Steven Lorentz Reveals Why He Distanced Himself From Former Panthers Teammates

After winning a Stanley Cup last season with the Florida Panthers, forward Steven Lorentz ended up signing with his childhood team and made his lifelong dream come true, something that only a select few can lay claim to in their careers.

It was certainly a solid signing for GM Brad Treliving, as he was able to ink not only a former Cup winner for very cheap, but was able to bring a lot of edge and grit to his bottom six; something that's paid off very well for the team thus far.

But with his team headed up against his former Panthers squad, it seems that there is one focus for Lorentz this season: Win with his team. Asked about how he felt traveling to face his old club, he held nothing back:

It looks like he doesn't want to let some old friends get in the way of his current goal, and is trying to make sure he doesn't show his hand too much or let his emotions get the best of him.

This season, Lorentz has 17 points in 74 games (7G, 10A) and is only three points from setting a new career-high. He's also added 186 hits and 50 blocks with a plus-4 rating; not bad for a guy who signed a PTO in September.

It certainly is a battle too, as the Atlantic Division race has been as tight as ever, with Toronto, Florida, Tampa Bay, Ottawa and even potentially Montreal fighting for playoff spots; and in the case of the first three: A division title.

The Maple Leafs didn't end up getting the result they had hoped for on Tuesday night, giving Florida a crucial two points, but also making things a lot more interesting in terms of how the standings play out especially with Tampa's win on Monday, coupled with the Leafs and Senators losing, and Montreal with a win.

This makes the game on Wednesday against Tampa Bay even more crucial for the Maple Leafs, and while they hold the regulation tiebreaker over Florida, they don't with Tampa, so getting two points after 60 minutes is going to be make or break for them.

But for Steven Lorentz, he just needs to keep doing what he's been doing. Not only will it end up paying off for the Maple Leafs, but he could end up getting paid nicely just as well.