Bogdan Kiselevich makes the journey to the Florida Panthers this season after
spending nine years in the KHL. As a lock down, stay-at-home defenseman, he is
a great compliment to potential defensive partner Mike Matheson. I believe that
 the combination of these two could allow Matheson to have a breakout season
while also providing much needed blue line help for the
Panthers.Related: Florida Panthers 2018-19 Defense PreviewWho Is Bogdan
Kiselevich?

Over the better half of the last decade, Kiselevich has had a successful
professional hockey career in Russia. In just under 400 games, the KHL All-Star
 racked up 123 points and won an Olympic gold this year. Although he averaged
just over a point every three games, his reputation is that of a strong,
defensive-minded player who uses his skating mobility and hockey IQ to take
away scoring chances.The Panthers look to use Kiselevich to add stability to a
young defense. (Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)

General manager Dale Tallon has had success in the past signing players from
international leagues. Last season, for example, he signed KHL forward Evgeni
Dadonov. Dadonov was quietly the best offseason signing of 2017. He scored 65
points in 74 games last season and showed chemistry with linemate Aleksander
Barkov. Tallon believes that Kiselevich can have a similar impact on the club,
saying

"Bogdan is a solid, shutdown defenseman who adds depth to our blue line and
possesses a strong work ethic. He';s proven himself to be a reliable defensive
presence on the international stage and in the KHL and has ability to be a
steady influence on the back end of our young defensemen." Florida GM Dale
Tallon on the signing of Kiselevich.

The Panthers went into the offseason looking to add depth at many positions. At
 just 28 years old, Kiselevich is the second-oldest player on the Panthers blue
 line, behind only 31-year-old Keith Yandle. Kiselevich also comes on a bargain
 deal for Florida, signing a one-year, $925,000 contract, making him a
low-risk, high reward player. If everything goes the way Tallon hopes, this
could be yet another jackpot for the Panthers.Defensive Standout: Mike Matheson

During the 2017-2018 season, fans watched Matheson make significant progress on
 the offensive side of the game as he accumualted 27 points in 81 games. This
is a 10-point increase from the previous season and at only 24 years old, he is
 expected by many to continue to improve.

Matheson is no slouch on defense either. Although not his forte, he is able to
use his six-foot-two frame to separate players from the puck or defend against
powerful forwards. However, he prefers to use his excellent speed and skating
ability to explore all ends of the ice and cover speedy, agile scorers, making
him a uniquely versatile player.Panthers defenseman Mike Matheson looks to
continue his early NHL success. (Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports)

However, Matheson does tend to rely on his speed to gain an advantage on
offense and can find himself out of position when he cheats in the offensive
zone. Because of this, he struggled for a time last season and floated between
the second and third pairs for a few games. Despite being on a team with Aaron
Ekblad, Matheson could still have the highest ceiling of Panthers'; defensemen
and many, including myself, expect him to have breakout season this year.What
To Expect This Seaon

A defensive pairing of Matheson-Kiselevich looks to be a happy marriage. Their
skills and styles of play are almost perfectly complimentary of one another.
Kiselevich';s tendency to hang back on defense will grant Matheson the freedom
to roam free with the security blanket of knowing there is a lock down
defenseman covering his tracks.

With this in mind, I';m all-in for a Matheson breakout season. I expect him to
continue to develop offensively and believe he could score as many as 40
points. Adding Kiselevich is only going to help Matheson';s game and look for
him to be a big time player for the Cats this year.

Adjusting to the NHL does take time for international players and we should
expect a transitional period for Kiselevich. However, with what he can add to
the team, expect some big minutes from the newcomer and quality play on the
penalty kill. Overall, his addition to Florida can only help.

If Kiselevich is unable to perform at second pairing standards, he is a much
more skilled player than Alex Petrovich and could strengthen the third pair.
Maybe I';m an optimist, but I expect Kiselevich to shine this season and
heavily influence the Panthers defensive presence while boosting Matheson';s
game.

The post Panthers'; Matheson Will Improve With Kiselevich appeared first on The
 Hockey Writers.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHockeyWrite...
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
 * Origin: TequilaMockingbird Online - Toms River, NJ (1:266/404)