 With the Florida Panthers competing for a postseason slot last season, might they be ready to make it over the hump for the first time in years? The Panthers were actually competitive last season, and going for broke they chose not to trade star defenseman Jay Bouwmeester at the deadline, only to fall short of the final playoff position in a tiebreaker with Montreal. Florida's 41-30-11 record gave them 93, the same as Montreal, but the Canadiens' 3-1 record in head-to-head play was what ended the Panthers' season early. Florida's gamble of keeping Bouwmeester paid dividends later, when the team traded his rights to Calgary a few days before the beginning of free agency, and acquiring defenseman Jordan Leopold and a draft pick in return. Furthermore, Florida picked up veteran goalie Scott Clemensen to fill a need as backup, but also allowed a number of players to depart, with their roles being filled by others already within the organization. There are two things that inevitably need to happen in order for the Panthers' offense to come of age in 2009-2010. The first is that speedy young winger David Booth needs to further his development and break into the 40-goal range. The second is that immensely talented center Stephen Weiss needs to finally become the elite playmaker that he has the potential to be; Weiss' 2008-09 campaign was actually pretty good, but it still seems like he is only scratching the surface of his potential after five years in the league. With a strong group of depth players surrounding Weiss, including Corey Stillman, Nathan Horton, and new acquisition Stephen Reinprecht, his development could allow the Panthers to make the step up from average to excellent on offense, while providing a superstar's touch on the front line. The Florida defense is an average group of defensemen outside of up and comer Keith Ballard, and the team will need to hope that some of their young prospects, most notably Keaton Ellerby, will be able to contribute this season without any elite talent on hand. In goal, the Panthers are lucky to have Tomas Vokoun. Although the talented netminder gets a bad rap because his record was barely .500 last season, in reality Vokoun was facing an average of 32 shots per game and his .926 save percentage was actually quite impressive across the league. If the defense steps up like the coaches feel it can, then Tomas will no longer have to stand on his head in order to keep the Panthers in games. This is a team that is on a mission to move up a level or two and make some waves in the playoffs, if not go all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. Fans need to get their tickets and support the Florida Panthers by filling the BankAtlantic Center and cheering their team to a championship.
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