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Panthers, Cooper Black Agree To Terms On Entry-Level Deal

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The Panthers have agreed to terms with undrafted free agent goaltender Cooper Black on a two-year, entry-level contract beginning next season, GM Bill Zito announced Tuesday. His ELC boasts the maximum allowable base salary ($855K) and signing bonus ($95K), carrying a cap hit of $950K, per PuckPedia. He’ll earn a minor-league salary of $80K.

Black, 22, is coming off a breakout sophomore campaign with Dartmouth College. In 30 appearances, he recorded a .910 SV%, 2.58 GAA and two shutouts with a 13-8-8 record after winning only five games in 30 showings last season. He guided the Big Green to a fourth-place finish in conference play, sweeping their ECAC quarterfinal series against Union before losing 6-3 to the eventual champion Cornell in the semifinal. That earned him a nomination for the Ken Dryden ECAC Goaltender of the Year award, his second significant collegiate honor. He was named to the ECAC’s All-Rookie Team last season after playing in all 30 games as a freshman.

The Michigan native is listed as 6’8″ and 240 lbs, which would make him the tallest goalie in NHL history if he ever cracks the majors. Zito did not confirm if Black will finish this season on a tryout with AHL Charlotte, as is the norm for future contracts signed with time remaining in the season.

Black becomes the fifth goaltender under team control for 2024-25, joining Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight, as well as minor-league options Evan Cormier (pending RFA) and Mack Guzda (10.2(c)). Guzda has missed most of this season with injuries but could be in line for the starting role with Charlotte if the Panthers feel Knight is ready for full-time NHL action again next season. Knight, a 2019 first-round pick, is in the first season of a three-year, $13.5MM extension that still costs Florida $3.35MM against the cap when buried in the minors. He’s rebounded well in the minors after a slow start, posting a .905 SV% in 42 games on the year.

The Panthers likely won’t have Black occupy anything larger than an AHL backup role next season, although logging increased playing time as a starter for ECHL Florida is also an option. He’ll be an RFA in 2026 when his ELC expires.

Poll: Who’s Going To Win The Presidents’ Trophy?

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Nearly half of the current playoff field has clinched postseason berths, so attention is quickly turning to playoff positioning battles and who can finish atop the regular-season standings with just over two weeks left in the campaign. The field is crowded at the top, with seven teams within five points of first place.

The Rangers currently hold the edge as the only 50-win team and 104 points (.703 points percentage), ranking among the top six teams in both goals for and goals against. Leading them across the board offensively is winger Artemi Panarin, who should get some outside Hart Trophy consideration with a career-high 44 goals and 107 points. Season-ending injuries to Filip Chytil and Blake Wheeler have damaged their forward depth, but early returns on their trade deadline replacements, Jack Roslovic and Alexander Wennberg, have been positive. With top-five defenseman Adam Fox leading their blue line and one of the better goalie duos in the league this year with Jonathan Quick and Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers are looking to win the Presidents’ Trophy for only the fourth time in their 98-year history and the first since 2014-15.

Moving over to the crowded Central Division, the Stars are keeping pace at the top of the division with an 8-2-0 record in their last 10. Their 103 points and .687 points percentage are both second in the league, but they’ll need some help to catch the similarly hot Rangers, who’ve played one less game. Fuelled by an incredibly deep forward corps and a breakout season from 22-year-old Thomas Harley alongside Miro Heiskanen on the team’s top defense pair, Dallas is chasing its first division title since 2016, when Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza all had 30-goal years and powered the league’s best offense. After shoring up their blue line with deadline pickup Chris Tanev and boosting their third line with the promotion of rookie Logan Stankoven from the minors, the Stars are hoping to make back-to-back Conference Final appearances for the first time since appearing in three straight from 1998 to 2000.

Hot on Dallas’ tails for guaranteed home-ice advantage through Round Three are the breakout Canucks, whose jump from 24th to fourth in goals against has fuelled their first trip to the postseason (sans the 2020 bubble) in nine years. A franchise record-breaking season from Quinn Hughes on the blue line, plus a rebound from Thatcher Demko in the crease, have created the core for what Vancouver hopes is a lengthy era of contention with J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson centering their top two lines. Some view them as the NHL’s flukiest team with a league-high 9.8% shooting percentage and 102.8 PDO at 5-on-5, a narrative they’ll look to dispel by extending their season into May and June.

The new-look Avalanche went big-game hunting at the trade deadline and remain in contention for division and league titles, tied with Vancouver with a .676 points percentage (100 points in 74 games). With new faces Brandon Duhaime, Casey Mittelstadt, Yakov Trenin, and Sean Walker providing reinforcements in the absence of captain Gabriel Landeskog for a second straight season, Colorado will look to stay hot down the stretch and avenge last year’s first-round upset at the hands of the Kraken.

Over in the East, the Bruins, Hurricanes and Panthers remain in the hunt for the regular-season title, but at three or more points behind the Rangers with no games in hand, it seems unlikely with New York on a hot streak. MoneyPuck awards each of them less than a 4% chance at capturing the first-overall crown.

Tell us – who’s your pick to win the Presidents’ Trophy and aim to become the first regular-season champion since 2013 to hoist the Stanley Cup?

Mobile/app users, use this link to vote.

Aaron Ekblad Likely To Return Tonight

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With Uvis Balinskis being reassigned to the Charlotte Checkers yesterday afternoon, the Florida Panthers had an open spot to fill in their defensive core. In doing so, it appears that defenseman Aaron Ekblad will make his return to the lineup tonight, as he was a full participant in practice this morning (X Link).

Ekblad, who has not played since the Panthers’ game on March 9th, has missed the last seven games for the organization. In the time that he has missed, Florida has not played particularly well, producing a 2-4-1 record in his absence, averaging 3.43 goals against per game over that stretch.

With now 10 games left in the regular season for the team, the Panthers will battle it out with the Boston Bruins over playoff positioning in the first two rounds of the playoffs. As the New York Rangers look to clinch both the Eastern Conference and the President’s Trophy, the Panthers will match up against the Tampa Bay Lightning or Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round.

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Panthers Reassign Uvis Balinskis

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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.

Barkov And Forsling Return

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  • The Florida Panthers welcomed both Aleksander Barkov and Gustav Forsling back to the lineup on Tuesday per a team announcement (Twitter link). Barkov has missed the team’s last three games with an undisclosed injury, while Forsling is returning after missing two games with illness. These returns will likely bump Kyle Okposo and Uvis Balinskis out of the lineup.

Panthers Sign Ben Steeves To Entry-Level Deal

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March 25: Steeves’ signing is official, per a team release. The team did not disclose financial terms, but confirms it’s a two-year ELC that begins next season.

March 24: The Panthers are expected to sign college free agent forward Ben Steeves to an entry-level contract, according to Brad Elliott Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald. He will likely finish the season on a tryout with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.

Steeves isn’t new to the Panthers organization, having attended their development camp last offseason. The 21-year-old brother of Maple Leafs forward Alex Steeves spent the last two seasons with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, eclipsing the 20-goal mark each time. The diminutive forward is a pure sniper, having never posted more assists than goals in a single season at any recorded level of play. During his time with the Bulldogs, Steeves led the team in goals by a remarkable margin, serving as one of only two double-digit goal-scorers on the squad each season.

Now set to turn pro, Steeves wraps up his collegiate career with 45 goals, 17 assists, 62 points, and 66 PIMs in 72 games. He was named to the NCHC’s All-Rookie Team last season and was UMD’s nominee for the Hobey Baker Award this year.

At 5-foot-8 and 165 lbs, Steeves has a long road ahead of him to prove he can hang at the professional level before earning an NHL recall. He does help fill out a Panthers forward prospect pool that lacks punch outside of 2021 first-round pick Mackie Samoskevich, but he’ll need to round out his game with Charlotte to earn a qualifying offer when his ELC expires.

Ekblad And Barkov Should Return This Week

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  • The Panthers could get a pair of key players back shortly. com’s Adam Kimelman reports (Twitter link) that defenseman Aaron Ekblad and center Aleksander Barkov could return within the week from their respective lower-body injuries.  Ekblad, who has been limited to just 47 games this season, is right on schedule after being injured a little over two weeks ago while Barkov, who sits fourth in team scoring with 66 points in 62 games, has been out for the past week.

Aleksander Barkov Doubtful Saturday With Undisclosed Injury

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  • Panthers first-line mainstay Aleksander Barkov traveled with the team on their road trip but is unlikely to draw in Saturday against the Rangers, head coach Paul Maurice said. The perennial Selke Trophy candidate missed yesterday’s loss to the Predators with an undisclosed injury and hasn’t been completely ruled out against New York. The 28-year-old Finn is having another elite campaign, notching 48 assists, 66 points, and a +23 rating in 62 games while helping facilitate linemate Sam Reinhart’s breakout season.

Florida Panthers Recall Uvis Balinskis

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The Florida Panthers have recalled defenseman Uvis Balinskis from the AHL, per the AHL Transaction Logs (Twitter link). Balinskis joins the Panthers following Dmitry Kulikov’s two-game suspension for an illegal hit to the head of Tampa Bay’s Conor Sheary. That suspension could give Florida the ability to use an emergency recall on Balinskis, preserving their few remaining recalls this season.

Balinskis, 27, signed with the Florida Panthers as an undrafted free agent last April, making his move to North America after three seasons in the Czechia Extraliga and five years in Russia’s KHL. He went on to make the Panthers roster out of training camp this year, representing the only first-year player on the opening-day lineup. Balinskis would appear in his first 18 career NHL games to start the season, scoring his first goal and assist, before getting sent to the minor leagues, following the full-time return of Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour. The move represented Balinskis’ first trip to the AHL, and he’s since played in 35 games – scoring three goals and 21 points, ranked second among Charlotte Checkers defensemen in scoring despite playing in 18 fewer games than leading scorer Lucas Carlsson.

It’s been a successful first year in North America for Balinskis and he’ll now be rewarded for his strong AHL play, rejoining the Panthers as soon as opportunity presents itself. He’ll likely immediately step into a gameday role, taking over for Kulikov’s absence on the team’s third pair. Florida also has Tobias Bjornfot serving as a healthy scratch, which could make Balinskis’ path to the lineup a bit more challenging.

Panthers’ Dmitry Kulikov Suspended Two Games For Head Contact

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Florida Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov has been suspended for two games for an illegal hit to the head on Tampa Bay’s Conor Sheary. The hit came early in the second period and earned Kulikov a match penalty. It also voided what would’ve been Florida’s first goal of the game, with Josh Mahura firing the puck into the net immediately after Kulikov’s hit. The league explained that the hit violated both grounds of a suspendable hit to the head – with Kulikov making forceful contact with Sheary’s head on an avoidable hit.

This is the second suspension of Kulikov’s career, joining the four-game suspension he received for a low hit on Tyler Seguin in February of 2015. Seguin would go on to miss 23 days with a resulting knee injury.

Florida’s lineup has been incredibly consistent this season, with 14 different players appearing in 60 or more games. That includes Kulikov, who has carved out a strong role on the team’s third pairing, averaging just over 16 minutes of ice time through 64 games. He’s also managed 16 assists – his highest scoring-pace since the 2014-15 season – though he’s still searching for his first goal of the year.

Kulikov’s absence could pave the way for 22-year-old Tobias Björnfot to make his debut with Florida after the team claimed him off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights at the Trade Deadline. It was Björnfot’s second waiver claim of the season, with Vegas acquiring him from the Los Angeles Kings. He’s managed three NHL games on the year between the two sin cities, failing to record any scoring. He’ll search for his first point of the year with Florida, pending any call-ups.

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