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It’s Florida Panthers day on PHT

Florida Panthers v New Jersey Devils - Game Six

NEWARK, NJ - APRIL 24: Stephen Weiss #9 of the Florida Panthers looks down towards the New Jersey Devils bench in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Prudential Center on April 24, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Welcome to our offseason initiative — 30 teams in 30 days.

From July 16 until Aug. 14, we’ll be dedicating each day to a new team by recapping the offseason and looking ahead to 2012-13.

There will also be a series of posts looking at key stories, player profiles and burning questions regarding each squad.

Today, we move on to the Florida Panthers.

Last season was a breakthrough season for what has long been the NHL’s most hapless franchise (or at least one of them). After more than a decade of early summers, the Panthers finally made the playoffs - and won the Southeast Division too. Sure, they got booted in the first round by the New Jersey Devils, but it was still a huge step in the right direction for GM Dale Tallon and first-year coach Kevin Dineen.

Unless you feel especially strongly about Marco Sturm and Mikael Samuelsson, the Panthers’ roster is largely unchanged (all apologies to Filip Kuba and Peter Mueller) - for now. Much like the New York Rangers with Rick Nash, Florida’s outlook could change significantly if they bring back Roberto Luongo.

Will the Panthers prove that last season was a stepping stone, not a fluke? Stick around PHT today for more on that.