5 Former Florida Panthers With a Case for the Hall of Fame – The Hockey Writers – Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers, in their history, haven’t had a ton of players to go on to make the Hall of Fame. However, in this next Hall of Fame induction for the next class, a handful of former Panthers have a worthy case for enshrinement in the Hockey Hall of Fame. While some of the players won’t be most prominently remembered as Panthers, all had an impact on the team during their careers. All have worthy cases for induction upon the announcement on Monday, June 22, at 3:00 p.m.

John Vanbiesbrouck

One Panther who has a case long overdue for induction into the Hall of Fame is original Panther and leader to their first Stanley Cup appearance, goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck. In his career, he is a one-time Vezina Trophy winner, finished third twice and fourth once in Vezina voting, and finished in the top 10 five times. He also finished two times inside the top five of Hart Trophy voting.

Vanbiesbrouck also finished 14th in Calder Trophy voting in his rookie season with the New York Rangers. He was a three-time All-Star and received All-Star votes three times. He is also a member of the US Hockey Hall of Fame and ranks third all-time among American goalies in wins.

Vanbiesbrouck finished with 374 career wins, which is the third most all-time amongst American goalies and 19th overall in NHL wins. At the time, he was the second American goalie to reach 300 career wins, and when he did, he was the 15th goalie to reach that threshold. He finished with a career regular-season save percentage of .899 and a career regular-season goals-against average of 2.98.

Across his playoff performance, besides leading the Panthers to the Cup Final in the 1995-96 season, he had success while elevating his performance. This included 28 career playoff wins and a .915 career save percentage, a real, tangible improvement from his regular-season number, where his play elevated when the games mattered most. All these elements of his case lead to a clear argument for his potential induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and, as far as former Panthers go, make him the most likely and the most impactful as a Panther.

Eric Staal

The next player potentially on the ballot is center Eric Staal, who was only a Panther at the end of his career, playing for them in his last NHL season. He played 72 games in the regular season, scoring 15 goals and adding another 14 assists to his total. He also appeared in 21 playoff games on their run to eventually lose in the Stanley Cup Final to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Throughout the rest of his decorated career, he appeared in 1,365 games and accumulated 1,063 points, including 455 goals across regular-season play. He had three seasons with 40 or more goals and another three with 30 or more goals during his time with the Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild. As a playoff performer, he also appeared in 104 playoff games and recorded 25 goals and 39 assists for a total of 64 points.

He has a claim to a Stanley Cup championship throughout his career, recording 28 points on his team’s Stanley Cup run with the Hurricanes in 2006 in 25 games. He has also been on two other runs to the Stanley Cup Final at the end of his career with both the Montreal Canadiens and Florida.

He added an Olympic gold medal to his illustrious resume at the 2010 games in Vancouver for Team Canada, and also competed for Canada at the 2022 Olympic Games. He also holds a gold medal and a silver medal for his play at the World Hockey Championships. That, plus his Stanley Cup, makes him a member of the Triple Gold Club for his success in both the NHL and international hockey.

During his NHL career, he appeared in six All-Star Games. He finished 15th in Calder Trophy voting in his rookie campaign. He also had multiple seasons on the Hart Trophy ballot, with his best finish being fourth in his second NHL season.

He appeared on the Selke Trophy voting ballot several times, with his best finish in 16th place in the 2012-13 season. His longevity, career highs, and playoff success make him a strong candidate for the next Hall of Fame class, leaving a mark on the sport that leads to a clear case to join this illustrious list of all-timers.

Alexei Kovalev

The next name potentially up on the ballot is a player who was with the Panthers for only a short time, playing 14 games in his final NHL season and contributing two goals and three assists. This player is Alexei Kovalev. However, most of his Hall of Fame candidacy came from his play well before the Panthers.

Across his total career, he played in 1,316 regular-season games and scored 430 regular-season goals and added 599 assists for a total of 1,029 points. He had one NHL regular season with over 40 goals, finishing with 44 in the 2000-01 season with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He also had two additional seasons with 30 or more goals.

Kovalev appeared in 123 playoff games during his time in the NHL. In those games, he scored 45 career playoff goals and added 55 career playoff assists, which is good for a total of 100 playoff points with appearances for the Rangers, Penguins, and Canadiens. This also led to him winning one Stanley Cup championship with the 1993-94 Rangers, recording 21 points in 23 games during that run.

His international resume includes one Olympic gold medal from 1992 in Albertville and one Olympic bronze medal from Salt Lake City. He also appeared in the World Juniors, winning gold in 1992, and the World Championships, with a highlight of a bronze medal in 2005.

He appeared in three All-Star Games throughout his career and received votes on the All-Star team an additional two times. He finished on the Hart Trophy ballot three times with placements in eighth, 16th, and 22nd. He wasn’t with the Panthers for a long time, but he still has a Hall of Fame candidacy for all he accomplished, primarily outside Florida, and is one of the former Panthers with a clear case.

Jay Bouwmeester

The next Hall of Fame candidate on this list is a player who played for the Panthers much longer than the last two names, including being drafted and developed for the beginning portion of his career. Defensive defenseman Jay Bouwmeester started by being selected third overall and playing 471 games in South Florida.

Across his career, beyond just what he did in Florida, he played 1,240 regular-season games and totalled 88 goals and 336 assists. He had three seasons with 10 or more goals.

Throughout his career, he appeared in 75 playoff games, all during his time with the St. Louis Blues. In those games, he scored zero goals and contributed 13 assists, with the highlight being the Stanley Cup championship, during which he had seven of those assists. He received a variety of votes on award ballots throughout his career in the NHL.

In his rookie season with the Panthers, he finished seventh in Calder Trophy voting and was named to the All-Rookie first team. He had two finishes inside the top 15 of Norris Trophy voting, with one placement at 11th and another at 14th, alongside another placement in the top 20 with a 17th-place finish.

Bouwmeester played in two All-Star Games across his NHL career. He joined the illustrious Triple Gold Club for his international success, including an Olympic gold medal and a World Hockey Championship, combined with a Stanley Cup win. He was part of two Olympic teams, with one gold medal to his name, playing for Team Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games and representing the country at the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino.

Gary Roberts

The next Hall of Fame case is that of Gary Roberts, who played 108 games for the Panthers, scoring 27 goals, adding 42 assists, and tallying 122 penalty minutes. Throughout the rest of his career, he played in 1,224 games, scoring 438 goals and adding 471 assists, for a total of 909 regular-season points. He accumulated 2,560 career regular-season penalty minutes through his physical style of play.

Throughout his 130 career playoff games spanning multiple franchises, he contributed 32 goals and 61 assists for 93 points, alongside 332 penalty minutes, to set the tone for his team in hard-nosed games. He was a one-time Stanley Cup champion, recording 12 points on the Calgary Flames’ 22-game run to clinch the Cup.

Throughout his NHL career, he had several tremendously productive offensive seasons, with the highlight being his 1991-92 season with the Flames, when he scored 53 goals. He also tallied 41 goals in the 1993-94 season with the Calgary Flames. Additionally, he demonstrated prolific playmaking, with two seasons of 40 or more assists and four seasons of 30-39.

He also appeared in three All-Star Games throughout his career while receiving votes an additional three times. He was also the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy winner in the 1995-96 campaign, as the player who best exemplified perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to the sport.

He also appeared on the Selke Trophy ballot, finishing ninth in 1993-94 and 20th in 2000-01. He is also one of 31 members of the club of players with 2,500 or more career penalty minutes.

Each of these players made an impact, varying in degree, on the Panthers, but all have worthy points in their column for potential Hall of Fame candidacy for what they accomplished at the NHL level and, in some cases, the international level. Each of these players left their own lasting mark on the sport of hockey and has a claim to be the next former Panther enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.