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The NHL is a copycat league. The recipe for success is always changing because winning teams inspire others to follow the same formula. But it hasn’t changed much this year.
That’s because for the first time since 2009, the Stanley Cup Final is a rematch from the year before. It’s clear that the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers are the best-constructed teams in the league, so they’ll surely influence other teams’ decisions this offseason.
What do the Panthers and the Oilers do well, and how can the Utah Mammoth learn from them as they try to build a Cup-contending team?
Let’s take a look, position by position.
Both teams boast several elite offensive talents — guys that are threats to score whenever they’re on the ice. But they each acquired their superstars through different methods.
The Oilers, of course, have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, whom many consider to be the two best players in hockey. They drafted and developed both guys, and now they’re seeing the rewards a decade later.
The Panthers, on the other hand, acquired most of their top forwards in trades (Alex Barkov being the exception):
Matthew Tkachuk from Calgary
Sam Bennett from Calgary
Sam Reinhart from Buffalo
Brad Marchand from Boston
Of course, players with trade protection are much more likely to want to go to Southern Florida than Northern Alberta — and the same thing goes for free agents. For that reason, the Oilers have to rely on the draft more than other clubs.
Both teams have gotten this far largely because their middle-six players chip in a lot on offense. They don’t have to average a point and a half per game like McDavid and Draisaitl — they just have to carry some of the offensive load.
One thing to point out here: Many of these secondary scorers would be considered primary guys on other teams. GMs need to be brutally honest with themselves when deciding whether to add them, because if they elevate their roles and expect the same type of production, it isn’t always going to come.
The following phrase could be applied to nearly every bottom-six forward in this series: “That guy is on a Stanley Cup Final team?”
Each team has employed a task force of big, strong, chippy guys that will wear opponents down. Most of them hardly score, which is fine because that’s not their job.
Hardly a single grinder in this Final was drafted by his current team. These are guys that you can get for cheap in free agency and on the trade market.
Teams were already aware that big defensemen succeed in the playoffs. As Panthers head coach Paul Maurice put it when talking about Niko Mikkola and Seth Jones, you want guys that “can hold hands in the middle and cover the boards.”
But there’s something else this Final is revealing: Shut-down defensemen are more important than offensive ones.
Evan Bouchard, I’m looking at you.
As always, Bouchard is scoring at a pace only precedented by Bobby Orr and a few others — but he’s been directly responsible for too many goals against to net much value to his team.
On the other hand, Jones, Mikkola, Mattias Ekholm, Gustav Forsling and Aaron Ekblad combine for just two more points than Bouchard this series, but each of those players have had more positive impact for their respective teams because they shut down the other team’s offense.
In a system where everyone has a specific role to play, the defensemen’s primary responsibility should be to keep the puck out of the net. Leave the scoring to the forwards.
In 2019, the Panthers handed Sergei Bobrovsky what was, at the time, the second-biggest contract ever given to a goalie. By contrast, the Oilers are rolling with Stuart Skinner, a mid-round pick who stumbled upon an NHL starter’s job when Jack Campbell went out.
The last three non-Floridian Cup-winning teams have proven that you don’t need a Vezina winner between the pipes to win the Cup, but the Panthers (and the Lightning before them) proved that it can be a massive advantage.
Perhaps this sways the debate regarding goalie salaries. Teams have often hesitated to give them high-dollar, long-term deals because of how volatile the position can be, despite the fact that the goalie has more impact on games than any other player.
The Utah Mammoth can take lessons from each position:
Elite forwards: A market like Utah won’t necessarily draw these guys in the same way Florida does. They have to draft and develop them. Having traded Conor Geekie, they should use the fourth-overall pick to select an elite talent — not just the hardest worker.
Depth scorers: The Mammoth are not yet at a stage where Sam Bennett is the answer. He leads the playoffs in goals because he doesn’t have the pressure on him the way some of his teammates do. If he were to sign in Utah this summer, he’d likely regress back to what he was in Calgary.
Grinders: There’s no reason to draft these guys and spend half a decade developing them for the small chance that they’ll eventually contribute to a Cup-winning team. Pick them up in free agency. When drafting, shoot for the players with the highest ceilings, not the highest floors.
Defensemen: Keep adding big guys who work hard. Utah has done a good job at this so far.
Goalies: Never settle for “good enough” in net.
