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Florida Panthers
Overall: 48
Title track: 94
Ownership: 72
Coaching: 74
Players: 65
Fan relations: 47
Affordability: 30
Stadium experience: 80
Bang for the buck: 31
Change from last year: +54
The Florida Panthers have made the playoffs just once since 2000, and they were bounced in the first round in that 2012 appearance. That lack of even a modicum of success, plus an ownership situation that has been more hot potato than cold comfort, means there were nights last season when Twitter mocked the first-period crowds at BB&T Center -- it might have been easier to introduce the fans to the players. But things are looking up, at least in our standings, after the Panthers shot 54 places up the charts to be ranked 48th this year.
What's good
When you're among the league's sad-sack teams on and off the ice, you have to do everything you can to get fans in the building. One of the ways the Panthers have done this is by having the lowest average ticket price in the league at $33.39 per ducat. That helps make them the most affordable team to watch in the NHL by a wide margin. This year, if you're willing to pay a little more, you can also get a first-class dinner: On select dates, a ticket to the Panthers' premium suites also includes an all-you-can-eat buffet catered by some of South Florida's best chefs. Cheap seats, good promotions, plus a team that's on the rise thanks to high draft picks gathered after years of futility? You've got positive mojo in the swamp.
What's bad
Cheap tickets can only do so much, as the Panthers found out last year. Their 11K average attendance was worst in the league and down another 16 percent from 2013-14. No surprise, then, that one of the team's worst showings came in stadium experience. (A franchise-record-low 7,311 tickets were sold to a game in mid-October 2014, and only an estimated 1,000 people actually showed up.) It doesn't help that, perhaps to make up for the cheap tickets, the arena in Sunrise boasts the most expensive hot dogs in the league (tied with the Rangers) at $6.50. Now that's a hot dog! That -- plus sticking the fans who drive to the rink by the swamp for a $20 parking fee -- doesn't seem exactly in line with bringing folks to the game. The beach is tough competition, after all.
What's new
A 10 percent ticket price decrease, plus the first winning season since 2012, saw the Panthers climb an impressive 74 spots in bang for the buck. Ownership, players and coaching rankings all increased by double digits, as well, with new coach Gerard Gallant upping the Panthers' spot from 122nd -- aka last in all of sports -- to 74th. Gallant's return to a head-coaching job in the NHL after eight years away helped Florida raise its point total from 66 in 2013-14 (29-45-8) to 91 last year (38-29-15). He also brought out the best in talented youngsters Aaron Ekblad, Jonathan Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad, and veteran goalie -- and Twitter jokester -- Roberto Luongo, all of whom improved the entertainment value of games and moved the Panthers up our rankings. They aren't winning the Stanley Cup anytime soon, but they'll certainly be a lot more fun to watch while trying.
Next: Colorado Avalanche | Full rankings