NHL Training Camp Preview: Florida and Los Angeles Eye Playoff Returns

The National Hockey League will begin its 106^th season in early October, with a number of clubs looking to unseat the Colorado Avalanche after their Stanley Cup victory earlier this summer, while others are preparing to make a run at getting the best odds to select the presumptive first overall pick, Connor Bedard.

With the NHL salary cap going up only $1 million, many clubs had to make difficult roster decisions. Nearly half the league is currently over the $82.5 million limit and will be using the long-term injured reserve to get under the cap ceiling. While budget clubs used their cap space to add draft capital.

In this edition of the NHL Training Camp Preview, we look at an Eastern Conference club that won the Atlantic Division but once again fell in the playoffs to their state archrival. In addition, we look at a Western Conference squad who forced Edmonton to Game 7 before bowing out in the first round. Both teams are eyeing playoff returns this season.

NHL Training Camp Preview: Panthers and Kings Eyeing Playoffs Again

Florida Panthers (58-18-6 – 1st place in the Atlantic Division, lost to Tampa Bay in the second round)

Who’s Out – Jonathan Huberdeau, Mason Marchment, Mackenzie Weegar, Claude Giroux, Joe Thornton

Who’s In – Matthew Tkachuk, Colin White, Nick Cousins, Marc Staal

After a franchise-record 122-point season and finishing with the top seed in the East, Florida struggled to get past Washington in the first round. Round two was not much better getting swept by Tampa Bay. This was a lesson Florida is still learning to deal with. The disappointing finish to a great season spurred GM Bill Zito to make changes. First moving on from interim coach Andrew Brunette to veteran bench boss Paul Maurice.

The Panthers lost key pieces in free agency, with Giroux signing in Ottawa and Marchment going to Dallas, but Zito added depth pieces in Cousins and White, and pulled off arguably the biggest trade of the summer, swapping leading scorer Huberdeau and defenseman Weegar to Calgary for Tkachuk and signing the power forward to an eight-year, $76 million extension.

2022-23 Potential impact prospects

W – Grigori Denisenko

W – Mackie Samoskevich

D – Evan Nause

The Panthers’ prospect pool has been depleted by trades to acquire players like Giroux and Tkachuk, but they held on to Denisenko, who played three years in the KHL before splitting time between the AHL and NHL the last two seasons. Samoskevich posted 29 points as a freshman at Michigan after being selected 21^st overall in 2021, while Nause doubled his point production in his second season with Quebec of the QMJHL.

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Los Angeles Kings (44-27-11 – 3rd place in the Pacific Division – lost to Edmonton in the first round)

Who’s Out –  Dustin Brown, Andreas Athanasiou, Olli Maatta

Who’s In –  Kevin Fiala

GM Rob Blake has combined the development of prospects, with some savvy trades and forays into free agency to bring the Kings back to playoff contention. LA still has the core group from their 2012 and 2014 championship squads (Drew Doughty, Jonathan Quick, Anze Kopitar), along with key additions Phillip Danault and Viktor Arvidsson). After cap space opened up with the retirement of team captain Brown, LA added some much-needed scoring punch by acquiring Fiala (coming off a career-best 85-point season) from Minnesota for a first-round pick and a prospect.

2022-23 Potential impact prospects

D – Brandt Clarke

C – Quinton Byfield

C – Alex Turcotte

After playing in Europe during the OHL’s COVID shutdown, Clarke averaged over a point-per-game (11 goals, 48 assists in 55 games) for Barrie. Clarke is hoping for a long look at training camp later this month. Byfield split time between the AHL and the Kings last season. There is more expected from the 2020 second overall pick this season. Turcotte has displayed some offensive potential in the AHL. However, he has been limited to 67 games of professional hockey. Mostly due to a variety of injuries, including a series of concussions last season.

Stay tuned for another edition of Full Press Hockey’s NHL Training Camp Previews tomorrow.