Welcome to our offseason initiative — 30 teams in 30 days.
From July 16 until Aug. 14, we’ll be dedicating each day to a new team by recapping the offseason and looking ahead to 2012-13.
There will also be a series of posts looking at key stories, player profiles and burning questions regarding each squad.
Today, we move on to the Florida Panthers.
Last season was a breakthrough season for what has long been the NHL’s most hapless franchise (or at least one of them). After more than a decade of early summers, the Panthers finally made the playoffs - and won the Southeast Division too. Sure, they got booted in the first round by the New Jersey Devils, but it was still a huge step in the right direction for GM Dale Tallon and first-year coach Kevin Dineen.
Unless you feel especially strongly about Marco Sturm and Mikael Samuelsson, the Panthers’ roster is largely unchanged (all apologies to Filip Kuba and Peter Mueller) - for now. Much like the New York Rangers with Rick Nash, Florida’s outlook could change significantly if they bring back Roberto Luongo.
Will the Panthers prove that last season was a stepping stone, not a fluke? Stick around PHT today for more on that.