Florida Panthers’ Nate Schmidt reminding everyone, including himself, what he can do | Habib

FORT LAUDERDALE — Florida Panthers defenseman Nate Schmidt is just shy of his 34th birthday and can look back on having skated in his 700th NHL game. So nobody should be surprised that with such a veteran’s viewpoint, he knows better than to take this year’s run to the Stanley Cup Final for granted.

Schmidt will tell you that unlike his younger self, he knows how this game works.

“You never know when you’re gonna be back,” he said.

If it were as simple as taking a wiser look on a team level, that would be one thing. But with Schmidt, it cuts deeper.

Way deeper.

“You know how it is,” he said. “I mean, there comes a point where sometimes you also try to promote yourself to make people remember.”

Make people remember, he means, how much he can contribute.

And by people, he’s including Nate Schmidt.

“Other people, but it’s kind of reminding yourself.”

Schmidt is reminding “people,” all right, and that would include the Edmonton Oilers. The series is tied a 1-1 following a 4-3 loss in Game 1 and a 5-4 win in Game 2, both in overtime. Put it together and that’s eight goals scored by the Panthers — half of which saw Schmidt contribute an assist.

That’s not all Schmidt has contributed. The Panthers could have caved after conceding a trying goal with 18 seconds left in regulation. Instead, their resolve once again was tested, which is where the Panthers are grateful for the kind of veteran leadership they added when Schmidt signed as a free agent in the offseason.

“That was part of the conversation in the summer last year because I’ve had him briefly and he’s a big ‘smile’ guy,” coach Paul Maurice said. “Lots of chatter we need. We lost a few of those guys we still talk about.”

Maurice dropped the names Josh Mahura. Nick Cousins.

“Those guys never shut up,” Maurice said. “Which was great for us. Nate does that.”

Nate Schmidt needed time to fit in with Florida Panthers

Schmidt takes a before-and-after view of that, too. Remember, he joined a team that had just won the Stanley Cup.

“It was pretty difficult for the first couple of weeks, being like, ‘Hey, how do you find your way with this team? How do you know where you fit in with this group and what can you do to provide? Is it enough? Is it the same that they lost?’ All those things in your head.”

All those questions played in Schmidt’s head the first dozen games of the season. Then came a team trip to Finland for a couple of games. Schmidt realized he’s where he ought to be.

“You start to look at, ‘OK, this is the time, this team, there’s a role for you here,’ ” he said.

That role is playing defense and contributing when opportunities arise at the other end of the ice. Most of all, it involves doing what you do best.

“We don’t ask you to do more,” he said he learned of the organization at that point in the season. “That’s one of the biggest things I learned and understand — that that’s good enough. You don’t have to try and be like, ‘I need to be playing more. I didn’t do this, I didn’t do that.’ It was like, ‘No, no. You’re right where we need you to be.’ ”

Schmidt can laugh about growing pains, such as a mistake he made in a preseason game that drew a correction from Sam Bennett. Schmidt is coy about what the mistake was.

“This team has such a defined way that they play and you gotta get on board,” Schmidt said. “Bennett said it wasn’t good.”

Schmidt has found his footing especially in the postseason, scoring the game-winner in Game 2 against Tampa Bay, chalking up four points vs. Toronto. After getting shut out of the scoring in the Carolina series, Schmidt is back in form.

Back to reminding everyone what he can do.

Including himself.