FORT LAUDERDALE — A lot of the Florida Panthers‘ roster was with the group final 12 months when they lifted the Stanley Cup for the primary time in franchise historical past.
However an infusion of “new blood” has helped preserve issues recent and drive Florida to its third consecutive Stanley Cup Last and a probability at a title repeat.
“We wouldn’t be right here with out them,” Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk stated. “It’s nothing towards what we had final 12 months, years prior, however I simply really feel like for those who’re going to win it once more, you want that recent blood and also you want that recent depth and the drive. We’ve that as nicely, however you simply want that little little bit of a distinct look, and we have now that this 12 months. And love the brand new items that we have now and that we had been in a position so as to add, whether or not it was firstly of the 12 months or the deadline.
“Simply their personalities that match proper in, firstly, and their work ethic and after that, their sport speaks for itself, however we have now among the finest guys in that room, and the brand new guys are simply excellent additions. So yeah, we actually need to win it once more for ourselves and for the fellows that haven’t skilled it but as a result of it’s the most unimaginable factor.
A number of the gamers, like Jesper Boqvist, Nate Schmidt and A.J. Greer, arrived within the offseason as common supervisor Invoice Zito regarded to fortify the championship roster. The Panthers additionally added on the commerce line, selecting up a pair of veterans in defenseman Seth Jones and ahead Brad Marchand.
Coach Paul Maurice stated he and his teaching workers persist with the hockey side of getting ready gamers, and the gamers inform one another of what to anticipate within the championship spherical. Tkachuk stated he doesn’t anticipate the gamers’ day-to-day routine to vary an excessive amount of even because the strain and media highlight amps up through the Last.
“Nothing’s actually too totally different from the playoffs,” Tkachuk stated. “They clearly get somewhat bit crazier and crazier every spherical. … I don’t assume something can be as loopy as taking part in if you’re taking part in the (Toronto Maple) Leafs. So it’s not something crazier than that, so the fellows are ready for that facet of issues.
Marchand has a Stanley Cup to his identify from his time in Boston, however Jones, who spent his profession in Nashville, Columbus and Chicago, had by no means been previous the second spherical of the playoffs till now.
Jones stated his teammates have informed him to benefit from the trip, and the veteran defender is trying ahead to “simply getting began.”
“Simply have enjoyable with it,” Jones stated. “There’s going to be ups and downs. There’s going to be shifts, intervals the place you don’t play nice, the place it looks like the opposite group’s throughout you and it’s the tip of the world, but it surely’s not.
“Simply proceed to play our sport. We need to attempt to impose our will on them, and so they’re attempting to do the identical. So particularly beginning on the highway, the fellows have informed me how nice that constructing (and) the environment is, how loud it’s. So simply attempting to grasp how that’s going to really feel in that state of affairs.”
