In addition to Montour, key players like Anthony Duclair, Carter Verhaeghe and Gustav Forsling have all received new multi-year contracts this summer, while the team also made a big splash in the trade market by acquiring goal-scorer Sam Reinhart from the Sabres this past weekend.
Throw in finishing with the fourth-best record in the NHL during the 2020-21 regular season, an exhilarating series against the cross-state rival Lightning in the playoffs, and a couple players you may have heard of named Aleksander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad, and Montour didn't need much convincing to be sold on the bright future on the horizon in Sunrise.
"We have a great group," Montour said. "Guys were bummed the way the season ended there, but I think just with the excitement, seeing how well our team is shaped from top to bottom, guys just want to get back to it. In a shortened season, anything can happen last year. Now we're back into the swing of things. … Everybody's getting back in September and getting back to it."
Although he wasn't around long, Montour certainly made a good impression on the Cats.
Coming over from Buffalo at the trade deadline in February in exchange for a 2021 third-round pick, the 27-year-old rearguard seemed to fit in perfectly on Florida's blue line while racking up four points (two goals, two assists) and 19 hits over 12 games to close out the regular season.
Finding instant chemistry with Markus Nutivaara, Montour's possession numbers were also something to behold. Starting the majority of his shifts in the offense zone, he posted a 59.73 CF% at 5-on-5, with the Panthers outscoring opposing teams 15-7 when he was on the ice.
According to NaturalStatTrick.com, he also owned a strong 59.24 xGF%.
"Those first couple days, I think guys have said it already, the group and the staff, top to bottom, make you feel so comfortable," Montour said of his transition to South Florida. "I felt like I was one of the guys right away. That's what you want coming in. And then going from that to on the ice, you can see the team that we have and the talent that we have, so that's another big thing."