Whatever’s happening behind the scenes of the Florida Panthers -- and there are varying accounts, to be sure -- the only real solution for this team is to start winning some hockey games.
Keep losing and the criticism will continue, whether it’s fair or not. The Panthers do things their own way, and there’s nothing inherently wrong with that. But when a team that hasn’t won a playoff series in a couple of decades starts talking about winning “multiple Stanley Cups,” there are bound to be people who hope that team fails.
This is also what happens when a team that used to be ignored starts getting more league-wide attention. The Panthers are doing some interesting things. They are going out on a limb with analytics, and more and more people are watching to see how they fare. Some want them to succeed. But again, others want them to fall flat on their faces.
When the Panthers fired Gerard Gallant, it became “a PR nightmare” after photos emerged showing the ex-coach taking a taxi in Carolina. A few days later, Gallant said things were “getting blown out of proportion,” but by then, the damage had been done. That the team has continued to lose under interim coach Tom Rowe has only brightened the spotlight.
Read more: A ‘philosophical divide’ led to Gallant firing
Then came yesterday’s report that Dale Tallon was back in charge of hockey ops. The Panthers fired back, saying he’s never not been in charge.
That, in turn, led to Bob McKenzie’s radio rant today, during which the widely respected TSN/NBC insider said, “Technically, nothing has changed in Florida. Everybody’s got the same title. They’re going out of their way now to say nothing has happened. I will tell you what happened. After the game the other night, where they lost, and lost badly, and Roberto Luongo smashed his stick on the boards and threw a tantrum as he went off the ice, and Tom Rowe threw a tantrum on the bench, and that put them to 2-3-3, seven points out of a possible 16 since they fired head coach Gerard Gallant, we do know that the owner, Vinnie Viola, met with Dale Tallon the next morning and immediately following that, there was certainly word out in the NHL community that, whatever role Dale had before, that there may have been some added responsibility.”
For the players, it’s all a bunch of unwelcome noise. They’ve got enough on their plates, what with being five points back of a playoff spot. The way the top five teams in the Metropolitan are rolling, it looks like only three Atlantic teams are going to make the postseason. Montreal’s already got a nice cushion, which could leave only two spots for Ottawa, Boston, Tampa Bay, Florida, Detroit, Toronto, and Buffalo to grab. So whatever happens, there are going to be some very noteworthy teams that miss the playoffs this year.
Looking ahead, the Panthers play tonight in Winnipeg against a Jets team that should be rested and ready to go. Tomorrow they’re in Colorado, where the Avalanche continue to flounder. After that, Florida returns home for five huge divisional games with Buffalo, Boston, Detroit, Toronto, and Montreal.
When all’s said and done, these next seven games could very well determine whether the Panthers make or miss the playoffs. And we can only imagine the fallout if they miss.