Panthers lock up Presidents’ Trophy for first time

The Florida Panthers are Presidents’ Trophy winners for the primary time in franchise historical past, ending the common season with 122 factors.

Florida claimed the NHL’s prime spot within the standings on Thursday after defeating Ottawa 4-0 and seeing Colorado lose to Nashville 5-4 in a shootout.

This was simply the second season the place Florida had ever eclipsed 100 factors, following a 103-point effort in 2015-16.

Apparently, the Presidents Trophy winner hasn’t traditionally fared properly within the NHL playoffs. Since 2001-02, the league’s prime point-getter has received the Stanley Cup solely thrice: Detroit in 2002 and 2008, and Chicago in 2013. That was additionally the final time a Presidents’ Trophy winner even appeared within the Cup Remaining.

The Panthers will try to alter that narrative when the postseason opens on Might 2. Florida has been one of many NHL’s most dominant offensive squads all yr, with 4 gamers previous the 30-goal mark and because the solely membership to common greater than 4 objectives per recreation.

GM Invoice Zito did all he might at March’s commerce deadline to make the Panthers even higher. He went all-in buying Ben Chiarot from Montreal for, amongst different belongings, a 2023 first-round decide, and Zito introduced in former Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux for a package deal that included one other first-round draft alternative.

It hasn’t all been clean crusing for Florida although. The Panthers have weathered their share of damage points, significantly to captain Aleksander Barkov. High-pairing defenseman Aaron Ekblad has additionally been sidelined since mid-March with an damage; the crew is hopeful he’ll be capable to return within the first spherical, although.

Getting Ekblad again could be particularly useful given the place the Panthers’ have struggled. The crew’s total depth of offensive presents has needed to save them extra usually of late from defensive and goaltending lapses. Florida is the NHL’s chief in win proportion (.407) when trailing after two durations, a playing-from-behind downside that turned extra pronounced because the common season wound down.

However usually, Florida’s goal-scoring prowess has seen them by storms. Now the Panthers enter the NHL’s second season with a goal on their again on the prime crew to beat.