Mar 16, 2015; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs right winger Richard Panik (18) collides with Edmonton Oilers right winger Nail Yakupov (10) after Yakupv tripped Panik in the third period at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Chris LaFrance-USA TODAY Sports
No.20 – Richard Panik
By: Cynthia
Panik, 24, was drafted 52nd overall in the second round of the 2009 NHL entry draft. The Leafs claimed him off the waiver wire from Tampa Bay – who thought they could sneak him through after a good training camp – in October of 2014. Panik recorded 17 points in 76 games with the Maple Leafs. In the 75 previous NHL games with Tampa Bay, he recorded 22 points.
Panik is an offensive winger who has great puck-handling ability. He is a great skater and has a solid shot, hard shot that he is able to get off in-tight. Although not a phenomenal skater, he is not a poor one and is very capable of getting up ice quickly with a powerful, if choppy stride.
Our table of writers had some VERY differing opinions about Richard Panik, with Robb, Jon and David all having him just outside their Top20’s and Torrin and Tim having him inside their respective Top10’s. When it comes down to what his value is, it breaks down to what you value more.
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If you place more weight on contributing to the NHL roster sooner than later, Panik gets big time points as an established bottom 6 regular last season. If you ranked your list based on upside and long-term potential, then he falls off a bit as time is quickly running out on the 24-year-old to show he can be more than just a dependable bottom 6 guy.
Panik, according to reports, ended up on the waivers from Tampa because of clear consistency problems – mainly when it comes to defensive zone coverage. He was also passed on the depth chart by Tampa’s plethora of other young and talented players, namely Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat, Nikita Kucherov, Jonathan Drouin and Brett Connolly. Richard Panik is a player who isn’t afraid to play a physical game and uses his 6ft2, 207lb brick wall of a body to go through opponents.
He has the size and strength that the NHL demands, his problems just lie with him under-utilizing them. If he truly committed to the power forward game his skill set hints that he can dominate with, mostly by adding on another 8lbs of muscle and consistently using his natural size to dominate along the boards and in the corners, you would see his name quickly rise up our rankings.
He’s a solid depth player who isn’t going to put up the biggest numbers on the team but can still make his time on the ice count. He’s a talented young right-winger with an upside and comes to the Leafs a relatively low-cost during the rebuild process. With the potential to eventually grow into a solid two-way top 9 power forward, he also holds enough tangible upside to be worth including inside our inaugural Top20.
Next: Number 19