From big hits to big personality, Radko Gudas is making his mark with Florida Panthers

It’s hard to miss Radko Gudas.

From the bushy black beard to the bone-rattling hits and the high-five line he leads just beyond the team’s bench after wins, the Florida Panthers’ boisterous Czech defensemen makes his presence known.

“It’s all personality,” Panthers coach Maurice said. “Everybody’s got their own in the room, but Radko’s got this unique personality.”

There’s another area where he is being recognized nowadays as well: In the Panthers’ record book.

With 167 hits so far this season, Gudas has logged 772 hits over his two-plus seasons with the Panthers. That now stands as the franchise record since the NHL began tracking hits in the 2007-2008 season, breaking the previous franchise mark of 761 held by Vincent Trocheck. Gudas reached this mark in just 173 games with the Panthers, averaging nearly four-and-a-half hits per game. Trocheck needed 420 games with Florida to get to his total.

“It’s awesome,” Gudas said of the record. “I got a couple of congrats messages. … I never thought in my career that I’d be a franchise leader in anything. It’s very special.”

And his high hit total isn’t just a feat for the Panthers. He’s consistently near the top across the entire NHL.

His 772 hits (and counting) since joining the Panthers ahead of the 2020-21 season are by far the most in the NHL in that span. The second most? 655 by the Ottawa Senators’ Brady Tkachuk — 117 fewer hits than Gudas.

“It’s a physical game out there,” Gudas said. “If I can spark the guys with big hits and make the opponents uncomfortable in our zone when I’m on the ice, that’s something that I’m looking forward to doing every game. I hope the guys can feed off that.”

For his career, Gudas has 2,420 hits over 652 games spanning 11 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Panthers.

“When he’s wired into the game, it just brings everybody else into the game,” Maurice said. “There’s not a lot of bumps in his game. There’s not a lot of light contact.”

But Gudas’ contributions go beyond just the big hits. It starts before the team even gets on the ice. He’s one of the more vocal guys in the dressing room, always finding a way into a conversation and finding a way to energize the group.

“He’s chirping at guys,” Maurice said. “It’s a big part of what happens out there. He just brings a real positive feel to our team.”

He has been one of Florida’s most-consistent defenseman in all aspects of the game this season.

Gudas has been almost exclusively paired with Josh Mahura this season and the duo has quietly been one of the league’s top pairings. According to the advanced hockey statistics website Natural Stat Trick, the Panthers have a 56.5 Corsi For percentage when Gudas and Mahura are on the ice together at full strength, meaning the Panthers are generating 56.5 percent of the shot attempts when Gudas and Mahura are on the ice. That is the sixth-highest rate in the NHL among defensive pairs who have played together for at least 400 minutes this season.

“You know what you’re getting from him every night,” Mahura said. “For me to be able to know that and play my game — and he wants me to play my game — it helps a ton. He can make a lot of plays and he’s been doing it out there. It’s been really good so far.”

He’s playing a much cleaner game now, too. After gaining a track record as a dirty player earlier in his career — he had four suspensions in his three years with Philadelphia — Gudas has smoothed out his game while still laying out his signature big hits at the appropriate time.

Maurice on several occasions this season praised Gudas for being one of the more defensively sound players from his defensemen group.

It’s a compliment Gudas doesn’t take lightly.

“I like the trust from the coaches and the way they’ve been playing me,” Gudas said. “I feel pretty confident. I’m trying to make sure that everybody around me knows I’m there.”