Welcome back to LBC’s exclusive All-Time Roster Countdown, where we won’t stop until we get to the top. For an explanation as to how I figured out who goes where, click here.
Yesterday, we looked at former Florida defenseman Jason Woolley (89 games, 10 goals, 37 assists) and former right winger Marcus Nilson (327 games, 48 goals, 78 assists). In today’s listing, we check in on a current Panthers defenseman from Strathroy, Ontario, and a goaltender from Manitoba.
For more on this, follow the link below.
40. Brian Campbell
Campbell was a 5’11” defenseman from Strathmore, Ontario with the Ottawa 67’s when he was selected in the sixth round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabres, 156th overall. In four OHL seasons in juniors, he totalled 38 goals and 172 assists in 260 games, adding five goals and 36 assists in 50 postseason contests. He made his professional debut with the 1999-00 AHL Rochester Americans (67 games, two goals, 24 assists), also scoring a goal and four assists in 12 NHL games with the Sabres.
In 2000-01, Campbell again spent the balance of the season in Rochester (65 games, seven goals, 25 assists), making a brief eight game stop in Buffalo. The following season, he continued to have trouble cracking the NHL roster, scoring three goals and three assists in 29 contests with Buffalo. He also scored twice with 35 assists in 45 Rochester games.
2002-03 would see Campbell promoted to the NHL on a permanent basis, spending the next four and a half NHL seasons with the club. He made the All-Star team for the Sabres in 2007 and 2008. In total, he scored 32 goals and 144 assists in 391 games with the Sabres, adding three goals and 10 assists in 34 playoff games. He spent the 2004-05 season with Jokerit Helsinki in the Swedish Elite League (44 games, 12 goals, 13 assists). The Sabres traded him to the San Jose Sharks on February 26, 2008 with a seventh round pick (Drew Daniels) for Steve Bernier and a first round pick (Tyler Ennis).
After scoring three goals and 16 assists in 20 games for San Jose, then another goal and six assists in 13 playoff games, Campbell signed an eight-year, $57,143,000 contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. He played the first three seasons of the contract with the club, making his third career All-Star team in 2009 and helping Chicago to win the 2010 Stanley Cup. He racked up 19 goals and 98 assists with a plus-51 rating and 46 penalty minutes in 215 games with the club. He also scored four goals and 14 assists in 43 playoff games. The Blackhawks traded him to Florida for Rostislav Olesz in what amounted to a salary dump for Chicago following the 2010-11 season.
2011-12 would see Campbell turn in his fourth All-Star campaign, leading the Panthers (and the NHL) with 2,206 minutes of ice time. He opened the season by assisting on both Panthers goals in a 2-0 win over the New York Islanders on October 8. Just a week later, he notched four assists in a 7-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 17. He had nine multipoint game over the course of the season, including four three assist games. He averaged 26:54, appearing in all 82 games, scoring four goals on 131 shots and a team best 49 assists. He finished the season with a minus-9 rating and a ridiculous six penalty minutes. The postseason would see him add a goal and four assists in Florida’s seven game series loss to the New Jersey Devils. After the season, he was awarded the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for excellent sportsmanship.
Campbell makes a great d-zone poke-check 1/9/12 (via NHLVideo)
All-Time Statline: One season, 82 games, four goals, 49 assists, 53 points, minus-9 rating, six PIM, 10.3 APS.
39. Trevor Kidd
Kidd was a 6’2″ goaltender from Dugald, Manitoba when selected by the Calgary Flames in the first round of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft with the 11th overall pick. He posted a 53-67-4 record in three WHL seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings and the Spokane Chiefs, allowing 4.05 goals per 60 minutes.
In 1991-92, Kidd started in goal for the Canadian National Team (18-4-4, 3.51), helping them to a Silver Medal in the 1992 Olympic games. He made two appearances with the Flames late in the season (1-1-0, .857, 4.00). He ended up playing five seasons with the franchise, ranking sixth on their all-time victory list with a 72-66-26 record. He collected 10 shutouts, an .898 save percentage and a 2.83 GAA. Just prior to the 1997-98 season, he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes with Gary Roberts for Andrew Cassels and Jean-Sebastian Giguere.
Kidd played for two season in Carolina, totalling a 28-31-9 with five shutouts, a 2.34 GAA and a .916 save percentage. After the 1998-99 season, he was picked up in the Expansion Draft by the brand new Atlanta Thrashers franchise. He was only a Thrasher for a short time, getting traded later that day to the Panthers for Gord Murphy, Herbert Vasiljevs, Daniel Tjarnqvist, and a sixth round pick (Darren Cox).
Kidd posted a 14-11-2 record as the 1999-00 Panthers second goaltender. He shut out the Thrashers on November 27 by a score of 3-0. He allowed 2.63 goals per 60 minutes, ranking eighth in the NHL with a .915 save percentage.
In 2000-01, Kidd shared number one netminder responsibilities with wunderkind Roberto Luongo. He posted a 30-save shutout on November 17 in a 3-0 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. He allowed 3.31 goals per 60 minutes with an .893 save percentage and a suboptimal 10-23-6 record.
King Louie started his reign proper with the 2001-02 Panthers, as Kidd accepted his role as the first backup option. His 4-16-5 record was on par with Florida’s 14th place Eastern Conference finish, posting a 22-50-12 record.He shutout the Buffalo Sabres on November 16 on 31 saves in a 2-0 shutout in one of very few highlights that season. He stopped 89.5% of total shots faced and allowed 3.21 goals per 60 minutes TOI. The Toronto Maple Leafs signed him as a free agent after the season.
Kidd played two seasons with the Leafs (12-15-4, .888, 3.17) before moving on to international play. He last played professionally with the Hannover Scorpions in the Deutsch Elite League in 2005-06.
All-Time Statline: Three seasons, 103 games, 5,611 minutes played, three shutouts, 28-50-13 record, 2,883 shots faced, 2,594 saves made, 28 goals allowed, .900 save percentage, 3.00 GAA, 10.5 APS.
Thank you for reading today’s article. Make sure to check back tomorrow as we keep moving up the chain of past, present, and future Panther heroes, with a center from Ontario and another center from Slovakia.