Eager to stay in Florida, Montour 'wanted to be a Panther'

SUNRISE, Fla. - When the NHL's free agency period officially opened on Wednesday, Brandon Montour admits he was only ever really interested in seeing one name show up on his caller ID.
Bill Zito.
"As an [unrestricted free agent] you obviously get to explore and see what's out there, but my interest was never like that," Montour said shortly after re-signing. "I wanted to be a Panther. You know the business side, so you've got to work that through, but this is where I want to be."

Like Montour, Zito was also happy that the two sides could come to an agreement.
"After joining the Panthers at the deadline this past season, Brandon impressed us with his character, skillset, tenacity and passion," the Panthers general manager said. "We are excited to have him return to the Panthers as an important element of our defensive core."
Returning to the Panthers on a three-year contract, Montour is one of several players that found great success after arriving to South Florida this past season. Just like him, many of them have been subsequently locked up in recent weeks, giving the team a potent core for years to come.

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."

Having spent parts of the last three seasons on a rebuilding team, Montour certainly looks rejuvenated now that he's part of a group on an upward trajectory in South Florida. After all, it wasn't long ago he was considered a rising star during the early days of his career in Anaheim.
Only just beginning to really sink his teeth into the prime years of his career, the 6-foot, 194-pound native of Brantford, Ontario has already appeared in 239 career NHL games with the Ducks, Sabres and Panthers, racking up 109 points (31 goals, 78 assists) during that time.
A veteran of 27 career playoff games, he's also registered eight assists in the postseason.
"I just wanted to kind of get back to my game," Montour said. "My situation in Buffalo, we had a couple tough seasons there. That's just the way it goes sometimes. Refresh. I know the way I can play. I think Florida knows that as well. We had success down the stretch there heading into the playoffs. When you're on a different team, a different winning team, and you guys are flowing in the right direction and everyone is kind of going, it makes it easier on everyone."
Preparing for his first full season with the Panthers, winning is all that matters to Montour.
"I wanted to find something where I'm on a winning team, a team that wants to win now," Montour said. "Obviously, we're at that point here where we want to take another step forward."