Panthers' biggest reasons for concern during 2024-25 season

12/01/2024 11:41 PM

The Florida Panthers won their first Stanley Cup back in June. After defeats in the 1996 and 2023 Stanley Cup Finals, Florida claimed their first championship in a thrilling seven-game series against the Edmonton Oilers. Many expected Florida, led by players such as Sergei Bobrovsky, to remain one of the best teams in the NHL. And so far, that has held firm to some extent.

The Panthers entered play on Sunday with a record of 15-9-1 on the year. Florida is on top of the Atlantic Division at this time. However, they have stiff competition in the form of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs (14-7-2) only trail the defending Stanley Cup champions by one point in the division.

Florida is still a very good hockey team. But it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. The Panthers have won three straight games entering Sunday, but they were on a stretch of losing six of their last seven before this new streak.

The Panthers should remain a playoff contender. And it’s hard to count them out for the Stanley Cup, as well. In saying this, there are reasons to be a bit concerned about their fortunes on the ice, with two specific reasons standing out among the rest.

Sergei Bobrovsky has not played well

The Panthers received huge contributions from Sergei Bobrovsky during their 2023 run to the Stanley Cup Final. And his elite form carried into the 2023-24 regular season. In fact, Bobrovsky was named a Vezina Trophy finalist as one of the top three goalies in the game.

However, Florida saw its old veteran show some signs of decline in the postseason. Unfortunately for them, it seems as if those signs of decline became a reality. Bobrovsky has played to a ghastly .890 save percentage in 17 games this year. And the underlying numbers don’t give much hope for a rebound.

Bobrovsky has a Goals Saved Above Average of -6.06, according to Evolving Hockey. This is the 10th-lowest GSAA in the entire league. His numbers are barely better than those of Linus Ullmark and Tristan Jarry. Moreover, his -6.56 Goals Saved Above Expected is the fifth-worst in the NHL. This number is comparable to the likes of Alex Georgiev and Connor Ingram.

Sergei Bobrovsky has played well in the past. And he has a legitimate case for going into the Hall of Fame once his career ends. However, he has not provided any positive value for Florida on the ice in 2024-25.

Panthers may be overperforming offensively

The Panthers have had some issues with Bobrovsky as their starting goaltender. However, their problems are not only in goal. Florida’s defense has been a major concern overall. They allow the fifth-highest goals per 60 minutes at all strengths among the entire league, according to Evolving Hockey. Furthermore, they have the sixth-lowest On-Ice Save Percentage to this point in the year.

There are some signs the team’s defense could get better. What is more pressing is their offensive output. The Panthers have scored the fifth-highest amount of goals per 60 minutes in all situations. This is to be expected given the core of Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Sam Reinhart. However, their Expected Goals For Per 60 Minutes is 18th in the NHL.

The Panthers should remain one of the best teams in the NHL. And this should not change too drastically as the year moves along. It also wouldn’t be too surprising to see the team run into some rough patches in 2024-25, especially offensively.

The post Panthers’ biggest reasons for concern during 2024-25 season appeared first on ClutchPoints.