The Florida PanthersFor the first time, the Presidents' Trophy winner was the franchise. The regular season ended with 122 points.
After defeating Ottawa 4-0, Florida claimed the NHL's top ranking in the standings. Colorado lost to Nashville. 5-4A shootout.
After the 2015-16 effort of 103 points, this was the second consecutive season that Florida eclipsed 100 point.
TOP OF THE LEAGUE🏆
The @FlaPanthersThese are the 2021-22 winners of the Presidents' Trophy! pic.twitter.com/wSrDYc1h93
— NHL (@NHL) April 29, 2022
The Presidents Trophy winner has not historically done well in the NHL playoffs. Only three times has the league's top scorer won the Stanley Cup since 2001-02: Detroit in 2002, 2008, and Chicago 2013. This was also the final appearance of a Presidents Trophy winner in the Cup Final.
When the postseason begins on May 2, the Panthers will try to change that story. Florida was one of the NHL's best offensive teams all year. It had four players surpass the 30-goal mark, and the only team to average over four goals per match.
Bill Zito, GM, did everything he could to improve the Panthers' performance by meeting March's deadline for trades. He did everything to acquire Ben ChiarotMontreal, among other things, for a 2023 pick in the first round, and Zito was brought in ex-players Philadelphia FlyersCaptain Claude GirouxA package that included a second first-round draft selection.
Florida's journey has not been easy. Even though the Panthers have had their fair share of injuries, especially to captains, they have managed to weather them. Aleksander Barkov. Top-pairing defenseman Aaron EkbladHe was also sidelined with an injury in mid-March. The team hopes he will be back in the first round.
Ekblad would be particularly helpful in areas where the Panthers have struggled. Ekblad's offensive skills have been able to save the team from many defensive and goaltending mistakes. Florida ranks as the NHL's top-ranked team in win percentage (.407) if they are trailing after just two periods. This was a play-from-behind problem which became more prominent as the regular season progressed.
But Florida's goal scoring prowess has kept them going through many storms. The Panthers are now on the road to the NHL's second season, with the top team to beat as their target.
