Training camp is underway, and with that, the quest for the three-peat starts there. Plenty of returning players spoke with the media on day one, and the new players spoke to the media in the following two days. Overall, the general theme is that everyone is excited to be part of the team and they’re ready to grind for the Cup again. Talks about the three-peat won’t be shied away from, and the new blood in the room wants to contribute in any way they can. The biggest difference this year is that the Cats are running their training camp differently. The veteran players are getting an extra week of individual training before joining the main groups on ice.
Bill started his media availability by welcoming everyone back and providing an update on Matthew Tkachuk, as well as revealing that Tomas Nosek will be out for several months as he had to have surgery for an injury he sustained during training. Zito anticipates a December-ish return for Tkachuk, but “don’t hold me to that with my internet medical degree.” He followed that up by explaining that camp is being run a bit differently, with the vets doing their off-ice training but not joining on ice yet. He notes that a reason for the change is that the team was struggling with the length of camp and preseason, and a desire to prepare the athletes as efficiently as possible. Bill said that the team isn’t pounding their chest after winning two Stanley Cups, but there’s a humility, confidence, hunger, and grace around the team in relation to their recent success. With the injuries to start camp, Zito talked about the team’s ability to deploy players up and down the lineup at will and that there are opportunities to play players to their strengths. Bill spoke highly of Bobrovsky and how he inspires not just the goalies but everyone around him. He said that he was confident that Ekblad, Bennett, and Marchand would all be back this season, and he credited the players for wanting to stay with the Panthers despite being able to get more money elsewhere. Zito highlighted how important the Viola ownership has been to becoming a destination franchise. Bill said that he was most proud of the players who have come in and had the best season of their careers and enabling them to be ok with making mistakes but then recovering from them. After having some front office changes, Bill said that winning provides people with opportunities and that it’s a bittersweet part of sports and success.
Paul opened his press conference with a more in-depth explanation of the training camp changes they’re making, and that they had overuse injuries come during their transition block, but didn’t find value in that. They felt that camp is too long for where the team is at, the players aren’t getting another week of rest, they’re getting another week of individual training. They’re taking a week out where they didn’t find a benefit and turned into more training for individual preparedness. Paul said camp isn’t going to be any easier; it’s just not going to be as long. Bill joked about not knowing anything about goaltending, but then explained that he trusts Robb Tallas to manage the starts and that they try to keep Bob at a specific number. Paul also said that the team thinks they have a guy who can play well behind the style of game they play in Daniil Tarasov. Maurice talked about having a very quiet summer and that it felt like things were less hectic while getting more recovery time. Paul was confident that all three big free agents would re-sign, so he felt comfortable leaving soon after the parade for vacation. He also said that had that not been the case, he would’ve stayed in town around July 1st because of heavy lifting that would’ve happened, and so he could give his input. Paul spoke about the importance of retaining the players, citing that Bennett and Ekblad are irreplaceable in their style of play. He finished out his presser by saying that there’s a strong feeling that players are going to play out their careers with the Florida Panthers.
Barkov’s press conference opened with congratulations on the seven-year anniversary of his being named Captain. Barkov spoke about how he decided to be himself and set the example while also highlighting the leadership qualities of his teammates. Sasha said that the team’s goal is to win the Stanley Cup; nothing’s changed for them. He said, “It’s not about like defending the Cup, it’s just winning.” I think that quote best exemplifies the team’s mentality of going on the attack and not being content to just sit back and bask in their accomplishments. Barkov went on to talk about how they’re not going to win the Cup today, but that they have to work for it for the next 300 days until there’s a chance to win it. When asked about the free agents returning, Sasha said there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that they’d all be back, and probably what everyone thought. He talked about the training camp changes and even threw in a rare joke about the “stupid bike test”. Barkov talked about everyone needing to step up and play better with Tkachuk being out long-term to start the season. He closed his press conference talking about Mackie Samoskevich’s improvement from last year to this year and that he’s excited to watch his growth this season.
Aaron opened his presser talking about how excited he is that nearly the whole team is back and happy about the changes to training camp. Ekblad said his focus for the first half of the season will be on playing extremely well to make Team Canada for the Olympics. He talked about how proud he is to be a Panther for potentially 19 years and everything the team’s accomplished. Aaron talked about the pressure of a contract year last season being a positive thing for him, and then spoke about the experience of navigating short off-seasons being valuable. Ekblad joked about needing tips from other guys on how to deal with gaps in the lineup, but the team’s depth will be able to compete. Aaron talked about how special it’s been to be a part of Florida’s journey to becoming a championship team, and that the team is talking about the three-peat, there’s no reason to shy away from it. Ekblad said that mental fatigue will be the biggest challenge during the regular season, but with experience, the team knows how to navigate it. He closed his presser, talking more about using the Olympics as a motivating factor for the regular season.
Reinhart opened his presser speaking on all the returning players staying, but there are also positives to new players coming in. He echoed other sentiments that players are proud of what they’ve built in Florida and want to stay. He talked about how there’s no lack of motivation in the room despite winning the Cup; any given year, they’re trying to be the best team. Sam said that this time is allowing them to get in the gym more than they could otherwise, once they’re on the ice. The team knows it’s going to be another long season, so they’re taking this time to prepare their bodies to be able to handle that. Sam also talked about how grueling January is going to be league-wide with the condensed schedule and trusting that the team will be ready when that time comes around.
Like the others, Sam talked about how great it is to have nearly the entire team back and that the new guys have fit in seamlessly. He spoke on the extra motivation that the Olympics bring, with so many guys having the opportunity to go. Bennett said that he learned that winning their second up wasn’t any easier than the first time and was probably harder. He thinks that the experience from last season will help the team this year with knowing how hard it’s going to be to try and go for the three-peat. Sam said that this year feels similar to last year, but there will be new challenges they face. He thinks that getting every opponent’s best will help them not be complacent. Bennett said all of the free agent goals were to be able to stay with Florida, but they didn’t talk about specifics of numbers. Sam mirrored what Barkov said, that guys will have to step up with Tkachuk out for the first few months of the season. Bennett closed his presser talking about wanting to play with Samoskevich to start the year, and that everyone has seen improvement from Mackie.
Bob opened his press conference talking about his relationship with Tarasov and his father, and how excited he is to play with Daniil. He talked about how unique a situation it is and that it’s life, but he’s excited to help Daniil. Sergie said he spent his summer focused on the mental side of things, not thinking about hockey. He was the only player to outright say that he thought his summer was too long. He spoke about feeling like he’s in his prime and hasn’t thought much about the future. He wants to take the whole advantage of the moment, not the future or the past. Bob said that he thinks the experience helps, and there are going to be lots of challenges that the team will overcome together. He talked about things being a process and sometimes that the lowest point can be a good thing. Sergei talked about how much he enjoys the simple things and routine, putting gear on, jokes, warmups, etc. He thinks that management did a great job of keeping the team together and that he’s happy everyone stayed, and now they have a great chance to win again. Bob spoke highly of Tarasov and thinks that he’s going to have a good season with the Panthers. He also said he’s looking forward to building a working relationship with Daniil. Bobrovsky closed his presser out talking about how Tallas does a good job managing his workload and rest.
Brad started his press conference talking about the Cats’ organization’s dedication to being the best; every decision made is to put the players and the team in the best position to succeed. Marchand was quick to give credit to Zito on being able to bring Ekblad, Bennett, and himself back. He said that he wasn’t expecting to be a Cat this season but he was ecstatic when Bill called about making it work. Brad went on to say that he loved every second of being in Florida after getting traded. He talked about how you need a lot of things to go right to win a Cup, but that the team will be in contention every year for a while. The biggest revelation was Marchand openly speaking about contract term being the main reason things didn’t work out in Boston. He was rather vague last season, so this was the first time he’s said anything specific on that situation. Marchand spoke about the benefit of the state tax differential, but that players still care most about the hockey and the organizations. He said, “You’re not going to walk into a non-tax state if the team’s not run well or if they’re a bad team.” He then went on to speak on how non-tax states are some of the best-run teams in the league, so players want to play there because of management and ownership, how things are approached day to day. He said, “You can’t say it’s not a benefit, it absolutely is. But it’s not on every contract, it’s not for every player.” Brad touched on enjoying things more now, having fun, and working hard. Marchand also talked about the Olympics being a motivating factor and that very few guys make it there. He touched on the mental aspect being a grind and joked that he’s a “young buck” so it didn’t apply to him. He thinks the team is going to embrace the challenges and that they can do something no one’s done in 20+ years. He spoke highly about the fans, the support for the team, and that it’ll be nice to start from day 1 with the team. He closed his presser talking about management doing a good job of bringing in like-minded people, and that there’s no complacency with the players.
Daniil started his presser talking about how much it’s an honor to come to the Cats and that he’s super excited about getting traded. He discussed how special it is to get to play with Bobrovsky and get tips from him. He said that the Panthers are a well-structured team and that they’re really helpful for a goalie. Daniil got asked about his earliest memory of Bob, and he spoke about Bob playing in a junior league semi-final. He talked about helping the team this season, and it’s a huge goal for him to help the team win again. He closed his presser speaking on taking things from Bob and learning what does and doesn’t work for himself.
Jeff talked about how excited he is for the new opportunity with the Panthers and that there’s something special here with all the free agents coming back. He talked about how close the locker room is and, with his short experience, that everyone cares about everyone in the room, it’s not just words. Petry said that there’s still a hunger in the room, they’re not satisfied with what they’ve accomplished, and everyone works hard. He said it’s been nice to have the time to do individual training, meet everyone, and learn new things that’ll translate into games. Jeff said he wants to be as caught up and connected to the system as he can be. He closed his presser talking about how he thinks he can play Florida’s style and that skating & puck-moving are one of his assets that he can contribute.
Luke opened his presser talking about how the Panthers are a special group and he’s excited to help the team in whatever way he can. Kunin said that Tkachuk is one of his best friends and told him a lot about the group and what to expect. He talked about wanting to play for the best and that there wasn’t much thought needed to make a decision on Florida once he got the call. He thinks his style can mesh well with the Cats’ style, hard, physical, and in your face. Luke said he’d been talked to by Paul Maurice about how hard camp is going to be, but he’s looking forward to it. Kunin closed his presser speaking on how welcoming the room has been and that the culture has been unbelievable.
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