NHL Power Rankings: Pre-Training Camp Edition

Mar 28, 2015; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) before the game against Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports

19. Florida Panthers

The Panthers flirted with playoff contention, but ultimately fell short. Florida now has two Calder Trophy winners in three seasons with Jonathan Huberdeau and most recently Aaron Ekblad last season.

Florida has an interesting mixture of exciting youth and established veterans. The Panthers’ biggest issue was scoring, as they averaged only 2.4 goals per game. Goaltender Roberto Luongo is also 36-years-old.

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The young talent in Florida is very exciting. Aleksander Barkov and Nick Bjugstad should be even better next season to go with young studs in Huberdeau and Ekblad. And who better to mentor these young players than Jaromir Jagr? Florida should be in the mix for the playoffs if the youngsters continue to grow up.

Next: Next: No. 18

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