Zito named finalist for ‘GM of the Year’ in first season with Panthers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, June 17, 2021
SUNRISE, Fla. – The National Hockey League announced today that Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito has been named a finalist for the 2020-21 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award presented annually ‘to the general manager who best excelled in his role during the regular season.’
In Florida’s first season under Zito, the club owned a 37-14-5 record and a franchise-record .705 points percentage, clinching a berth to the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs and finishing second in the Central Division.
Named the franchise’s General Manager on Sept. 2, 2020, Zito and the Panthers quickly made several transformative and key acquisitions for the team prior to the start of the season. Through trades, free agency and waiver claims, Florida strengthened its compete, skill and depth with the additions of forwards Anthony Duclair, Patric Hornqvist, Ryan Lomberg, Carter Verhaeghe and Alex Wennberg and defensemen Gustav Forsling, Radko Gudas and Markus Nutivaara.
Defenseman MacKenzie Weegar was re-signed to a three-year contract, leading the Panthers defense corps with a career-high 36 points (6-30-36), including the most even-strength points among NHL defensemen (31).
Playing among the top of the NHL standings throughout the 2020-21 season, Zito further bolstered the Panthers roster prior to the NHL Trade Deadline, acquiring defenseman Brandon Montour, forwards Sam Bennett and Nikita Gusev and signed coveted NCAA defenseman Matt Kiersted and highly touted Panthers 2019 first round pick goaltender Spencer Knight.
Of Florida’s top seven point producers this season, four were acquired under Zito (Duclair, Hornqvist, Verhaeghe, Wennberg). A significant contributor to Florida’s success following the trade deadline, Bennett produced a franchise record 15 points (6-9-15) over 10 games, the most by a Panthers player in franchise history over their first 10 games with the club.
Finishing the 2019-20 season with the third-highest (tied) goals against per game average in the NHL (3.25), the Panthers improved dramatically in 2020-21 to a 2.70 goals against per game, ranking as the ninth-lowest in the League.
Under Zito the Panthers established a first-of-its kind Goaltending Excellence Department, focused on a comprehensive, integrated experience and program for all goalies in the system and headed by Special Advisor to the GM Roberto Luongo and renowned goaltending consultant Francois Allaire.
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-PANTHERS-
