The Florida Panthers’ magical playoff run has come to a disappointing end. They lost the Stanley Cup Final to the Vegas Golden Knights four games to one. But, there is still a lot to be proud of.
Some of the biggest pieces on the roster were signed or drafted by former general manager Dale Tallon. Of course, he’s done some good to get the franchise back to a competitive level. For example, he signed a legend in Jaromir Jagr for a brief stint in 2016 and drafted both Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad. But, he’s also made some questionable moves. In the end, some of them came back to bite the Cats.
Not Protecting Jonathan Marchessault in the Vegas Expansion Draft
In the summer of 2016, the Panthers signed former Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jonathan Marchessault to a one-year deal after he scored 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) through 45 games. In his one and only season in Florida, he led the team in goals with 30 and was third in points with 51.
The following summer, the Golden Knights held their expansion draft ahead of their inaugural season in 2017-18. In the name of defense (‘Panthers GM Tallon on losing Marchessault and Smith’, Miami Herald, June 27, 2017), Tallon made the head-scratching decision to leave Marchessault unprotected, protecting instead eight forwards and four defensemen, including Mark Pysyk and Alex Petrovic. Today, not only does Marchessault lead the Golden Knights all-time in goals, assists, games played and points, he effectively ran a dagger through the Panther’s heart and won the Conn Smythe Trophy for his efforts.
Petrovic is now in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Texas Stars and Pysyk signed with the Detroit Red Wings but did not play a game last season. This move had a massive domino effect that will haunt the Panthers for a very long time.
Signing Sergei Bobrovsky to a Long-Term Deal
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky had a great playoff run this past season, and it seems like he’s finally playing up to his contract. But his tenure with the Panthers has been filled with inconsistency. After Roberto Luongo retired, in the summer of 2019, Tallon signed him to a eight-year, $80 million deal worth $10 million a season.
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Bobrovsky has been considered unreliable at times, and he’s been outperformed by Chris Driedger, Alex Lyon and Spencer Knight on occasion. He might be returning to his Vezina Trophy-winning form, but the team still has to fork over $10 million a season for four more seasons.
Drafting Lawson Crouse at 11th Overall
Tallon made a massive blunder in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, ironically in Sunrise, Florida. He selected forward Lawson Crouse of the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) 11th overall, but he never played a minute for the Panthers; he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes as a sweetener to get rid of forward Dave Bolland’s contract. Last season, he hit a career high in points with 45 (24 goals, 21 assists) through 77 games.
Some of the names that were drafted ahead of him became some of the best in the NHL, including Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho, New York Islanders forward Mathew Barzal, Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser and Dallas Stars forward Roope Hintz. Florida has struggled for years with finding good depth within their lineup and continue to do so.
Has Enough Time Passed to Overcome the Mistakes?
With new general manager Bill Zito at the helm, a lot of Tallon’s moves have been undone, and the team has clearly been steered in the right direction with four playoff series wins and an Eastern Conference title for the first time in 27 years.
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Tallon’s tenure may have ended three years ago, but his moves continue to hurt the franchise. The team has turned a corner over the past few seasons. As a result, the damage done by the previous general manager will soon be fixed.
