SUNRISE \u2014 Less than 12 hours after the Florida Panthers wrapped up their season with a lineup made up primarily of players from the AHL Checkers and depth acquisitions, eight were at Fort Lauderdale International waiting for a flight back to Charlotte.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Checkers, after all, have a pair of games this weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then comes the AHL\u2019s Calder Cup playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Charlotte begins its quest for the Calder Cup on Wednesday night at Bojangles Coliseum.<\/p>\n
\u201cA couple of the old guys \u2026 felt that they were coaching a group of me who had a unified purpose and goal. That\u2019s really hard to do,\u2019\u2019 Bill Zito said Thursday morning on closeout day at the IcePlex. \u201cReally excited about Charlotte. I\u2019m probably jinxing them. But we had 12-14 of their guys, and they kept winning.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n
Still, it was a little bittersweet in the aftermath of an 8-1 shellacking<\/a> of the Red Wings to see a number of the young players milling around the home dressing room as equipment staff hurriedly packed up red Panthers bags for the morning flight to North Carolina.\u00a0<\/p>\n Yet, what a time \u2014 one they will never forget.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the cherry on top,\u2019\u2019 Mike Benning said after scoring his first two NHL goals in the win. \u201cEvery game is a new learning experience for me, whether it\u2019s from the coaches or the veteran players on the team. Even just watching them, you can take a piece from their game.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n Some of these players made their NHL debut as the season closed out.\u00a0<\/p>\n They all gained the confidence that they could play in NHL.<\/p>\n For the final game of the season against Detroit, Florida had 15 regulars out of the lineup with injuries, including all six regular defensemen.<\/p>\n Florida\u2019s defense consisted of five Charlotte recalls and Donovan Sebrango, who was headed to the AHL in October before the Panthers claimed him off waivers from Ottawa.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Panthers ended the season with three straight victories, all against non-playoff teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nevertheless, as a team they should be given credit for maximum effort, without an eye on draft picks or their upcoming vacation.<\/p>\n With several on one-year contracts, the late season performances will increase the likelihood of a raise and in some cases a one-way contract which can have major financial consequences.<\/p>\n The season finale provided plenty of firsts.<\/p>\n Benning, who played the final 18 games of the season, and was on the first defensive pairing against Detroit, registered his first two NHL goals.<\/p>\n Wilmer Skoog, Mikulas Hovorka, and Ludvig Jansson recorded their first NHL points, all assists.<\/p>\n Marek Alscher, who had his first point two games earlier against Toronto, had two assists against Detroit, his fourth NHL game and his first multi-pointer.<\/p>\n Alscher, Jansson and Skoog are on two-way two-year contracts, so they are sure to be in the system next season.<\/p>\n Benning is on a two-way expiring minimum salary contract and will be a restricted free agent. He is sure to get a qualifying offer at a raise and can make a good case for a one-way deal, even though breaking into the lineup when all the defensemen are healthy again will be tough.<\/p>\n He is ready for making another postseason run with the Checkers after they won the Eastern Conference last season before losing to Vancouver\u2019s Abbotsford Canucks in the final.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have battled through a long season for this,\u201d Benning said. \u201cI have a strong belief in our group, and I know everyone feels the same.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Hovorka, likewise will be an RFA, coming off an expiring two-way contract at somewhat above minimum. He is a little further down the depth chart than Benning but will likely be offered another two-way contract.<\/p>\n Toby Bjornfot is on an expiring two-way one-year minimum salary deal and is a restricted free agent. He has proven himself to be a reliable first-callup defender and there is a good chance he will remain in the system. \u00a0<\/p>\n Nolan Foote was a winger on multiple lines in his twelve games.\u00a0<\/p>\n He managed one goal and showed a lot of hustle. At age 26 and with six years pro experience bouncing between the NHL and AHL, his upside potential is limited. <\/p>\n Zito had signed him to a one-year two-way deal for this season. The team has nothing to lose by offering him a similar deal.<\/p>\n Noah Gregor, who came to camp on a tryout and made the Panthers in October, is also back in Charlotte where he played 25 games before his recall.\u00a0<\/p>\n Like Foote, he\u2019s been around a while and knows what it\u2019s like to fight for a job. He scored four goals in his 37 games, the highlight of which was his franchise-record goal 8 seconds in against Ottawa<\/a> on April 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n He will be a UFA after the AHL season ends.<\/p>\n Although the season was an artistic failure on ice, the adversity benefited the \u201con the bubble\u201d players, showcasing them for the Panther brass and the other teams\u2019 scouts to see.<\/p>\n It was also good for the Florida coaching staff to get to know these players a little bit better, and to see them against NHL competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even in training camp, the young kids practiced apart from the NHL group and really only got into exhibition games loaded with AHL hopefuls like themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf you stay healthy you don\u2019t get to know these guys,\u2019\u2019 said Paul Maurice, explaining that, while he gets reports on the AHL players during the season, his focus is on the NHL side of things.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t know what they\u2019re good at. \u2026 I know our organization better right now because of the last two months than at any other point. All of those guys on the blue line \u2013 we\u2019ve got six guys that really didn\u2019t play in the league last year. You\u2019ve also got a bunch of guys that played in Charlotte.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI would never get to see them play in an NHL game. Some got to play in some heavy games, too. \u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI do have a better understanding of what they\u2019re good at so we as coaches can interact with them completely differently. There were players I was really very impressed with, at least in their development.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The core is set for next season, save for a still uncertain goalie situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Will Zito go with what he has for depth, or seek other under the radar candidates?\u00a0<\/p>\n The future is anybody\u2019s guess.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n ON DECK: FLORIDA PANTHERS\u00a0OFFSEASON<\/p>\n NHL Draft Lottery:\u00a0May 5; Secaucus, NJ<\/a><\/p>\n