One of the reasons the Florida Panthers have become such a formidable hockey club is the number of talented goal-scorers on their roster.
Last season, Florida had four players who scored points per game.
It was Sam Reinhart, Sasha Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe, who we included with the PPG guys because he had 72 points in 76 games, which is pretty close.
Reinhart led all Panthers in goals and points last season, racking up 57 points and 94 points.
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Last year, Tkachuk led the way with 109 points, though Verhaeghe’s 42 goals were the most on the team.
At the end of the day, each of the four aforementioned players are capable of putting up big numbers, and they are also in what should be the prime years of their respective careers.
Which means they’re all realistic candidates to lead the Panthers in scoring this season.
But what would be the odds of betting?
THN Florida tried to make a prediction on the Panthers’ scoring race. Here’s what we came up with.
Matthew Tkachuk -150
The favorite to lead the team in scoring is Tkachuk. He scored 40 goals and 109 points last season, but last year he had 26 and 88 points despite starting the season far from 100%. Now fully healthy and eager to repeat as a Stanley Cup champion, the 26-year-old is ready to have another great season.
Sasha Barkov +130
The consistent captain is up to the task. Sasha Barkov is fully capable of putting up impressive numbers, but he has played 67, 68 and 73 games over the past three seasons. He will likely need to stay healthy to have a legitimate chance at leading the team in points.
Sam Reinhart-110
Similar to Barkov, Reinhart has proven he can put up big numbers, as evidenced by his 57 goals last season. If Reinhart gets back on track and has another 40- or 50-goal season under his belt, he could easily come out on top in the race.
Carter Verhaeghe +200
He scored 76 goals over the past two seasons and racked up 145 points. Verhaeghe has all the skills — an elusive shot, elite playmaking skills and a high hockey IQ — and he also gets time on Florida’s top power play.
Mackie Samoskevich +1100
We’re putting the rookie as a long shot because if the stars align just right, as JP said on Angels in the Outfield, “it could happen.”
It’s not crazy to think that if Samoskevich makes the Opening Night roster, he’ll get a chance on Florida’s front line alongside Barkov and Reinhart or Verhaeghe at some point.
If the kid takes off with top-line talent and ice time, who knows what kind of numbers he could put up.
Plus, if Samoskevich is having such an impressive rookie year, it makes sense to think he’ll get some power-play minutes as well.
Tell us in the comments which player or players you would bet on.
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