The 2024-25 Florida Panthers are quickly changing into a real-life model of the Charleston Chiefs from the film “Slap Shot.”
No less than because it pertains to their tough type of play, which is able to solely get extra intense following Friday’s acquisition of veteran ahead Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins.
Florida was already one of many league’s most bodily and agitating groups because of the presence of forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett. Including Marchard — one of many greatest pests of the trendy period — to that group will solely make them much more unbearable to play in opposition to.
Between the three of them, Tkachuk, Bennett and Marchand have mixed for 11 completely different suspensions (and lots of fines) all through their NHL careers, together with numerous different questionable performs which have averted supplementary self-discipline from the league’s Division of Participant Security.
It isn’t simply that each one three of them are bodily; additionally they play the sport in a manner that persistently toes the road between bodily and soiled. There may be all the time the additional hit, the additional glove to the face, the potential reckless hit, and, in Marchand’s case, the potential lick.
However what makes them much more compelling is that each one three gamers are additionally wonderful hockey gamers. Tkachuk is an MVP-caliber ahead, whereas Marchand has been one of many league’s greatest two-way gamers for over a decade. Bennett won’t be totally on their stage offensively, however he’s no slouch and might nonetheless rating 20-25 targets a season.
The Panthers’ solely destructive is that they must wait a bit for all three to be united.
Tkachuk is out for the rest of the common season attributable to an harm he suffered in the course of the 4 Nations Face-Off however is anticipated to be again for the beginning of the playoffs. Marchand, in the meantime, is sidelined for the subsequent few weeks following an harm simply earlier than the commerce deadline.
The Panthers have been probably the most profitable crew within the league the previous three seasons, profitable the Presidents’ Trophy in 2021-22 and showing in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2022-23 and 2023-24, profitable the latter one. Once they get absolutely wholesome, they’ve an actual likelihood to compete for a 3rd and an opportunity to repeat.
