The Florida Panthers qualified for the expanded 24-team field in the 2020 NHL postseason, but proved to be a quick out for the New York Islanders in the qualification round. And with the team moving on from Dale Tallon and hiring GM Bill Zito away from the Blue Jackets, this was an offseason filled with changes up and down the roster.
Can Panthers fans expect a better on-ice product following all of those changes? Here's everything you need to know prior to opening night of the 2020-21 season:
Big question: Who are the Panthers?
Sure, it's an existential question -- but that's what everyone in the league is asking. Florida might be one of the toughest teams to peg at this juncture.
It's the second straight offseason of massive changes, and new GM Bill Zito is trying to maximize the roster around the team's three centerpieces: captain Aleksander Barkov, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky and coach Joel Quenneville. Did he do enough to find a salvageable winning combo or is this team destined to underperform again this season?