Vilmanis: hard to say yet whether there'll be a roster spot for me
Latvian forward Sandis Vilmanis has had a strong preseason start with the Florida Panthers, but admits his roster spot for the coming NHL season is not yet guaranteed. He also shared the positive feedback he received from the club's coaching staff after the world championship.
Latvian national team forward Sandis Vilmanis, who plays for the Florida Panthers, discussed his chances of securing a roster spot this season in an interview on the "Freibja podkāsts" show. During preseason training camp, the Latvian has so far skated on the team's third line, and in the first preseason game — a 6:3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes — he recorded an assist.
Despite this promising start, Vilmanis acknowledged that a spot on the main roster is not yet secured. The situation will be affected by Brad Marchand's return from injury, expected in November, which could reshuffle the team's forward lines. Vilmanis explained that the coach wants Marchand to sit out the entire month of October to fully recover, after which the roster picture should become clearer.
Hoping for more ice time
The forward expressed hope that this season he will get to play more NHL games than he did in the AHL previously. Vilmanis noted that personal point totals matter less to him than simply getting onto the ice and playing.
If he manages to establish himself in the Panthers' lineup, Vilmanis will face the traditional NHL rookie hazing ritual — treating the entire team to dinner. He noted a similar tradition existed in the AHL, but there the cost was split among eight players, whereas in the NHL the expense will be considerably higher.
Vilmanis also revealed that after this summer's world championship, he received positive feedback from the Panthers' coaching staff, who praised his role and significant ice time with the national team. He said he had not spoken much with the club's general manager on the matter, with most of the feedback coming directly from the coaches.
