The Florida Panthers are making their presence known in the Atlantic Division this season. They currently sit in second place in the division with a record of 17-8-2 with 36 points, just three less than the leading Boston Bruins.
A big reason why the Cats are off to a great start to this season has been their fantastic defense, which is the third best in the league in allowing shots on net per game with 27.8 a game.
This comes after some big changes this offseason defensively, which includes losing Radko Gudas to the Anaheim Ducks. But it seems they may have found their replacement. Over the summer, they signed Finnish defenseman Niko Mikkola to a three-year, $7.5 million deal, and it’s been paying dividends.
Mikkola’s Rough History
Mikkola was drafted eight years ago, 127th overall, by the St. Louis Blues. But he would not start playing for the organization until the 2019-20 season. He would only play in five games, tallying one assist. Through his time in St. Louis, he would play in 139 regular season games with 16 playoff appearances for them. However, he never found his footing for them, as he finished his time there with a rating of minus-15 and 19 points (four goals, 15 assists). As a result, he was sent to the New York Rangers as part of a blockbuster trade to acquire forward Vladimir Tarasenko.
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During his time as a Blueshirt, he was featured in 31 regular season games and four postseason games, though he only tallied a goal a two assists through his time there. He would finish his session in the Big Apple with a plus-4 rating.
With everything that’s piled up, it seemed like he was never going to make it in the NHL and was just another late draft pick doomed to be in the AHL for most of his career. Despite all of his troubles, Panthers general manager Bill Zito decided to take a chance on him.
Mikkola’s Resurgence in South Florida
Mikkola has rejuvenated his career as a Panther. Through all 27 games this season, he’s scored three goals and assisted on eight others. That is nearly double the point production in 81 games between the Blues and Rangers last season.
In addition to his point increase from last year, he has a plus-6 rating, which is tied for the second-best among defensemen on his team behind Gustav Forsling, who has a plus-17 rating. Mikkola is also tied for the team lead in hits with 45, showing how good his physical ability is.
Bill Zito Continues to Find Diamonds in the Rough
Zito has a great track record of picking up small pieces at low costs in free agency and the waiver wire that have produced.
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Over the past three years, he’s picked up pieces that are mainstays on the current roster, such as claiming Forsling off of waivers, forward Ryan Lomberg in free agency and now Mikkola this past summer. He continues to find treasure that another team considers trash.
Can Mikkola Continue His Great Performances?
Mikkola’s resurgence in the lineup was just what the doctor ordered during and after the absence of Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad earlier this season. He easily replaces the sandpaper that was lost from Gudas signing with the Ducks this summer while providing a great offensive skillset to his game.
But he needs to continue to show he can be that. Mikkola did have a small slipup on Tuesday night against the Seattle Kraken, where he went minus-3. However, the team’s performance did not help as they got shut out that night. If he bounces back, it will be a big help come playoff time.