
Florida is only three points back of Pittsburgh for the second wild-card spot, but it will be a tough battle down the stretch for all these teams. A number of good teams are adding and trying to get into the playoff race, which does not bode well for the Florida Panthers.
What comes next for the Florida Panthers with the playoff race in mind?
At this point of the season, it would not be the worst thing in the world for the Panthers to cut their losses on the year and improve for next season. With just $12 million in projected cap space for next season, the Panthers could start working to get their future in the right direction. However, there is one main issue for the Panthers.
Florida does not own their 2023 first-round draft pick. From a management standpoint, not owning that pick makes throwing in the towel on the season a nonstarter. The 2023 draft class is deep; unfortunately, the Panthers cannot participate in the tank for Connor Bedard.
The Montreal Canadiens have the Panthers’ 2023 first-round pick, so they, of course, would like to see the team finish on the outside of the postseason, but for the Panthers, they need to do everything they can to sneak into the playoffs, even if that means a matchup with the Boston Bruins or Carolina Hurricanes, two of the top teams in the league.
So, this season the Panthers need to go all in at this deadline. They do not have a first-round pick to trade away for this upcoming summer. Nor do they have a first-rounder to use in 2024 or 2025, considering those picks are tied down in a trade with the Flames from this past offseason.
They do have a second-round pick that could bring in some help in a trade. So, what comes next for the Florida Panthers? A push for the Stanley Cup Playoffs because they, unfortunately, do not have any other options.