Anatomy of the Panthers – How Did We Get Here (Part 3)

This is the third and final installment of Anatomy of the Panthers – How Did We Get Here?

Today, we take a look at the current team, and combine it with the last two parts to draw a complete portrait of the Panthers asset management over the years. You can find Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

To this point, we have been examining the transaction history of the Panthers in a chronological manner during this series. We will change gears in this final part though. I will breakdown the current stable of players and prospects into four different categories, and illustrate how all the previous moves discussed in Parts 1 and 2 relate to today. First, let us start with the less complicated moves.

Native Draft Picks

With the exception of some bright spots, the Panthers have been an awful team in the recent past. The end result of that was a lot of high draft picks in the last five drafts. The following players and notable prospects have all been acquired via the draft with picks natively held by the Panthers (i.e. there were no trades involved in acquiring the picks, they were original Panther draft picks):

• Dmitry Kulikov (#14 Overall – 2009)
• Erik Gudbranson (#3 Overall – 2010)
• Jonathan Huberdeau (#3 Overall – 2011)
• Rocco Grimaldi (#33 Overall – 2011)
• Vincent Trocheck (#64 Overall – 2011)
• Michael Matheson (#23 Overall – 2012)
• Aleksander Barkov (#2 Overall – 2013)
• Ian McCoshen (#31 Overall – 2013)
• Aaron Ekblad (#1 Overall – 2014)
• Jayce Hawryluk (#32 Overall – 2014)
• Lawson Crouse (#11 Overall – 2015)

Free Agents

Now, free agency is not what it used to be, but there are still a good number of players on the Panthers roster who have been brought here by that method. One interesting note here, the only free agent who was not a veteran acquisition is goaltender Colin Stevens, signed this spring:

• Dave Bolland (7/1/2014)
• Jussi Jokinen (7/1/2014)
• Willie Mitchell (7/1/2014)
• Derek MacKenzie (7/1/2014)
• Shawn Thornton (7/1/2014)
• Al Montoya (7/1/2014)
• Colin Stevens (3/20/2015)

Short Range Acquisitions

These are players who’s transaction history stretches back over just a handful of transactions. For our purposes, we’ll say that’s roughly around 3 or fewer transactions, although that’s not a hard and fast rule. They could have been acquired by trade, or drafted with picks acquired in a trade:

1. Jaromir Jagr acquired from New Jersey for a 2015 2nd round pick and a 2016 3rd round pick

1. Drew Shore drafted 44th overall in 2009
2. Corban Knight acquired from Calgary for Drew Shore

1. Stephen Kampfer acquired from New York Rangers for Joey Crabb
2. Joey Crabb signed as a free agent

1. Miguel Fidler drafted 143rd overall in 2014
2. 143rd overall pick acquired with 2015 3rd round pick from Pittsburgh for Marcel Goc
3. Marcel Goc signed as a free agent

1. Juho Lammikko drafted 65th overall in 2014
2. 65th overall pick in 2014 acquired from New York Islanders for 2015 3rd round pick

1. Brandon Pirri acquired from Chicago for 2014 3rd round pick and 2016 5th round pick

1. Brian Campbell acquired from Chicago for Rostislav Olesz
2. Rostislav Olesz drafted 7th overall in 2004

1. Alex Petrovic drafted 36th overall in 2010
2. 36th overall pick in 2010 acquired with other assets from Boston for Dennis Seidenberg and Matt Bartkowski
3. Dennis Seidenberg signed as a free agent
4. Matt Bartkowski drafted 190th overall in 2008

1. Garrett Wilson drafted 107th overall in 2009
2. 107th overall pick in 2009 acquired with other assets for 2010 3rd round pick

Long Range Acquisitions

Here’s where things get interesting. This is where we find out just how deeply connected some of today’s players are to the team’s past. There are five distinct long range acquisitions that flow through today’s organization, and they are presented below:

Nick Bjugstad, Kyle Rau, and Jonathan Racine:

1. Kyle Rau drafted 90th overall in 2011
2. Jonathan Racine drafted 86th overall in 2011
3. Nick Bjugstad drafted 19th overall in 2010
4. 86th overall pick in 2011 acquired with other assets from Washington for Dennis Wideman
5. 19th overall pick in 2010 acquired with other assets from Los Angeles for 15th overall pick
6. Dennis Wideman, 15th overall pick in 2010, and 90th overall pick in 2011 acquired from Boston for Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell, at 2010 Draft
7. Nathan Horton drafted 3rd overall in 2003
8. 3rd overall pick in 2003 acquired from Pittsburgh for 1st overall pick in 2003 and other assets
9. Gregory Campbell drafted 67th overall in 2002
10. 67th overall pick in 2002 acquired from New York Islanders for Eric Godard
11. Eric Godard signed as a free agent

The real interesting thing here is not only are Bjugstad and Rau connected with each other through the University of Minnesota but the fate that made them both Panthers is also connected. Their presence in the Florida Panthers organization starts with the drafting of Nathan Horton in 2003, and, perhaps more surprisingly, the signing of Eric Godard in 1999.

Godard never played a game for the Panthers, and never at any time promised to be a major piece towards success for the Panthers. One might assume a player like that had no impact whatsoever on the franchise when taking a look at face value, but a closer examination reveals the hidden importance of his time in the organization. Obviously one cannot plan to extract such value from a player, and it doesn’t happen overnight. However, it does go to show that if the eyes and mind are open to opportunity, great things can happen from unexpected circumstances.

Roberto Luongo and Quinton Howden

1. Roberto Luongo acquired with other assets from Vancouver for Shawn Matthias and Jacob Markstrom
2. Quinton Howden drafted 25th overall in 2010
3. 25th overall pick in 2010 acquired from Vancouver for Keith Ballard
4. Jacob Markstrom drafted 31st overall in 2008
5. Keith Ballard and 2008 2nd round pick acquired with other assets from Phoenix for Olli Jokinen
6. 31st overall pick in 2008 acquired from Tampa Bay for Chris Gratton
7. Shawn Matthias acquired with other assets from Detroit for Todd Bertuzzi
8. Todd Bertuzzi acquired with other assets from Vancouver for Roberto Luongo, Lukas Krajicek and other assets
9. Lukas Krajicek drafted 24th overall in 2001
10. 24th overall draft pick in 2001 acquired from New Jersey for two 2nd round picks in 2001
11. 2001 2nd round pick acquired with other assets from Vancouver for Alex Auld
12. 2001 2nd round pick acquired from Phoenix for Todd Simpson
13. Todd Simpson acquired from Calgary for Bill Lindsay
14. Alex Auld drafted 40th overall in 1999
15. 40th overall pick in 1999 acquired from Nashville for 45th overall pick in 1999 and 2000 3rd round pick
16. Bill Lindsay acquired in the 1993 Expansion Draft
17. Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen acquired from New York Islanders for Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish
18. Mark Parrish acquired from Colorado for Tom Fitzgerald
19. Oleg Kvasha drafted 65th overall in 1996
20. 65th overall pick in 1996 acquired from Vancouver for Jesse Belanger
21. Tom Fitzgerald and Jesse Belanger acquired in the 1993 Expansion Draft

This is the most massive acquisition chain in the Panthers organization. The amusing part here is that, in tracing the acquisitions back in time, Roberto Luongo was essentially traded for himself. The Panthers effectually traded the prime of Luongo’s career for a handful of games from Todd Bertuzzi, an ineffectual one season run of Alex Auld, a few solid seasons of Bryan Allen, and potential left unfulfilled by Shawn Matthias.

Was it worth it? No, not really. The Panthers only made the playoffs once in the intervening years and Matthias was not a major player on that 2011-12 Panthers playoff team. Meanwhile, Luongo in Vancouver would make a Stanley Cup Final appearance, and win 32 playoff games and 6 playoff series. That’s not to say the Panthers would have had the same success with him, but it would have been a boon to have his best years. Oh well, that’s just how things break down sometimes.

Reilly Smith, Dylan Olsen, Mackenzie Weegar, Hugo Fagerblom, and Marc Savard

1. Reilly Smith and Marc Savard (giggle) acquired from Boston for Jimmy Hayes
2. Hugo Fagerblom drafted 182nd overall in 2014
3. Jimmy Hayes and Dylan Olsen acquired from Chicago for Kris Versteeg and Phillippe Lefebvre
4. Mackenzie Weegar drafted 206th overall in 2013
5. 182nd overall pick in 2014 and Phillippe Lefebvre acquired from Montreal for George Parros
6. 206th overall pick in 2013 acquired from Montreal for 182nd overall pick in 2014
7. George Parros signed as a free agent
8. Kris Versteeg acquired from Philadelphia for 2011 2nd round pick and 2012 3rd round pick via San Jose
9. 2011 2nd round pick and 2012 3rd round pick acquired from San Jose for 2011 2nd round pick via Montreal
10. 2011 2nd round pick acquired from Montreal for Dominic Moore
11. Dominic Moore signed as a free agent

Here, we can see how two free agent signings, four years apart, can come together to bring a useful player into the fold. In this case, it is journeyman Dominic Moore and enforcer George Parros giving way to Reilly Smith, Dylan Olsen (to a lesser extent), and two prospects (plus Marc Savard’s contract). There is not a ton of intrigue around this transaction chain, it mostly stands as a nice example of asset management as it regards to free agent signings.

Sam Brittain and Logan Shaw

1. Logan Shaw drafted 75th overall in 2011
2. Sam Brittain drafted 92nd overall in 2010
3. 75th overall pick acquired with other assets from New York Rangers for Bryan McCabe
4. Bryan McCabe and 92nd overall pick in 2010 acquired from Toronto for Mike Van Ryn
5. Mike Van Ryn acquired from St. Louis for Valeri Bure and other assets
6. Valeri Bure acquired with other assets from Calgary for Rob Niedermayer and 2001 2nd round pick
7. 2nd round pick acquired from Philadelphia for the rights to Jiri Dopita
8. The rights to Jiri Dopita acquired from New York Islanders for 1999 5th round pick
9. 1999 5th round pick acquired with other assets from San Jose for Jeff Norton
10. Jeff Norton acquired with other assets from Tampa Bay for Mark Fitzpatrick and Jody Hull
11. Jody Hull signed as a free agent
12. Rob Niedermayer drafted 5th overall in 1993
13. Mark Fitzpatrick acquired in 1993 Expansion Draft

Brittain and Shaw are not top of the line prospects, but their presence in the organization has deep roots, all the way to the 1993 Expansion Draft. However, there isn’t a lot of intrigue here beyond what was covered earlier in this series. For more on the backstory of these acquisitions, please check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.

Connor Brickley

1. Connor Brickley drafted 50th overall in 2010
2. 50th overall pick in 2010 acquired from Pittsburgh for Jordan Leopold
3. Jordan Leopold acquired with over assets from Calgary for Jay Bouwmeester
4. Jay Bouwmeester drafted 3rd overall in 2002
5. 3rd overall pick in 2002 acquired with other consideration from Columbus for 1st overall pick in 2002
6. Panthers trade 2003 4th round pick with other assets to Atlanta in exchange for promise to not select Jay Bouwmeester
7. 2003 4th round draft pick acquired with other assets from New York Rangers in exchange for Pavel Bure and other assets
8. Pavel Bure acquired with other assets from Vancouver for Ed Jovanovski, Dave Gagner, Kevin Weekes, Mike Brown, and 1999/2000 1st round pick
9. Dave Gagner signed as a free agent
10. Mike Brown drafted 20th overall in 1997
11. Ed Jovanovski drafted 1st overall in 1994
12. Kevin Weekes drafted 41st overall in 1993

Connor Brickley is the Panthers last link to the Pavel Bure era. Though his transaction chain is not directly connected to Bure, the fact that a pick from the 2002 Bure trade was used to assure Jay Bouwmeester became a Panther is certainly a link.

Bouwmeester is where most of the intrigue is on this chain. Though the Panthers had hoped Bouwmeester would anchor the Panthers defense for years to come, years of continually missing the the playoffs though had soured him on the Panthers, and led to his departure from South Florida. Jordon Leopold, who was the return from Calgary, was then later flipped in the name of building for the future. That pick of course became Connor Brickley.

Fun But Weird

Although this does not have a significant impact on the team, it is interesting nonetheless. John Vanbiesbrouck’s legacy technically lives on in the Panthers organization. When Vanbiesbrouck left the Panthers for free agent in 1998, they were awarded a third round pick as compensation in the 1999 Entry Draft. That pick became Niklas Hagman. He would last just three and a half seasons before getting traded to Dallas for a 7th round pick in 2007. The Panthers ended up taking a Ukranian-born netminder by the name of Sergei Gayduchenko with that pick. He currently plays in what is essentially the KHL’s version of the AHL. We are not likely to see him in North America.

Epilogue

As evidenced above, most players in the Panthers organization do not have a long, deep connection to the team’s past. 11 players were drafted with native draft picks, 7 players are free agent signings, and 9 more players have short trade histories. On the flip side 13 players are part of long term trade histories. One thing is very evident though: the Panthers have experienced a massive amount of turnover in recent years. Dmitry Kulikov, drafted in 2009, is the longest tenured player in the organization outside of a couple Russian players drafted many years ago who the Panthers technically own the right to. This is all a testament to the teardown and rebuild by General Manager Dale Tallon. The Panthers for years mismanaged their assets, failing to build properly around their young players, and tainting them with the lack of support. The organization needed a complete retool. Now, the Panthers near a time of roster stability with the players they have brought together.

Most of the Panthers best players and prospects are also those with short histories. That’s no surprise given the high number of those players. Its also a function of the ideal that one will ideally hold on to their best assets, rather than continually trade them. Constant turnover is chaos, and chaos makes building a winner hard. Players like Nick Bjugstad, Kyle Rau, and Quinton Howden however are great examples of how teams can come out of the chaos with value.
This has all added up to a team that is in the best position for sustained success it has had in a long time, perhaps ever. It is an exciting time to be a Panthers fan.

AJ can be reached for contact on Twitter.