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Florida Panthers Sign Six Players

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The Florida Panthers have signed forward Grigori Denisenko to a two-year, one-way contract extension, per his agent, Dan Milstein. The contract carries an average annual value of $775K, says NorthStar Bets’ Chris Johnston.

PuckPedia adds they’ve signed UFA defenseman Niko Mikkola to a three-year deal worth $2.5MM per season, and TSN’s Darren Dreger says they’ve nabbed Mike Reilly on a one-year deal worth $1MM. They’ve also announced a one-year, two-way extension for blueliner Lucas Carlsson. Per PuckPedia, they’ve signed forward Will Lockwood to a one-year, two-way deal worth $350k guaranteed with a $775k NHL cap hit and $275k AHL salary.

The team later added some more AHL depth, per PuckPedia, signing forward Alexander True to a one-year two-way deal worth $775K in the NHL, $350K in the minors, and a guaranteed salary of $425K.

With some of Florida’s forwards now on the UFA market, Denisenko is a likely candidate to start 2023-24 with the team – potentially even in a top-nine role if they don’t make any other editions. Florida drafted the Russian winger 15th overall in 2018, but he’s yet to break out with just seven assists in 26 career NHL games up to this point.

Mikkola is the big-money signing here, though, and he’s expected to be a stylistic replacement for Radko Gudas, who departed as a UFA to the Anaheim Ducks today. Even with the Panthers’ defense injuries, though, Mikkola will still likely start the season on the bottom pairing on the left side behind Gustav Forsling and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Reilly is likely destined for a press-box role for most of the season (he played in just 10 NHL games last year), but could find himself in the lineup ahead of players like Dmitry Kulikov and Josh Mahura if Florida desires a more offensively inclined option.

Carlsson, Lockwood, and True are likely candidates for AHL Charlotte.

Florida Panthers To Sign Kevin Stenlund

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The Florida Panthers are acquiring free agent forward Kevin Stenlund on a one-year deal worth $1MM, says Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Stenlund is a 26-year-old 2015 second-round pick who spent last season as a member of the Winnipeg Jets organization. He spent most of the year in the NHL with Winnipeg, scoring six goals and nine points in 54 games. At the AHL level he scored at a higher rate, posting 14 points in 19 games.

A big-bodied forward with the ability to play center or along the wings, Stenlund’s most valuable contributions to the Jets last season were on the penalty kill, where he was a regular face. He’ll be able to contribute there for the Panthers, which is an important point given how much time the Panthers spent on the penalty kill last season.

While there isn’t much offense in his game, adding a penalty-killing specialist at a $1MM cost is a move that makes a lot of sense for a team that needs to target improvements to their short-handed units with their depth signings.

Florida Panthers To Sign Anthony Stolarz

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The Florida Panthers are making moves to strengthen their goaltending depth, reportedly agreeing to terms with Anthony Stolarz on a one-year contract. According to The Hockey News’ David Dwork, the deal is expected to be in the $1MM range.

Stolarz’s addition to the Panthers’ roster is an interesting move that could provide valuable insurance in net. While Sergei Bobrovsky remains the team’s undisputed starter, Stolarz is a high-end secondary option in case backup Spencer Knight remains unavailable to the team to start 2023-24. The goaltender is expected to return to the team after spending the last few months of the season in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, but it’s not confirmed.

The 27-year-old netminder has had limited opportunities at the NHL level for quite a while but has emerged as a legitimate backup option in the last two seasons with the Anaheim Ducks. Over four seasons in total with the Ducks organization, Stolarz posted a solid .913 save percentage in 56 games (43 starts). He has also spent time with the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers in his career.

Getting a third goalie in the mix is a priority for the Panthers moving forward, as outside of his stunning playoff run in these past playoffs Bobrovsky has been massively inconsistent in Florida. The Panthers needed some heroics from third-string goalie Alex Lyon to even sneak into the postseason, so with this signing, they’ve shored up their goaltending depth in case another situation like that arises.

Panthers Open To Re-Signing Radko Gudas, Lucas Carlsson

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  • The Florida Panthers are gearing up for free agency, with their main focus on strengthening their defense corps, which is set to be hit with significant injuries to start 2023-24 in Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour. While the team aims to secure players on shorter-term contracts, two of their UFAs, Radko Gudas and Lucas Carlsson, could still receive offers to return to the Panthers, general manager Bill Zito told reporters, including The Hockey News’ David Dwork. Gudas has been an invaluable shutdown defender since joining the Panthers in 2020, also compiling over 200 penalty minutes during his time in Florida whilst in a bottom-pairing role. Carlsson, on the other hand, is likely to receive a lot of NHL interest after an impressive season with the Charlotte Checkers, leading all AHL defensemen in goals. He could vie for an everyday role out of camp, with injuries opening up roster spots.

Florida Panthers Expected To Sign Oliver Ekman-Larsson

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Veteran defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson is landing on his feet after getting bought out by the Vancouver Canucks earlier this month. Per TSN’s Darren Dreger and CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, he’s expected to sign a one-year deal with the Florida Panthers worth $2.25MM.

Ekman-Larsson hadn’t at all lived up to expectations in Vancouver, but the decision to buy him out with four years left on his deal surprised many. It is the largest non-compliance buyout in NHL history, and the Swede will now earn an additional $2.25MM this season on top of the $2.13MM he’s slated to receive in real cash from Vancouver and $290K from Arizona. It’s still less money than the $10.5MM base salary he was owed from his previous contract in 2023-24.

For the Panthers, this signing represents a low-risk, medium-reward move. Ekman-Larsson is a former All-Star and Olympic medalist, but he’s been wildly inconsistent in the past few seasons and has played long stretches of being a defensive liability in both Vancouver and Arizona, where he was a captain for three seasons between 2018 and 2021.

Now 31, Ekman-Larsson could slot into Florida’s top four to start the season and maybe longer. For now, he serves as a direct replacement on the left side for veteran Marc Staal, who’s on the UFA market. He does find himself with the best opportunity to win in quite a while, joining a Panthers team fresh off a miracle run to the Stanley Cup Final.

From a financial standpoint, the one-year, $2.25MM deal is a decent bit of work for the Panthers. It provides them with a cost-effective option to bolster their defensive depth without committing to a long-term contract – something they’d reportedly prioritized achieving.

Last season, Ekman-Larsson logged two goals and 22 points in 54 games with the Canucks, averaging just over 20 minutes per game. He’ll likely see a reduction in those minutes as the season progresses for Florida and they return to full health on the blueline.

Florida Panthers Have Interest In Blake Wheeler

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Today, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported the Florida Panthers have an interest in adding the veteran winger when he hits the open market tomorrow, although he won’t be their first priority. The team remains focused on shoring up their defense, with both Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour set to miss the start of the season. Still, the team is projected to have $10.2MM in cap space (CapFriendly) without taking any LTIR relief into account, and they should easily be able to accommodate a forward of Wheeler’s likely price. Dreger also listed a former team of Wheeler’s, the Boston Bruins, as a potential fit, although their cap situation currently makes any external additions a tough ask.

Panthers Interested In Gostisbehere

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A top-pairing of Gostisbehere and Forsling shouldn’t be expected to replicate the output of Ekblad and Montour, but those two would be serviceable for the first month of the season, and would even represent a superb top-four once Ekblad and Montour make their return. If the Panthers and Gostisbehere do come to an agreement, it will be interesting to see the term handed out, as the team currently doesn’t have any defenseman signed beyond 2024-25.

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Patrik Hornqvist In Discussions With Panthers About Staying With Them In Off-Ice Capacity

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  • It appears that winger Patric Hornqvist has indeed played his final NHL game as Panthers GM Bill Zito told George Richards of Florida Hockey Now that the veteran has now moved his family back to Sweden. The 36-year-old was shut down in early December after taking an elbow to the head but remained with the team during their run to the Stanley Cup Final.  Zito indicated that there are discussions underway about Hornqvist remaining with the team in some capacity.

Florida Panthers Showing Interest In Noah Hanifin

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For the past few weeks, it’s seemed a matter of when, not if, the Calgary Flames would trade defenseman Noah Hanifin. The left-shot blueliner made it known earlier this month he wasn’t particularly interested in signing an extension, and he’ll likely join Tyler Toffoli as players slated for unrestricted free agency in 2024 finding their way out of the organization a year early.

It’s also been clear that the Florida Panthers are seeking another puck-moving defenseman for their top four, mainly to help buoy the group, while Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour are sidelined with injuries to start the season. They’ve inquired with Calgary about Hanifin to fill that gap, says Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, confirming some speculation earlier in the week about a potential fit.

Hanifin to Florida is far from a sure thing, though, as LeBrun notes trade interest is high in the 26-year-old, who has one season remaining at a $4.95MM cap hit. As LeBrun notes, a potential trade could see winger Anthony Duclair heading the other way, who the Panthers have been shopping to clear some additional cap space. It would still be a tight salary cap dance for the Panthers, depending on what other moves they make in free agency, and they don’t have many other assets on the block the Flames would be particularly interested in. The potential is high here for Florida to get outbid.

If he does end up in the Sunshine State, though, Hanifin would be an immeasurable upgrade in the team’s top four on pending UFA Marc Staal, who’s posted middling advanced numbers despite an increased role alongside Montour. The 26-year-old has averaged over 20 minutes per game in each of the past five seasons, and he’s totaled 86 points and a +29 rating in 162 games since 2021-22.

Duclair would also be a solid addition to a deep Flames top nine, although it’s poised to potentially lose some talent by way of Elias Lindholm and Mikael Backlund. For now, he’d replace the top-six spot vacated by Toffoli after dealing him to New Jersey yesterday. Duclair notched 20 points in 40 combined regular-season and playoff games in 2022-23 after recovering from a severe Achilles tear sustained during off-season training.

Florida Panthers Reportedly Shopping Anthony Duclair

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  • The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports that the Florida Panthers are “actively shopping” 28-year-old winger Anthony Duclair. The Panthers are widely rumored to be seeking defensive upgrades this summer and are likely dangling Duclair in large part due to his contract, which carries a $3MM AAV and is set to expire in one year. Duclair re-invented himself as a member of the Panthers and reached new heights of production, so despite an injury-plagued regular season he should have a wide range of interested teams on the trade market.

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