SUNRISE, Fla. — With one big exception, the Florida Panthers’ top forwards enjoyed the best offensive seasons of their careers this past year.

Sasha Barkov set the franchise record for most points in a season with 96, and Jonathan Huberdeau joined him in becoming the first duo in Florida history to reach 90 points.

The Panthers had three players with 30 or more goals for the first time as Mike Hoffman led the team with 36. Barkov (35) and Huberdeau (30) also hit the 30-goal mark for the first time in their careers.

But Vincent Trocheck did not join in Florida’s offensive onslaught this season. After missing two months following a horrific ankle injury — he was limited to 55 games after fracturing his right ankle chasing down a loose puck in Ottawa on Nov. 19 — he certainly has a good excuse.

Even so, he did not put up the kind of numbers he was expected to — before or after his absence.

Trocheck finished his sixth NHL season with 10 goals and 34 points — well short of the career-high 31 goals and 75 points he put up the previous season. Of course, Trocheck put up those numbers after playing in all 82 games for Florida in 2017-18.

Following this often frustrating campaign, the Panthers are expected to be busy this offseason trying to improve and end their three-year postseason absence. And Trocheck, who will turn 26 in July, is a big part of Florida’s plans moving forward.

“Troch is one hell of a player and he’s going to produce for us,” assistant GM Eric Joyce said. “Players sometimes have years like that. But one thing I know about Troch is he is the ultimate competitor, and I know that season does not sit well with him. He was one of the first guys to reach out to our training staff and get moving on the offseason.

“He is going to be 100 percent ready to go when training camp opens. We are excited about that. It’s OK if you have an off year, as long as you recognize that and want to do something about it. Those are the kind of guys you win championships with. Troch is one of those guys.”

Trocheck was sidelined for two months until he returned earlier than expected Jan. 18 against Toronto.

The Panthers had been winless in their previous seven games, yet with one of their on-ice leaders back, Florida beat Toronto 3-1 that night. Having Trocheck back was more than just good for morale as the Panthers’ second-line center assisted on the go-ahead (and eventual winning) goal.

Trocheck followed that up with goals in his next two games. And when the Panthers broke for their time off around All-Star weekend riding a three-game winning streak, Trocheck said he would have loved to continue playing.

“To go into a break like this with a little momentum, having some fun, is going to make a big difference for the second half,” Trocheck said at the time.

Upon their return, however, the Panthers lost two of their next three, and Trocheck’s frustrating season continued.

Following the break, Trocheck went 11 games without a goal and had just two assists during that span before he broke his drought Feb. 23 against Los Angeles.

Trocheck finished with five goals and 16 points in his final 34 games. Aside from the 11-game goalless stretch, he also had a run of eight games without a goal.

“It was difficult,” said Trocheck, who finished with two goals and an assist in his final three games.

“It was my first time in my entire life dealing with a serious injury. Being away from the game for as long as I was was not easy. Having to deal with it when I got back was tough as well. Obviously, it was a frustrating season for our entire team, not winning as much as we wanted to. Overall it was just a tough season.”

The biggest memory Trocheck will have of this past season is the injury which cost him a huge chunk of games.

Although it appeared Trocheck may have suffered a knee injury as well as a lower-leg injury based on how his right leg buckled, the ankle had a clean fracture which allowed him to make a much quicker return to action.

Trocheck was limited to moving around on a leg scooter for a few weeks, but he was back on the ice in January and in the lineup for the final three games before the All-Star break.

“He missed a quarter of a season, and it is hard to recover from that,” GM Dale Tallon said. “It is hard to catch up, and I know it was frustrating for him. But it was not due to a lack of effort. I think his timing was off because of the injury and it was a miraculous recovery for him to come back so soon. He was back a month sooner than we thought. It was a tough injury and a tough situation to be put in.”

In the end, Trocheck’s numbers were not as bad as they seemed, although not as good as anyone — himself included — had envisioned, especially when you consider the offense the others in the top six generated.

Trocheck averaged 0.618 points per game in the 55 he played this past season. Over the course of an 82-game season, that would have worked out to 51 points.

In context, taking out his career-best 2017-18 campaign, Trocheck’s offensive production was close to what he had the previous two seasons in which he averaged 53.5 points.

Still, expectations are much higher for a player of Trocheck’s standing.

“I don’t even know how many points I had, I missed (two) months,” he said. “So I am not really concerned about the production side.

“I am more worried about getting the team where we need to be, getting us on a winning track. When we are winning games, everybody is going to be doing well individually. Like we talked about this year, a lot of guys had career years and we didn’t make the playoffs. Individual stats don’t necessarily mean all that much.’’

As the second half of the season unfolded, Trocheck seemed to grow more and more irritated with how the Panthers were playing and the direction in which things were headed.

Although Florida scored more goals than it ever had in a single season before, it also surrendered a franchise record as well.

Trocheck had 10 goals and 24 assists in his injury-shortened 2018-19 season. (Robert Mayer / USA Today)

A coaching change came quickly, as Bob Boughner was fired the day after the season ended. Joel Quenneville, who won the Stanley Cup three times as head coach of the Blackhawks and once as an assistant with Colorado, was officially hired the day after.

Despite missing the playoffs, the Panthers were the talk of the hockey world.

“It’s exciting, obviously. He is the second-winningest coach in NHL history,’’ Trocheck said. “He has obviously been around the game for a long time, won three Stanley Cups.

“It is great to have a veteran coach presence in here to kind of whip us into shape, I guess you could say. I’m excited. … He demands a lot from his players and gets a lot of respect from his players.”

Trocheck is one of the most fiery players the Panthers have, a player who is not afraid to speak his mind either in the privacy of the locker room or out in the open.

As others spoke of losses being “disappointing,” Trocheck instead used the word “embarrassing.” He said the time for excuses is over. The Panthers are in a win-now mode, and he says everyone needs to be on board.

“Missing the playoffs is unacceptable, especially with the team that we have and the talent that we have,” Trocheck said. “Going forward, I think now it’s on us to realize what a talented team we do have. Start maturing mentally as a team. Take it to the next level and go on a run.

“This definitely shows everybody that now is the time. We aren’t going to be young forever. It’s time to start winning now. There is accountability on us. It’s not just the coaching staff. It’s on us as players to win games. Coaches can’t go out there and do it for us. They can only put so much together. It’s on us now. It says we need to wake up a little bit. Q is here now. It is on us to take what he gives us and put it into action on the ice.”

(Top photo: Isaiah J. Downing / USA Today)