Now over trade to Panthers, Jared McCann starting to flourish in Florida

Jared McCann was angry. When the center arrived in Florida after a May 2016 trade from the Canucks, he wasn’t pleased. He’d just turned 20 years old, a first-round pick shipped out of Vancouver after just one year.

“Last year coming in from being traded, I didn’t think I handled it very well,” McCann said. “I was upset and all that.”

Involved in the deal that included an array of draft picks and shipped Erik Gudbranson from Florida, McCann had a fresh start after tallying nine goals and nine assists in 69 games for Vancouver in 2015-16. But it still took him time to get over being traded. He needed to move forward. He eventually did.

“It happens, right?” McCann said. “Moving forward, I feel that I want to be a Florida Panther.”

He only played 29 games for Florida last year with seven points.

McCann has since turned into a key cog in the Panthers’ offense, occupying the third-line center role for Florida during the first two months. Despite missing 11 games with a lower-body injury across the last month, McCann has four goals and three assists in 13 games.

He’s now been back in the Panthers lineup for the past five games, and scored in two straight games before the streak was snapped Tuesday in New York. He had the lone Florida tally in a loss to Chicago and the game-winner in a victory over the Devils on Monday.

“It’s all about confidence,” McCann said. “Every time you score a goal, I feel like your confidence is higher.”

McCann entered Panthers training camp on the bubble for a roster spot. The top two center positions were taken by stars Aleksander Barkov and Vincent Trocheck. The fourth-line spot was locked for Derek MacKenzie. So that left McCann battling Nick Bjugstad and Denis Malgin for time on the third line.

But McCann wowed during preseason, including a hat trick against Tampa Bay that pretty much solidified his roster spot on opening night. The Panthers kept McCann at center and pushed Bjugstad to the wing and Malgin to the minors. (Malgin, now back with the Panthers, has also shifted to the wing.)

Panthers coach Bob Boughner said McCann’s game has grown tremendously, including on the defensive side.

“He’s learned to be a reliable guy down low,” Boughner said. “He’s playing some pretty good minutes. I don’t have to worry about him so much on matchups. Maybe that was a little different in the beginning of the year. He’s really worked hard at watching shift tape and watching guys like Barky and how they play down low. He’s continually improved and he’s got some offense to his game as well. He’s really done a good job.”

Among McCann’s greatest strengths are his speed and his shot. When given time, his shot is deadly. When rushed, his release is quick enough to put it on net.

On Saturday, McCann showed off by lasering a goal into the corner of the net. On Monday, he displayed his speed by rushing through the neutral zone to net the game-winner.

“He’s got a great release,” Boughner said. “I’ve watching Jared since he was 15 years old just down the road in London from me where I was in junior. Then he played up in Sault Ste. Marie when he got drafted. I’ve watched him for a long time and he’s always been a high-end offensive player. I think now that he’s learned to play on the right side of the puck, I think he’s going to have a lot of success and his offense will take over.”

Since speed is such a big part of McCann’s game, a lower-body injury could prove troublesome for the 21-year-old. He said he could have pushed through it, but “wanted to take care of it and make sure it doesn’t come back.”

McCann will be important for the Panthers as a secondary scorer. Outside of Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck and the now-injured Evgenii Dadonov (out 4-6 weeks with a shoulder injury), the Panthers have struggled to generate offense.

McCann’s shot could supply that.

“I feel more prepared,” McCann said. “Coming into the season, I knew what to expect more. The way I trained this summer helped me towards the start of the season until now. It’s definitely contributed a lot to what I did over the summer.”

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