The Florida Panthers will have some international flair to their defense corps in camp this year, as George Richards of the Miami Herald reports Nikolai Belov will be there on a tryout. Belov has played his entire career in the KHL up to this point.
The Panthers had already added Evgeny Dadonov to their team this offseason, signing the Russian sniper away from SKA St. Petersburg to a three-year deal. Perhaps he was influential in bringing Belov over, since the two won a Gagarin Cup together in 2015. Belov, 30, is a stay-at-home defender who uses his reach to disrupt passing lanes and could provide some depth to the Panthers defense corps. The group is currently counting on players like Ian McCoshen and MacKenzie Weegar to provide that depth, a role that’s perhaps not as well suited to their relative youth.
Belov scored a career-high 15 points last season with Chelyabinsk, but shouldn’t be relied upon for any offensive contributions at the NHL level. For a team trying to get back to the playoffs however, his experience and responsible play could be an asset.