This year marks the 35th anniversary of Ottawa being awarded an NHL franchise. In this 1990 issue, culled from The Hockey News Archive, Bob McKenzie wrote about Ottawa's successful bid and the humble beginnings of the franchise. What better place to start an NHL dream than an arena dressing room, shooting the s*** after the game, and enjoying a few pints?

How can you not be romantic about hockey? – SW

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Dec 21, 1990/vol. 44, issue 15

A CAPITAL IDEA: SENATORS ELECTED TO SECOND TERM

BY BOB MCKENZIE

Bruce Firestone was the driving force behind Ottawa’s successful expansion bid. He’s described as a man of vision by friends and colleagues.

It was early on a Saturday morning back in the winter of 1988 when three pals were killing a little time after their weekly pickup game at Lyons Arena in Ottawa.

All the other players had left the dressing room and the three just sat there, quaffing a few beers and talking.

Randy Sexton remembers it well. So does Cyril Leeder. In fact, they’re not ever likely to forget what Bruce Firestone, their friend and employer, said to them that morning.

“We were just sitting there talking, like we always do,” said Sexton. “Bruce looked at us and said, ‘The NHL is going to expand soon. When it does, we should get a team for Ottawa. Think about it, it’s a natural.’

“I looked at Cyril. He looked at me. And you should know that Bruce isn’t the kind of guy who plays practical jokes. He was serious.”

Was he ever.

Firestone, the 38-year-old chairman and chief executive officer of Terrace Investments Ltd., dared to dream the impossible dream. And on Dec. 6, it all came true.

The NHL awarded a conditional NHL expansion franchise to the Terrace group for the city of Ottawa to begin play for the 1992-93 season.

“I was summoned for a 1 o’clock meeting,” Firestone said. “They brought us down the fire escape and through the kitchen. I had two speeches ready. One for concession, one for acceptance. I didn’t know what to expect.

“I looked down in front of me and there were two words on a piece of paper, Tampa and Ottawa, and frankly, I just burst into tears. I haven’t done that since I was a little boy.”

Firestone and his executive team of Leeder, the president, and Sexton, the vice president, overcame tremendous odds. First, it seemed the NHL wasn’t keen on expanding into Canada. Second, if it did, Hamilton’s bid was perceived by many as more attractive.

The NHL governors didn’t think so. They voted unanimously in favor of the Terrace bid.

Next NHL Expansion Fee May Be 40 Times More Than The Ottawa Senators PaidNHL expansion fees have come a long way since the humble beginnings of the Ottawa Senators. When the Sens entered the league in the early '90s, the cost for an entire franchise was reported at the time as $50 million.

“I would have to thank the Canadian governors,” Firestone said. “They pushed hard for the league to take a Canadian team and if they hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t have got the franchise.”

“I don’t think there was any one thing that won it for us,” said Sexton, 31, a former NCAA hockey player at St. Lawrence University who has an MBA from Clarkson.

“We just worked hard. Our sincerity and commitment came to the surface. And we have a great market. And Bruce Firestone. He’s a very shrewd man, a very solid guy.”

Leeder, also 31, a chartered accountant and graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton, said none of it would have been possible if not for Firestone, known to his friends and colleagues as a visionary and “big idea man.” Now, he’s known to most as the man responsible for bringing the NHL back to Ottawa after a 57-year absence.

“How would I describe him?” Leeder said. “I would borrow a line I heard our mayor (Jim Durrell) use the other day: ‘Bruce Firestone is the smartest man I have ever met.’ That about sums it up.”

Firestone attended Ashbury College, a local private school, before graduating from McGill University with a masters degree in engineering. He earned his PhD in urban economics at the University of New South Wales in Australia.

In 1982, he took over the family business (Terrace), which his father, Jack, founded in 1956.

Firestone is married and has five children. He’s intense in a quiet, controlled manner.

There’s not much Terrace did wrong in its two-year campaign to woo the NHL. Firestone took a first-class approach in every way, paying incredible attention to every detail. No bid submitted by any group was as thorough or as professionally prepared.

Terrace was able to sell the NHL on an area few thought could support pro hockey.

“A lot of people don’t realize we have a big market,” Sexton said. “There are more than 900,000 people in Ottawa and, within a one-hour’s drive radius, there are 1.7 million.

“And it’s a rich market, too. You need a rich market for pro sports. We attended a game at the Chicago Stadium and sat right behind the players’ bench. The tickets were $39.50 each. Buy two tickets, park, eat and pay for the babysitter and you’re talking well over $100 for a night’s entertainment. Our demographics in that area are good.

“The corporate market in Ottawa is great, too. Our population is increasing at the same time civil service jobs are decreasing. That tells you more private sector business is here than ever before.”

Terrace owns 600 acres of land in the western suburb of Kanata. Almost 100 is targeted for the building of the 20,000-seat Palladium, although rezoning of the land from agriculture to commercial is hung up at the Ontario Municipal Board level.

Ottawa Senators Reach Agreement To Buy Land At LeBreton, Move Closer To New ArenaThe Ottawa Senators have taken another big step toward a new arena close to downtown.

NHL governors expressed some concern about the rezoning issue, but Firestone convinced them it is part of the normal procedure. Terrace also wants to rezone the other 500 acres and develop it for high-density commercial and residential use.

Skeptics insist the plan to court the NHL was little more than a device to get the entire area rezoned and developed. Sexton, however, said the arena will be built regardless of what happens with the other land and one development didn’t depend on the other.

Terrace said it will have majority interest in both the hockey club and the arena, although as much as 49 per cent of both may be held by minority investors. Terrace has declined to identify them, but the NHL was obviously satisfied.

The next order of business for Terrace is to hire a team president. Firestone and Leeder will be involved with the Senators, but their main function will be with the land development company. Sexton, however, may spend more time on hockey business matters.

“We’ve already interviewed some people for the president’s job,” Sexton said. “Our president will be a businessman who has some hockey experience. He will then hire his team, which would include a vice president/GM, vice president of marketing and so on.

“It’s funny. We’ve worked so hard on this whole project for almost two years. And, really, the job is just beginning.”

By Bob McKenzie
The Hockey News

More Sens Headlines:

Former Ottawa Senator Travis Hamonic Signs With Atlantic Division Rival
Brady Tkachuk Adds To His Father's Comments About The Future
Former Senator Mark Borowiecki Now 'Looks At Fighting From A Different Lens'
Next NHL Expansion Fee May Be 40 Times More Than The Ottawa Senators PaidIs The Senators' 2025-26 Lineup Is Already Set?

Canadian former NHL forwards Ryan Spooner and Nick Merkley have signed one-year contracts to play for the Shanghai Dragons, the Chinese-based KHL club announced on Saturday.

Also signed on Saturday were goaltender goaltender Andrei Kareyev, defenseman Doyle Somberby and forward Nikita Popugayev.

“Ryan Spooner is no stranger to the KHL and his strengths are well known: elite skating, speed, hockey IQ and a team-first mentality,” said Dragons CEO Igor Varitsky. “He can ignite the offense and move the puck deep into the offensive zone, contributing both at even strength and on the power play.”

Spooner, 33, was chosen in the second round, 45th overall, by the Boston Bruins in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Between 2012 and 2019, he played 325 NHL regular season games for the Bruins, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks, recording 167 points and 63 penalty minutes. He also had two points in four playoff games for Boston in 2017.

Since 2019, he’s played in the KHL for all but two games for HC Lugano in Switzerland. He has 271 points in 336 KHL regular-season and playoff games for Dinamo Minsk and Avangard Omsk.

2015 first-rounder Nick Merkley signs with KHL’s Avtomobilist YekaterinburgCanadian forward Nick Merkley, 27, has signed a two-year contract with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, the KHL club recently announced. For the past two seasons, Merkley played for Dinamo Minsk, the KHL’s Belarusian-based club.

“As for Nick Merkley, he is a skilled right-handed forward with speed and a scorer’s touch,” said Varitsky.

Merkley, 28, was drafted 30th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Arizona Coyotes.

Between 2017 and 2022, Merkley recorded 15 points in 41 NHL games for the Coyotes, New Jersey Devils and San Jose Sharks. He also had 13 points in 19 games for Finnish Liiga club Ässät Pori early in the 2020-21 season before the NHL belatedly commenced its season amid Covid restrictions.

Over the past three KHL seasons for Dinamo Minsk and Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg, Merkley has 101 points in 209 regular-season and playoff games.

Jake Chelios Retires From Chinese KHL Team Defenseman Jake Chelios, 34, has announced his retirement via video on the Instagram page of the Chinese-based KHL club that he’s played for the past six seasons.

It’s been a busy week for the Chinese-based KHL club, which was previously known as Kunlun Red Star but is undergoing a major rebranding.

On Monday, defenseman Jake Chelios announced his retirement. On Wednesday, the club announced the signing of new head coach Gerard Gallant, and on Friday the club announced the signings of five other players, including Slovak Olympic bronze-medal-winning goaltender Patrik Rybar.

The Kunlun-Shanghai franchise has played its home games in suburban Moscow since early 2020 and will play in St. Petersburg this season, but plans to return to China in either 2026 or 2027.

Gerard Gallant Takes Over KHL’s Shanghai Dragons Gerard Gallant is the new head coach of the Shanghai Dragons, the KHL club announced on Wednesday.

While some fans may look at Logan Stankoven’s eight-year, $48 million contract extension with the Carolina Hurricanes as a hefty financial commitment, it should be considered a steal. 

By giving Stankoven this contract extension, the Hurricanes are betting on his potential and hoping his play will continue to improve over time.

Throughout his tenure with the Dallas Stars and since being traded to the Hurricanes as part of the Mikko Rantanen deal, Stankoven has shown a ton of promise, as he clearly has the makings to blossom into an impactful top-six forward in the NHL and maybe even more.  

The 22-year-old forward has only played one full season in the NHL, so it’s not a knock on him that he hasn’t fully broken out yet. 

Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky is jumping the gun on giving Stankoven a long-term commitment since he believes that he can be a cornerstone piece in Carolina. 

“From the moment he arrived in Raleigh, it was clear to us that Logan was a Hurricane," Tulsky said. "We're thrilled that he agrees, and is committed to being a big part of this organization long term.”

Jaccob Slavin Ranks As 8th-Best Defenseman In The NHL Network's List In the NHL Network’s latest list of the ‘Top-20 players right now’, Jaccob Slavin ranked as the eighth-best defenseman. 

This past season, Stankoven recorded 14 goals, 24 assists, and 38 points in 78 games while averaging 15:05 minutes. 

Tulsky is betting on Stankoven’s future, and that bet could very well pay off substantially.

The Buffalo Sabres have been considered to have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, which is in part due to them selecting high in recent drafts because of their not qualifying for the playoffs. The Sabres have displayed an eye for talent, but the organization’s developmental model has not yielded enough results. 

Leading up to the opening of training camp in mid-September, we will look at the club's top 40 prospects. All are 25 years old or younger, whose rights are currently held by the Sabres or are on AHL or NHL deals, and have played less than 40 NHL games. 

Other Sabres Stories

Projecting Sabres Trade Cost - Bryan Rust

Six Former Sabres Who Signed Elsewhere

#27 - Tyler Kopff - F (Brown - NCAA, Rochester - AHL)

It is a fairly unusual experience for the Sabres to dip into the undrafted free agent market, since they have traditionally kept most of their draft picks and concentrated on signing and developing them, but with the club beginning to look for bigger players, the club signed undrafted college forward Tyler Kopff. 

The Ridgewood, NJ native took a circuitous route to the NCAA after playing his minor and high school hockey in New Jersey, opting to play two years in the BCHL for Coquitlam before heading to Brown. After scoring 18 points as a freshman in the Ivy League, the 22-year-old had 28 points (9 goals, 19 assists) in 32 games as a sophomore. After the Bears season was completed, the 6’4”, 205 lb. forward signed a two-year, entry-level contract with Buffalo and finished the season with AHL Rochester, posting an assist in six games. 

Considered a two-way forward with the size to be a power forward as a professional, Kopff will likely get a significant opportunity with the Amerks, since the club has undergone a purge of some long time veterans like Mason Jobst and Brett Murray from their roster.  

Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

Now, possibly more than ever before, are No.1 defenseman as valuable as they are in the NHL. So much so that there is a strong belief that a team needs a No.1 defenseman or incredible depth to win the Stanley Cup. 

The No.1 defenseman can come in different forms. Some, like Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes, are offensive dynamos who can be trusted to play strong defensive games. Others, like Gustav Forsling or Miro Heiskanen, can provide plenty of offense, but their value comes from their ability to shut down their opponents' top players. 

With the game of hockey always evolving, the importance of certain positions change, and currently, the value of defenseman might be considered the second most important position after centers. 

Here are five NHL defenseman with the most to prove in the 2025-26 season.

Adam Fox, New York Rangers

Fox is a Norris Trophy winner who’s led the New York Rangers and its blueline on multiple deep playoff runs. The 2024-25 season may have been Fox’s worst season as an NHL player, and it’s no surprise that the Rangers followed suit. 

His offensive numbers were great, scoring 10 goals and 61 points in 71 games, but the defensive side of the puck is where the 27-year-old struggled. Throughout his career, he’s been consistent on both sides of the puck, but it was a real struggle last year. Fox nearly lost his spot on Team USA during the 4 Nations Face-Off, and he played the fewest minutes among American defensemen in the final. 

The Rangers signed Vladislav Gavrikov to a long-term deal this off-season, providing Fox with a top-end defense partner. The Rangers need Fox to bounce back if they have any hope of making the playoffs.

Five NHL Centers With The Most To Prove In 2025-26What makes sports, and hockey specifically, unique and intriguing are storylines. In the NHL, it's the off-ice drama, milestone-chasing and pursuit of the Stanley Cup.

Morgan Rielly, Toronto Maple Leafs

Like Fox, the 2024-25 season was a poor campaign for the Maple Leafs defenseman. He was taken off the top power play unit several times, first replaced by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, before Mitch Marner quarterbacked the top unit with five forwards. With Marner off to Vegas, the Leafs need more from their 31-year-old alternate captain.

Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev will continue to take on the bulk of the tough matchups, and a full season playing alongside Brandon Carlo should put Rielly in a better situation to produce offense.

Rielly has been included in plenty of trade speculation, and if he doesn’t prove he can be the top-earning defenseman on the Leafs, the talks will only intensify. 

Bowen Byram, Buffalo Sabres

Byram was finally healthy last season, playing in all 82 games and setting a career high in points with 38. He averaged a career-high in ice time as well and began to show that he can play as a top-four defenseman.

When drafted to the Colorado Avalanche fourth overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, the vision was that he and Makar would lead the Avs' blueline for years to come. Injuries hampered his opportunities, and he was moved to the Sabres. He’s been solid since joining the Sabres, yet the 24-year-old remains in serious trade talks.

Byram and the Sabres agreed to a two-year contract extension in the off-season, and it’s approaching the time where Byram needs to prove he is a top-four caliber defenseman. 

Bowen Byram Extension A Rare 'W' For The SabresYeah, you know things are lean when a two-year bridge deal for a young defenseman is something to celebrate. But that's where we are with the Buffalo Sabres these days.

Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh Penguins

Karlsson remains in the pursuit of a Stanley Cup, and unless something drastic were to occur, it’s not going to happen in Pittsburgh. Karlsson is entering year seven of an eight-year, $11.5 million contract, a hefty price tag for a 35-year-old.

His first two seasons with the Penguins followed his 100-point campaign, and while it was understood that he wouldn’t reach those heights again, his consecutive 50-point seasons are respectable. 

Karlsson could be traded, but he’ll have to prove to GMs around the NHL that he can be both productive and sound enough defensively to warrant trading for a cap hit that high. 

Five NHL Wingers With The Most To Prove In 2025-26As is the case in every NHL season, certain players are coming in with something to prove. Whether it’s to justify a pay raise or a trade or to bounce back from a subpar year, some players have every motivation to improve on their results at any given time.

Noah Dobson, Montreal Canadiens

Dobson never looked settled in his final season with the New York Islanders, and trade rumors began to pick up steam before the Islanders won the lottery and selected Matthew Schaefer. He finished the season with 10 goals and 39 points in 71 games, well below his 70 points in 79 games the season prior.

The 25-year-old is joining a Canadiens franchise with high expectations after making the playoffs last year. Although there are some questions about how he’ll fit in Montreal with Lane Hutson, the expectation is that Dobson performs to a very high level. 

Sharing power play time with Hutson may make it difficult for Dobson to record 70 points, but 40-50 points seems like the line Dobson needs to hit. 

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NHL Network revealed their Quarter Century Team for the league as a whole. Anyone who played from January 1, 2000, to the present was eligible to be included on the list. 

As expected, there is a nice mix of players from the early part of this era and players who are still active in the NHL. 

Two Chicago Blackhawks are on the list, as Patrick Kane made it in the forward group and Duncan Keith was one of the defensemen. 

NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) on XIntroducing the NHL Network's Quarter Century Team!

Kane is still playing in the NHL as a member of the Detroit Red Wings, but most of what he did that earned him a spot on this list came with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Kane has 492 goals, 851 assists, and 1343 points in 1302 games played. To go with his video game stats are three Stanley Cups, a Conn Smythe Trophy, a Hart Trophy, and a Calder Trophy. He will be a first ballot Hall of Famer when he's done. 

The most impressive part about Kane is that he elevated his play once he got to the playoffs. The brighter the lights, the better Kane played. 

As for Keith, he retired after playing one year with the Edmonton Oilers in 2021-22. Before that, 16 years came and went with the Chicago Blackhawks. 

As a defenseman, he played in 1256 games where he scored 106 goals and had 540 assists for 646 points. Like Kane, he also won the Stanley Cup three times and the Conn Smythe once. Keith won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the NHL twice in an era where there were tons of elite defenders.

Keith is already in the Hall of Fame, which was never in doubt. Now, he waits to get into the Blackhawks Hall of Fame in addition to possibly having his number retired. 

The 2009-2017 era for Chicago was the best in franchise history. Having two guys on this list is impressive, considering the talent that exists around the league. You know the team is deep when stars like Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa didn't crack the lineup. 

Kane and Keith were just a tick more productive throughout their years. With all the hardware and statistics that are next to their names, they are well deserving of this honor. 

Visit The Hockey News Chicago Blackhawks team site to stay updated on the latest news, game-day coverage, player features, and more.

The question touched a Maven's Roundtable nerve and the reactions have been intense. So I repeat: HOW TOUGH ARE THE RANGERS?

"That remains to be seen the kind of toughness the blueline additions will bring," ponders Guardians Of The Goal author George Grimm. "During the season, Cuylle, Rempe, Trocheck and Carrick should provide enough regular season toughness to get by.

"For the playoffs, however, the Rangers will need more muscle if they hope to advance past the opening round. (NOTE: FIRST THEY HAVE TO GET IN!) The club still needs that smart, tough player that the opposition fears."

New Roundtable voice Larry Hirsch knows toughness from covering the Tampa Bay Lightning's double-Cup run.

"In today's game," says Hirsch, "toughness is better gauged by how a player plays. Is he tough enough to go to the front of the net, or block shots or give a tough check or fight to get his team going. Are the Rangers tough enough? NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! Frankly, I fear that they are not close to being relevant, no matter who's behind the bench.

"But, wait;, let's see how Mike Sullivan coaches. The best teams are those that can adjust to play the other teams on the way they can play. Florida and Tampa Bay showed exactly that. Result: Back to back Stanley Cups."

Charter Roundtable member Alan Greenberg has covered the Panthers for decades. Now writing good stuff for Florida Hockey Now, Big Al grew up a Rangers' fan in Brooklyn. Thus, he has dual hockey citizenship.

"The Rangers lost toughness with Lindgren and Trouba gone, despite the criticism of their play," Greenberg asserts. "Rempe, Edstrom and Cuylle are holdovers, so nothing added. Rempe and Edstrom need more minutes to prove themselves. 

"The only one added is Miller – and we'll see how that works. Sitting here in Florida, one has to admire the combo of Tkachuk, Bennett and Marchand. Nasty, intimidating and effective." Then, a pause: "That's why they have back-to-back Cups!"   

This from veteran – eminent, I might add – NHL columnist-plus Patrick Hoffman: "The Blueshirts have players who can play tough; such as Vincent Trocheck, Matt Rempe, Will Cuylle, Sam Carrick. J.T. Miller and Braden Schneider; that's a lot of physical hockey.

The Gory Aftereffects Of The Rangers Greatest BrawlThe greatest mass fight in history between the Canadiens and Rangers in Old Madison Square Garden (March 16, 1947) had major – and very nasty – repercussions.

"But the real question is this: can they play that way consistently enough to be an effective and winning team? They did not do it last season and certainly didn't do it against the Panthers in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals. I say the jury is still out. 

They still are not tougher than the Panthers and that could be a problem next spring, if the Rangers get into the playoffs."

The Old Maestro, David Perlmutter, the most succinct Roundtable authority, snaps, "The Rangers are neither big enough, nor tough enough." And leaves it at that. (I said "succinct," didn't I? What did you expect, a book?)

My 19-year-old hockey-playing grandson counters, "Perlmutter is wrong. The Rangers have the NHL's two biggest (6-8) players in Rempe and Edstrom, plus Gavrikov will add to Schneider's toughness on defense."

'Nuff said. Here's The Maven's conclusion: The Rangers' weakness – as in weak – is that they don't have Tkachuk (either one), Bennett nor  Marchand. Did I forget someone? Of course I did:

And Paul Maurice behind the bench!

The final two teams are left in The Hockey News’ NHL summer splash rankings, which rank the off-seasons of every NHL team, and when you’re this high on the list, you’ve done a lot of things right.

Our rankings, which break down every team’s off-season additions, departures, hirings and firings, resulted in teams fitting into one of three areas: off-seasons that have improved the team, off-seasons that have kept the team largely the same, and off-seasons that have made the team worse. Moving from worst off-seasons to best off-seasons, we’re now well past the point where we’re focused on teams that have regressed or stayed the same. 

And in this specific file, we’re looking at the No. 2 team in our rankings, the defending, back-to-back Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers,

Many thought the Panthers would have to strip away talent due to salary cap constrictions, but the primary reason they’re in second place on our summer splash list is the fact that they were able to keep things largely together. You needn’t make many additions when you’ve got a dynasty-in-the-making, so it’s understandable why Florida bent over backward to keep the gang together.

Additions

Nolan Foote (LW), Jeff Petry (D), Daniil Tarasov (G)

The Breakdown: The Panthers went all-in for their second straight Cup win last season, acquiring veteran left winger Brad Marchand from the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline. But while many presumed Marchand would be a pure rental and only a Panther for less than half of a season, Florida GM Bill Zito found a way to keep Marchand around for the long term, signing him to a six-year contract this summer.

Similarly, people wondered if the Panthers could hold onto UFAs Sam Bennett and defenseman Aaron Ekblad, but not only did Zito manage to do that, he also re-signed Marchand, Ekblad, and Bennett to deals that had a combined salary cap hit of $19.35 million. That’s terrific asset management, and that’s the primary reason we’ve got Florida ranked second overall on this list.

The Panthers did make a couple additions, first signing former Detroit Red Wings blueliner Jeff Petry to a low-cost, decent-reward $775,000 one-year contract. The 37-year-old Petry is far from his peak as a 40-point-producing D-man, but Florida has excelled at making new acquisitions thrive, and as a depth blueliner, Petry could have a late-career renewal as a Panther.

The other notable addition is former Columbus Blue Jackets netminder Tarasov, who effectively replaces Vitek Vanecek as Sergei Bobrovsky's understudy. Tarasov’s numbers (including a 3.54 goals-against average and .881 save percentage) were sub-par, but so was the Blue Jackets team in front of him. The 36-year-old Bobrovsky is still going to get the lion’s share of the work in Florida’s net, but it will be intriguing to see how they work Tarasov into the team dynamic.

Departures

Jesse Puljujarvi (RW), Nico Sturm (C), Nate Schmidt (D), Vitek Vanecek (G)

The Breakdown: Go through the rosters of teams that have won Cups, and see the type of roster turnover those teams go through in the immediate years following winning a championship. You’d find that most teams, for one reason or another, are forced to send at least a handful of players packing. 

But this hasn’t been the case with Florida this summer. Zito has conducted a masterclass in roster retention, and that has resulted in losing only two Panthers players who appeared in playoff action last spring: veteran defenseman Schmidt, who averaged only 16:32 of ice time as a third-tier blueliner, and forward Sturm, who averaged just 8:59 of ice time in eight playoff games for Florida.

So, the Panthers have found a way to bring back 95 percent of their regular players and set themselves up for another deep playoff run next spring. Zito couldn’t have done a better job keeping the band together, and having to part ways only with two fringe players underscores what a great job Zito is doing as GM.

The Bottom Line

When we put these summer splash rankings together, THN.com’s writers and editors agreed that we weren’t going to reward teams simply for making a slew of changes. We wanted the big picture teams that painted this summer to dictate where we slotted a team in on this list, and that’s why the Panthers are ranked ahead of all but one of their 31 counterparts.

Zito has yet to win a Jim Gregory Award as the NHL’s best GM, but you’d have to think that will change after the recent success Zito has had. He found a way to utilize all his cap space by locking up UFAs when those UFAs had all the leverage. This has proven to be a problem for Zito’s GM colleagues, so it isn’t an understatement to note Zito is performing on another level right now.

It’s still going to be an uphill climb for the Panthers to win three straight Cups, but you can’t say Zito hasn’t given his players and Florida coach Paul Maurice all the tools they’ll need to make a deep playoff push and win it all. When few people believed Zito would re-sign all of Marchand, Ekblad and Bennett, he went out and did exactly that. And for that reason, the Panthers deserve to be second-overall on our summer splash list. Only one team had a better off-season, and that’s a credit to Zito & Co..

Summer Splash Rankings

2. Florida Panthers

3. Vegas Golden Knights

4. Carolina Hurricanes

5. Anaheim Ducks

6. Philadelphia Flyers

7. Vancouver Canucks

8. San Jose Sharks

9. Utah Mammoth

10. New York Rangers

11. Detroit Red Wings

12. New Jersey Devils

13. St. Louis Blues

14. Pittsburgh Penguins

15. Colorado Avalanche

16. Ottawa Senators

17. Boston Bruins

18. Edmonton Oilers

19. Minnesota Wild

20. Seattle Kraken

21. Columbus Blue Jackets

22. Washington Capitals

23. Nashville Predators

24. New York Islanders

25. Tampa Bay Lightning

26. Toronto Maple Leafs

27. Dallas Stars

28. Calgary Flames

29. Los Angeles Kings

30. Winnipeg Jets

31. Chicago Blackhawks

32. Buffalo Sabres

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.