On the verge of setting franchise marks for goals and points, Olli Jokinen is the centrepiece of an improving Panthers team.

Olli Jokinen could be the best player you've never heard of.

OK, maybe you've heard of him. It's just that you're not talking about him. Or thinking about him. Or drafting him in your hockey pool.

But maybe you ought to be doing all those things, considering that over the last two NHL seasons Jokinen emerged as one of the league's most consistent scoring threats by racking up a combined 180 points — more than household names Mats Sundin, Jarome Iginla, Martin St. Louis and Jason Spezza.

What's more, the indestructible centreman just set the Florida Panthers' all-time record for consecutive games played. And any day now he'll break the marks for goals and points on a team that — like its captain — could finally be ready to emerge from the shadows.

Don't worry, though. Jokinen and the Panthers are doing just fine without you.

"We have certain guys getting media attention and people recognizing us in South Florida," the 28-year-old Finn told CBCSports.ca during his team's recent visit to Toronto. "But there are still some guys who have been [in Florida] for a while and don't get enough attention."

His modesty prevents it, but Jokinen may as well have been talking about himself. With two goals and four assists in the first seven games of this, his seventh season with the Panthers, Jokinen has tied ex-captain Scott Mellanby's club record of 354 points while moving within one of Mellanby's team-record 156 goals.

"I think it shows I've been able to stay healthy and I've been here long enough to break those records," said Jokinen, who also established a new Panthers Iron Man mark by playing in his 301st consecutive game in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs. "On the other hand, it shows there's been a lot of changes as well."

Jokinen has his sights set on returning the Panthers to the playoffs after a seven-year absence. (Doug Benc/Getty Images)

And therein lies the biggest reason why he hasn't received the acclaim he deserves. Since arriving in the hockey wilderness of Sunrise, Fla., in June 2000 (then-Panthers GM Bryan Murray pulled off one of the great heists in recent memory by acquiring Jokinen and Roberto Luongo from the Islanders for Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish) Jokinen has listened to pep talks from six different head coaches while skating with a constantly overturning roster of mostly forgettable players.

As a result, Florida, which reached its lone Stanley Cup final in 1996, hasn't made the playoffs in seven years, matching Columbus for the NHL's longest active streak.

All-around excellence

This year, though, there's a feeling that a new day is dawning in Sunrise. After improving their point total in each of the past three seasons, the Panthers are off to a respectable 3-4-0 start in front of new goalie Tomas Vokoun. That has Jokinen feeling optimistic that his first appearance in the post-season spotlight may come sooner rather than later.

"There weren't too many things I liked about [the organization] a few years ago, but I think things have changed," Jokinen said. "Since the [2004-05] lockout we've had a plan in place. Finally, we've got some young guys who we drafted and who are still actually playing here, and those guys are a big part of our team."

Indeed, recent top-four-overall selections Nathan Norton (31 goals last season), Stephen Weiss (20 goals) and Jay Bouwmeester (42 points and a team-high plus-23 rating), have given the Panthers a strong, youthful core. But the bedrock of the team remains its longest-tenured member.

"Olli brings a lot of stability to our club," Panthers coach Jacques Martin, who's in his third season with the team, told reporters in Toronto. "He's been our scoring leader for several years and he's really made great strides this year right from training camp with his work ethic and his leadership."

A former No. 3 pick of the Los Angeles Kings', Jokinen has thrived since the NHL returned from its self-imposed hiatus. In the first season post-lockout, he easily set career highs in goals (38) and points (89), then duplicated the feat last year with 39 goals and 91 points. Jokinen also showed his commitment to all-around play by setting personal bests in plus-minus in each of the last two seasons, and he did it all without missing a single contest.

"He's one of those guys who can decide a game for us," Florida winger Radek Dvorak told CBCSports.ca. "He scores game-winning goals, he makes plays, and he's great on both ends of the ice."

Jokinen has also proved worthy of the Panthers' captaincy, winning over teammates with a leadership style that blends his soft-spoken manner with a gritty determination.

"When things aren't going well, he always stands up and talks to us," said Dvorak. "You can feel the leadership from him.

"Everybody respects him as a player, and as a person. That's the most important thing. Whatever happens, he's there for us."

With Jokinen at the helm, the Panthers could be the talk of the league someday soon. Just don't say you haven't heard.