I’ve never been a big preseason guy. Ehh, who cares? Unless you’re rebuilding and have a bunch of cool guys coming up with excitement surrounding them, I just don’t really pay that close of attention.
Florida’s roster is pretty much set - outside of some newbies they brought in after the inevitable Cup shed.
This morning I pulled up some preseason highlights and was surprised to see the Cats have given up 25 goals in four games. That’s an average of 6.25 goals allowed a game.
Again…it’s preseason and it looks like the last couple games had a lot of ham & eggers (young guys in the talent pool that may or may not make it at some point) rostered.
Chatting with some buddies, we were predicting who will win the Cup this upcoming season.
Surprisingly, none said the Panthers - save for me.
A lot of guys seemed to think the below:
- Rangers
- Stars
- Hurricanes
- Oilers
Florida suffered the roster changes that every champion does. The cost of winning comes with unloading guys that helped you get there.
Zito has done what he can to backfill some of these holes, while staying cap compliant (and there’s not a lot of room there).
I’ve always been a believer that the champions are the team to beat the following season.
The Cats will be defending the strap in 2024-25, given how these guys gel, I think they have a good shot to get back!
How do you guys see the Cats doing this season?
_________________
Go Panthers!