Weegar-C&C-16x9-11-09-20

Good morning and welcome to "Cats & Coffee," a weekly segment, presented by Koffee Kult, in which we serve up an exciting look at what's on deck for your Florida Panthers. Like our friends at Koffee Kult, this forecast serves up only the best -- so sit back, sip and enjoy our latest brew of news, notes and information.
The song of the week? It's got to be "Return of the Mack" by Mark Morrison.
One of the few remaining items on their to-do list this offseason, the Florida Panthers made headlines this past week when it was announced that they'd inked defenseman MacKenzie Weegar to a three-year contract, thus avoiding arbitration with the gifted restricted free agent.

"MacKenzie is a solid two-way competitor who brings tenacity and skill to our lineup," Panthers general manager Bill Zito said in a press release. "He has developed into a key member of the Panthers both on and off the ice and we look forward to him taking the next step in his career."
Playing alongside Aaron Ekblad on Florida's top-defensive pairing throughout the majority of the 2019-20 season, Weegar registered new career-highs in both goals (7) and points (18) despite being limited to just 45 games due to injuries and, of course, the pandemic-shortened schedule.
Weegar also registered one assist in four games during the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers.
"They've got a nice little thing going with one another where they push each other in a good way," Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville said of the Weegar-Ekblad pairing prior to the postseason starting back in July. "They're effective at eating up minutes and getting good matchups as well. When they've been together and been healthy, it's been a real good pair."
A diamond in the rough, Weegar was originally selected by Florida in the seventh round (206th overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft. From there, he went on to play in 153 career AHL games before finally carving out a full-time role on the blue line with the Panthers during the 2017-18 season.
In 172 career NHL games, Weegar has amassed 13 goals, 28 assists, 315 hits and 244 blocks.
On Monday afternoon, the 26-year-old blueliner will speak with the media for the first time since putting pen to paper on his new deal, so stay tuned to @FlaPanthers on Twitter for his reaction.

ON THE HUNT

There are treasures to be found in the Panthers Virtual Vault, presented by Baptist Health.
With a chance to win a swag bag of prizes, fans can head over to the Virtual Vault right now and begin searching for special codes attached to some iconic photos and items from Florida's past.

To begin the scavenger hunt, click HERE.

TOP NHL WINGERS

Jonathan Huberdeau is starting to get some well-earned respect around the league.
In a loaded list released this past weekend, the folks over at NHL Network had the 27-year-old ranked as the ninth-best winger in the league. Keep in mind, that's the ninth-best winger -- not the ninth-best left winger, but rather the ninth-best winger lining up on either side in the league.

After breaking out with a career-best 92 points (30 goals, 62 assists) last season, Huberdeau paced the Panthers and ranked 10th in the NHL with 78 points (23 goals, 55 assists) during a 2019-20 campaign, which also saw him named to the first All-Star Game of his budding career.
The third-overall pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, he currently ranks first in Florida's history in assists (289) and points (437), while also sitting fifth in goals (148) and seventh in games played (536).
Congrats, Huby!

STACHE DASH

There's still plenty of time to sign up for the inaugural Stache Dash 5K!
Presented by Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, this virtual run is open to participants around the globe and will be held from Nov. 20 through Nov. 23. Throughout the weekend, racers will also be encouraged to share photos or videos of their run to help spread the word.
By tagging @FlaPanthers and @SylvesterCancer, racers will have a chance to be featured on the Panthers social media channels and website. In order to be entered into this contest, racers only need to post a video completing the sentence "I Run For \\_" with the correct social tags.
"The Stache Dash is a way to bring fans together for an important cause this November," said Florida Panthers Chief Commercial Officer Shawn Thornton. "As a leader of cancer research and treatment in the community, we knew Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center would be the best partner to raise awareness and funds for men's health through this race."
The two race packages are as follows:
- VIP package, $55:This package includes participation in the race, a virtual race bib, official race medal, exclusive mustache mask and a lower-level game voucher for a future Panthers game.
- GA package, $25:This package includes participation in race, a virtual race bib, official race medal and an exclusive mustache mask.
To sign up, click HERE.

CATS CLIP OF THE WEEK

Doug Plagens and Katie Gaus returned to the rink this month.
Check out their coverage of the AAA Florida Alliance 07 Team at Palm Beach Skate Zone.

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected

      AAA Florida Alliance '07 Team Mock Broadcast

      CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

      TERRITORY TALK

      On last week's episode of the Territory Talk podcast, FOX Sports Florida's Jessica Blaylock joined the show to the share her thoughts on Florida's offseason, discuss her time covering the Miami Marlins during their playoff run and much more! Also, co-hosts Doug Plagens and Jameson Olive look at new Panthers forwards Vinnie Hinostroza and Alex Wennberg.
      Territory Talk: Florida Panthers Podcast
      ·

      COLD COFFEE (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)