Panthers 2023-24 Breakout Candidates: Josh Mahura

The 2023-24 NHL season is inching closer by the day, and here at THN Florida one of the things we’re going to do is take a look at a few players who we consider breakout candidates.

These are younger guys who, for one reason or another, could be due for a strong year that would seemingly be a springboard for bigger and better things.

Today we’ll focus on a player who was an unsung hero for the Florida Panthers defensive corps last season and someone who could find themself being leaned on heavily yet again.

Of course, I’m talking about 25-year-old defenseman Josh Mahura.

The guy Florida plucked off the waiver wire three days before Opening Night last season turned out to be an integral part of the team’s success.

An up-and-down year for the Panthers in which the team had to endure a dilapidating string of injuries and illnesses saw Mahura literally and figuratively come out of nowhere to play all 82 regular season games and do it performing better than he had in any of his previous, albeit limited, NHL action.

The 2016 third-round pick had never played more than 38 games in a season but it sure didn’t seem that way when he put on his Panthers sweater.

Not only did he prove to be extremely durable and incredibly consistent, his advanced metrics were off the charts compared to his past NHL history.

To steal a line from the great Forrest Gump, Mahura and the Panthers went together like peas and carrots.

It’s why Florida offered him a one-year extension all the way back in February, when Mahura had only been with the team a few months.

Looking ahead, Florida Head Coach Paul Maurice and assistant coach Sylvain Lefebvre, who runs the Cats’ defense, could end up leaning on Mahura even moreso during the upcoming season.

When the puck drops on Opening Night in Minnesota in a couple months, the Panthers could be without one or both of Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour.

That’s not only two of the top defensemen on the team, but they are also two of the best blueluners in the Eastern Conference.

Their potential absence is why Panthers General Manager Bill Zito went out and signed a handful of veteran defensemen – to help bridge that gap – but don’t be shocked to see Mahura get a good look at some decent even strength minutes, especially if he shows up at camp and hits the ground running.

There could a great opportunity for Mahura in the coming months to solidify himself as an ascending NHL defenseman, and it wouldn’t be terribly surprising to see him put up a 30-40 point season.

He showed flashes of that offensive upside last season, and there’s no reason to think he won’t continue down that path.

Should that happen, Mahura could play himself into a term deal next summer when the salary cap goes up.

He’ll be a restricted free agent, so the ball will be in Florida’s court, but if he does remain on his current trajectory, you can see a road that leads to Mahura being with the Panthers for the foreseeable future.

Of course, there’s a flip side to that coin. Should Mahura fail to build on his solid last season, he can easily get lost in the shuffle of Florida’s deepening blueline.

We’ll see how things play out this season.