The Florida Panthers are in an unexpected predicament. After leading the Stanley Cup Final series 3-0, they now face Game 7 on home ice after the Edmonton Oilers won three in a row to force a deciding game. If the Oilers complete the comeback on Monday, it will be the fifth time in NHL history and the second time in Stanley Cup Final history that a team has lost the series after leading 3-0.
If it does happen, general manager Bill Zito should hit the reset button on the team, especially with all the expiring contracts coming this summer and the next. Such a stain on South Florida sports history cannot be tolerated.
Paul Maurice Should Be in the Hot Seat
The success of head coach Paul Maurice in Florida is undeniable. Back-to-back Cup Final appearances are unheard of in Panthers history. But success can live and die with the man behind the bench, and with the catastrophic collapse potentially coming to an end on Monday, there may be no way to recover. Getting to the Cup Final once is hard; getting back is even harder.
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While Maurice has the fourth-most wins in NHL history with 869 and 69 playoff wins, there’s another side to his history – no coach has more losses than him, with 736. If he drops Game 7, he should be scrutinized. A full-on release might be drastic due to his accomplishments, but questioning the coach should not be out of the realm of possibilities.
Get as Much Value as Possible for Expiring Assets or Players
The team is staring down the barrel expiring contracts. Most notable are Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour’s. Assuming the collapse happens on Monday, they need to get as much as they can out of these deals.
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After finishing second in the league in goal-scoring, Reinhart has been a ghost in the Final. He only has two points in six games this series. In the postseason, he has nine goals and six assists through 23 games. Game 7 could be his last in a Panthers uniform.
Which Panthers Stick Around?
With any rebuild, there will be pieces that stick around. Forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov are here for the long haul, so they’ll be in Florida for a potential rebuild if Game 7 goes south.
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will likely also be around despite his performances in Games 4-6. His contract still carries a no-movement clause and is worth $10 million a season for the next two seasons. Even though he has not been great in this series, he’s a big reason for the Panthers’ success this season and last.
It Comes Down to Game 7
Tonight is a night the hockey world has dreamed of – a winner-take-all Game 7 to win Lord Stanley’s holy grail.
Regardless of how it ends, the Panthers will make history. On one end, it will be their first-ever Stanley Cup victory. On the other side, they could become the first team since the 2014 San Jose Sharks to be reverse-swept. It will be up to the players and coaches to decide which side they want to be on. If it’s on the latter, it could be the last time we see some of them with connections to the organization.
