In the days leading up to their third consecutive playoff final, there has been a lot of talk about the Florida Panthers GM, Bill Zito, who since he was hired in 2020 has managed to see the team into a playoff appearance every year by essentially recreating the roster from scratch! Since Zito got to Florida, all but 4 of that original lineup have been changed, and these are captain Aleksander Barkov, defenseman Aaron Ekblad, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, and center Eetu Luostarinen, who all continue to prove their worth on this star team as the seasons go by.

This year, much of the talk surrounding the Florida Panthers has centered around the team’s depth, i.e., players of different positions making positive contributions all across the ice, indicative of skillful communication and teamwork. Their goalscoring stats say it all — the Panthers have had 19 unique goalscorers this postseason, even setting a franchise record. But this doesn’t take away from the fact that individually too, this team is built of standalone stars, one being the captain and OG Panther in the Zito era, Aleksander Barkov, who just became a three-time Selke Trophy winner and King Clancy Trophy winner.

So, it’s no surprise that when Bill Zito was asked to speak about building the Florida roster up, he mentioned Barkov as being a part of that original core four in a very positive light! “You have Sasha,” Zito said, referring to the captain by his nickname. “Who has almost become like a planet with the energy that comes from him. Ekky and Bob were here,” Zito added, referring to Ekblad and Bobrovsky, “and it has always been supporting and adding. That function has been part of the process the past couple of years. A lot of the success in this year’s playoffs is individuals [who] have come together in those support and depth roles, accepting where they are. You don’t know who is going to be in the lineup.”

 All we know is that the supporting and adding definitely seemed to help with Zito’s carefully curated roster now performing at a well above average level! But Zito’s job doesn’t stop at putting together the roster; he plays a major part in team development in other ways.

Bill Zito’s influence and words of encouragement as the Florida Panthers head towards the finals

Bill Zito, who has been named as a finalist for the Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award, was recently spoken of in high regard by coach Paul Maurice, who said of his ‘boss,’ so to say, “He’s just way smarter than I am, and I’m fine with that. I’m not trying to be funny. His brain works differently than mine. And he sees possibilities; I’m more risk-averse in some ways.”

So perhaps Zito’s new strategy for the Panthers as they get closer to the finals is a strategy with some serious foresight. “Everyone likes it when people are kind to you and say things that are nice,” Zito said after the Panthers knocked Carolina out of the playoffs. “But we learned. The journey isn’t over; there is work to do. The journey isn’t over. Don’t let success get in your way.” Essentially, Zito is ensuring that his team doesn’t let all the success get to their heads before they can lift the cup up again.

Bill Zito, who will be organizing the team’s stay while they begin the series in Edmonton, probably knows what’s best for this roster, who have nearly all scored this playoff season and are close to breaking a unique goal record with that figure! However, it is clear that the GM would like to hold off on the celebrations for a little while longer, so until then, the Panthers should probably reign it in.