The Panthers have assigned defenseman Uvis Balinskis to AHL Charlotte, per a team announcement. He’ll head back to the minors after being recalled last week for the first time since signing a two-year extension in January. Florida’s roster size drops to 25.
Balinskis, 27, is in his first NHL season after inking an entry-level contract with the Cats last summer. The Latvian blue-liner was coming off a breakout season in the Czech Extraliga, where he was named the league’s best defenseman after leading the league with 11 goals and 35 points in 50 games as a member of Bílí Tygři Liberec. He’s been a fixture of the Latvian national team since making his debut at the 2017 World Championship and was a member of last year’s bronze-medal winning squad at the tournament.
With stars Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour unavailable for the start of 2023-24 due to off-season shoulder surgeries, Balinskis got a look on the opening night roster and was a serviceable depth option. After posting a goal and an assist through his first 16 games, he was assigned to Charlotte shortly after Montour was cleared to return. He was recalled again a few weeks into December but only played three games, going without a point and averaging 12:34 per game before being returned to the minors. On this month’s recall, he added an assist in four games and played a season-high 20:19 in Saturday’s shootout loss to the Rangers.
Balinskis’ strong play in the minors, despite being yo-yoed up and down, has given the Panthers’ front office confidence in his abilities to contribute during their current window of championship contention, and rightfully so. His 21 points in 35 games with Charlotte is second in scoring among the team’s defenders behind star minor-league blue-liner Lucas Carlsson, who hasn’t played in nearly a month and is out for the season due to injury.
His reassignment could indicate that Ekblad, who’s been out since March 9 with a lower-body injury, is nearing a return. He was ruled out for at least two weeks after the injury, and with that benchmark passed, head coach Paul Maurice has signaled in recent days that the star blue-liner is feeling better. He’s unlikely for Thursday’s game against the Islanders but could be ready to go for Saturday’s matinee against the Red Wings.