FORT LAUDERDALE \u2013\u00a0This\u00a0season is\u00a0officially\u00a0in the books.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While this year\u2019s campaign\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0what the Florida Panthers had wanted or expected, there is one thing for certain\u00a0—\u00a0the\u00a0two-time Stanley Cup champions\u00a0are\u00a0going to use this summer to get ready to\u00a0come in firing on all cylinders\u00a0in\u00a02026-27.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Following the team\u2019s locker room clean out\u00a0at Baptist Health\u00a0IcePlex\u00a0on Thursday, head coach\u00a0Paul Maurice,\u00a0President of\u00a0Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Zito, captain Aleksander Barkov, Brad Marchand, and Anton Lundell\u00a0spoke\u00a0ahead of the\u00a0offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here\u00a0are some of the things\u00a0they had to say.\u00a0<\/p>\n
PAUL\u00a0MAURICE\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u00a0are\u00a0lessons here,\u00a0and we have to find them.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0learning from the season\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re\u00a0excited about the rest for recovery and to be better. It\u2019s\u00a0not\u00a0I want to get out of this room, and I don\u2019t want to think about hockey.\u00a0That\u2019s\u00a0not what\u00a0they\u2019re\u00a0saying.\u00a0They\u2019re\u00a0saying I\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0wait to get some rest so we\u00a0can get after it again. They see this block\u00a0of time as a springboard.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0players\u00a0being excited to get ready for next season\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s only a lost year if we allow it\u00a0to be\u00a0a lost year.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0using the year as a positive going forward\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI know our organization better right now because of how the last two months have been.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0being able to see call ups in the lineup\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like it to send a message, actually, to\u00a0our fans, and that would be a thank you. It was a tough year. Our fans have been coming to the rink, and\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0been growing in numbers.\u00a0They\u2019ve\u00a0seen some pretty darn exciting hockey for the last few years, and we\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0deliver that, but you\u00a0couldn\u2019t\u00a0tell.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0finishing the season on a high note\u00a0<\/p>\n
BILL ZITO\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0a little bit of a different type of post season than we had all hoped for and expected, but it is what it is. We move forward, we think forward for certain, and\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0going to use this experience to better.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0continuing to move forward\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNow we\u00a0prepare. We\u00a0re-evaluate, and\u00a0come up with\u00a0some ideas, and reevaluate those ideas, and just keep doing it\u00a0over and over.\u00a0We\u2019ll\u00a0spend a significant part of the summer planning, reviewing, and\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0a lot of moving parts and what ifs, but\u00a0we\u2019ll\u00a0get to the bottom of\u00a0it.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0planning for next season\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re\u00a0ever mindful to the core that you have and being respectful to the collective.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0not just\u00a0change\u00a0for\u00a0change\u00a0sake.\u00a0It has to make it better.\u00a0Whoever comes in the door\u00a0has to\u00a0be a good person.\u00a0They have to fit the culture.\u00a0They\u00a0have to\u00a0be a Panther.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0roster construction\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe scheduling, the travel, how important it is just when you have that compressed tight schedule to have an even more detailed plan than we already have, and I think\u00a0it’s\u00a0already\u00a0pretty significantly\u00a0detailed. Anybody who’s traveled with us, knows\u00a0it’s\u00a0driven by science.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0a lesson\u00a0learned during the season\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s\u00a0hard. I talked to him (Jonah\u00a0Gadjovich) yesterday and\u00a0he’s\u00a0just such a good guy and he really battled and\u00a0it’s\u00a0just\u00a0pretty significant.\u00a0He had surgery on his neck and then comes back and he’s trying hard and he has to get right.\u00a0I’m actually proud of him for making sure that he’s\u00a0right. \u2026\u00a0He was\u00a0pretty close\u00a0a couple of times and then would have a setback, but through it all,\u00a0he’s\u00a0been a wonderful teammate.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0Jonah\u00a0Gadjovich\u00a0<\/p>\n
BRAD\u00a0MARCHAND\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, it was disappointing the way the year played out, but you\u00a0definitely learn\u00a0something about your group every year, regardless of how it goes. I love the guys’ mindset every day. We knew we were fighting an uphill battle just with everything that the team was going through, the different guys that came up, and still the way that we came together, it\u00a0obviously\u00a0didn’t\u00a0go our way, and there was a ton of adversity. I love the way that we stuck together as a group and continued internally to try to find ways to get better and improve on our situation.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0the\u00a0team sticking together\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are\u00a0some things you can control and\u00a0there’s\u00a0some things\u00a0you\u00a0can’t.\u00a0We have to take the things that are in our control, work extremely hard,\u00a0which this team does.\u00a0It’s\u00a0one of the hardest working groups\u00a0I’ve\u00a0ever seen or heard of.\u201d\u00a0\u2013 On the\u00a0Panthers\u2019\u00a0work ethic\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an unbelievable depth in our room. That\u00a0hasn’t\u00a0changed.\u201d\u00a0\u2013 On the depth\u00a0of the Panthers\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s\u00a0a great opportunity\u00a0for guys to reset mentally, physically, and come back with even more hunger next year. I would say that\u00a0maybe I’d\u00a0be a little more disappointed about the year if we\u00a0didn’t\u00a0have the group going on next year that we will have.\u00a0We’ll\u00a0still be on paper one of, if not the best team in the league.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0coming back strong next season\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing in the\u00a0National\u00a0Hockey\u00a0League,\u00a0playing for the Viola\u2019s and being part of this group,\u00a0you realize when\u00a0you’re\u00a0in an organization like this,\u00a0how special it is and how lucky and how honored we should be.\u00a0It’s\u00a0not like this everywhere.\u00a0I was\u00a0very fortunate\u00a0to be part of a great organization before, but\u00a0when I\u00a0come in the room every day,\u00a0I’m\u00a0thankful and grateful.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0being a part of the Panthers organization\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
ALEKSANDER\u00a0BARKOV\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery week\u00a0it’s\u00a0been\u00a0better and better.\u00a0It’s\u00a0nice every single week when I step on the ice on Mondays to feel the progress. All the guys that I worked with\u00a0this this\u00a0year, starting with surgeons and our medical staff and strength staff,\u00a0I’m\u00a0in best\u00a0possible hands\u00a0here. I feel great.\u201d\u00a0\u2013 On his\u00a0health status\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s\u00a0a big honor to\u00a0represent\u00a0Finland for me and one of those childhood dreams to win World Championships is a big goal for me too. Really excited about that and been working\u00a0really hard\u00a0to get in shape.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0playing for Finland during World Championships\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was crucial to be around them whenever they were here. Every day they were here, just to be around them, go to the games, spend time with them as much as possible,\u00a0so of\u00a0course that\u00a0that helped a lot.\u00a0I\u00a0can’t\u00a0even imagine if\u00a0I\u00a0would have\u00a0had to do it all by myself isolated from everyone. Of course\u00a0it’s\u00a0not\u00a0a great thing,\u00a0but\u00a0unfortunately\u00a0we had a lot of injuries this year,\u00a0so\u00a0the gym was always\u00a0full,\u00a0and it was always fun to work with those guys.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0being around the team while injured\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of injuries from past years too carried on to this year and some of the guys played with them. Some of the guys\u00a0couldn’t,\u00a0so a lot of time to heal\u00a0those injuries.\u201d\u00a0\u2013 On the\u00a0team recovering from injuries\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s the most important thing. We have built a great culture here over the last few years. Even when things are not going well, even when\u00a0there’s\u00a0a lot of losses and tough games that went the other way.\u00a0Team\u00a0just stuck together, kept working hard, kept working the right way. Never changed the way we play.\u00a0That’s\u00a0going to be crucial moving forward too.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On the\u00a0culture of the locker room\u00a0<\/p>\n
ANTON LUNDELL\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all love to play, so obviously we would want to be in a different situation. Even if we have had long seasons during the past three years, there’s always that hunger to play more.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0not being in the playoffs this year\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’ve got to look where we are and just focus on the future, and\u00a0that’s\u00a0what\u00a0I’m\u00a0going to do as well. I think\u00a0it’s\u00a0good for me and good for the team to heal the injuries now, because we have a lot of them.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0using offseason to recover and rehab\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for me it was a huge season. I learned a lot. I was able to step up. I was able to be one of the guys to rely on every single night and\u00a0I’m\u00a0always ready for more responsibility and\u00a0I’m\u00a0always ready to take that.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0stepping up during the season\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s a big honor to be able to go represent my country, play for the country, play for Finland in World Championships and I’m excited for that opportunity.\u201d\u00a0\u2013\u00a0On\u00a0playing for Finland in the World Championships\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re all excited\u00a0for\u00a0the future.\u00a0We’re\u00a0all excited for\u00a0next\u00a0season. I feel like we have been through it, obviously twice, winning it, but one time going to the Final and losing it too. We know what it takes and I just think\u00a0we’re\u00a0super excited to come back fresh and have\u00a0a new start\u00a0next season.\u201d\u00a0\u2013 On his\u00a0excitement for the future<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FORT LAUDERDALE \u2013\u00a0This\u00a0season is\u00a0officially\u00a0in the books.\u00a0 While this year\u2019s campaign\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0what the Florida Panthers had wanted or expected, there…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":554119,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5102],"tags":[62,57,5141,5,4,63],"class_list":{"0":"post-554118","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-florida-panthers","8":"tag-florida","9":"tag-florida-panthers","10":"tag-floridapanthers","11":"tag-hockey","12":"tag-nhl","13":"tag-panthers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116416724605585870","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=554118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/554118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/554119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=554118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=554118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=554118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}