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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.

Dmitry Kulikov To Have Player Safety Hearing

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Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov will have a hearing Monday for an illegal check to the head of Lightning winger Conor Sheary, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced.

Early in the second period of yesterday’s 5-3 loss, Kulikov pinched to join a net-front scrum that resulted in a Florida goal, although it was disallowed due to the penalty on the play. While entering the slot, Kulikov leaned to lay a check on Sheary, who was slightly bent over in an attempt to play the puck. Kulikov’s principal and only point of contact on the hit was Sheary’s head and shoulder. Kulikov did not leave his feet or extend his elbow on the hit, leading into the check with his upper arm (video link).

Kulikov was assessed a match penalty on the play by on-ice officials and missed over half the contest, which could factor into the length of a potential suspension. He’s been suspended once in his 15-year, 936-game NHL career, receiving four games for clipping Stars forward Tyler Seguin during his first stint with the Panthers in 2015. However, since the discipline occurred nearly a decade ago, he will not be considered a repeat offender by the Department of Player Safety.

The 33-year-old has 16 assists and a +9 rating in 64 games for the Panthers this season, averaging 16:22 per game. Now on his sixth team in the past four years, he inked a one-year, $1MM deal last summer to return to the team that selected him 14th overall in 2009.

Panthers Assign Evan Cormier To Minors

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March 17: Cormier has been returned to the minors after backing up Sergei Bobrovsky in yesterday’s 5-3 loss to the Lightning, per CapFriendly. The move suggests Stolarz will be healthy enough to at least back up Bobrovsky for the Panthers’ next game, which isn’t until Thursday against the Predators.

March 16: Signed to an NHL deal earlier this month, goaltender Evan Cormier will now get at least a brief look with Florida.  The team announced (Twitter link)  that the netminder has been recalled from ECHL Florida to serve as the backup goaltender tonight with Anthony Stolarz unavailable due to illness.

The 26-year-old had been playing on a minor league deal but for the second straight season, that contract was converted to an NHL one just before the trade deadline, allowing him to be recalled for a situation just like this one.  Cormier has played in 19 ECHL games with the Everblades this season, posting a 2.88 GAA and a .906 SV%.  He also has six AHL appearances with Charlotte but has struggled, putting up a 3.64 GAA with a .868 SV%.

He’ll be covering for Stolarz who has been a bright spot for Florida’s goaltending this season.  Signed to a low-cost one-year deal in the summer, the 30-year-old has thrived, compiling a 2.02 GAA and a .925 SV% through 21 games so far.  A pending unrestricted free agent, Stolarz is certainly well-positioned to earn a sizable raise on his $1.1MM price tag.

While Florida has Spencer Knight in the minors as well, they can’t afford to call him up.  They’re using one of their cap-exempt emergency goalie recalls to add Cormier to the roster but cap-exempt recalls have limitations on who is eligible based on their salary.  At $4.5MM, Knight is well above that threshold, taking him out of the mix this time around.

Bennett And Rodrigues Will Play Tonight

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The Panthers will welcome back a pair of key forwards tonight as they take on Tampa Bay.  The team announced that center Sam Bennett and winger Evan Rodrigues have been cleared to return and will suit up.  Bennett missed Thursday’s game against Carolina with an undisclosed injury while Rodrigues has been out since last weekend due to a lower-body injury.  Bennett has battled injury issues this season but still has 16 goals and 16 assists in 54 games while Rodrigues has done well in his first year in Florida, collecting 10 goals and a career-best 26 assists through 65 games so far.

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