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Jesper Boqvist

Who Will Be The Odd Man Out Among The Panthers’ Depth Forwards?

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It’s long been expected that the Panthers will be without star winger Matthew Tkachuk to start the season as a result of the adductor injury he played through in last year’s postseason en route to his second straight Stanley Cup. Late last month, that was essentially confirmed with reports indicating Tkachuk’s surgery will keep him out past New Year’s, making him eligible to begin the season on long-term injured reserve and, at least for now, solving Florida’s cap woes. They likely won’t care too much about optimizing their LTIR pool since they’ll need flexibility to activate Tkachuk before the trade deadline, meaning they’ll only get about half the potential relief, but won’t need to make any other changes to their roster as the trade-off.

The Panthers did well to retain virtually their entire forward group, including their fourth-liners and press box fixtures, keeping the would-be free agents on deals close to or at the league minimum. They’ll still need to shed north of $4MM worth of cap hits from their roster when Tkachuk is ready to return, which should inform their early-season strategy in how they go about replacing his top-six minutes.

Long speculated as a trade candidate this offseason was Evan Rodrigues, at least until Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet threw cold water on the idea of them moving him before the start of the season a few weeks ago. Understandably, they wouldn’t want to be down a serviceable, versatile veteran with Tkachuk unavailable, but the reality stands that he’s a $3MM luxury they likely won’t be able to afford when he’s ready to return.

That could result in him seeing some consistent top-six deployment in Tkachuk’s absence to boost his trade value for when general manager Bill Zito’s hand is inevitably forced. The 32-year-old has two years left on the four-year commitment he signed with the Cats in 2023, and he’s coming off his worst offensive season since the pandemic on a per-game basis. His 0.39 points per game still worked out to a fine 15-17–32 scoring line in 82 games, but he’d been on pace for at least 40 points over a full schedule in each of the past few seasons.

That production dip came despite him spending most of his ice time in the regular season with Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart at even strength. It’s worth noting he was coached into far more of a checking role than he was previously used to as the third wheel on that top unit, ending the season with a career-high 128 hits. That likely offers some explanation for the diminished offensive production, but it’s worth wondering if he might get some of Tkachuk’s vacated power-play time as well to boost his numbers and maximize his value if they do end up needing to put him on the block.

Mackie Samoskevich, their 2021 first-rounder, isn’t going anywhere this season. He projects to be their most cost-effective player this season after signing a one-year, league-minimum deal as a 10.2(c) RFA this summer and will get every chance to build on his 15-goal, 31-point performance in 72 games during his rookie season last year. He got reps in second-line duties when Tkachuk was out of commission for the last few months of the regular season and is the odds-on favorite to hold down that spot alongside Sam Bennett again when the new season opens next month.

He stands to be the most significant long-term beneficiary of Tkachuk’s absence. He’ll have infinitely increased negotiating leverage next summer with his newfound eligibility to receive and sign offer sheets, positioning himself to land a lucrative contract if he breaks out – one that the Panthers will have to do serious math to determine if they can afford.

Shedding Rodrigues won’t be enough to make Florida cap-compliant when Tkachuk comes back, though. They’re at a projected cap excess of $4.5MM with a full roster, per PuckPedia, leaving a $1.5MM balance to make up for. That would suggest Jesper Boqvist, who makes exactly that against the cap and served as the Cats’ 13th forward for a good portion of last season, will be on his way out as well. The team recently brought in free agent Luke Kunin to serve a similar role on a league-minimum salary, offering them another safeguard. Subtracting from their already thin defensive depth behind their elite top-end group isn’t a likely option.

A.J. Greer Set To Rejoin Panthers Lineup For Game 3

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As Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final looms, the defending champion Florida Panthers are getting a boost as forward A.J. Greer is set to return to the lineup, per Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com. Greer had been sidelined with an injury he sustained in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Hurricanes.

Greer’s physicality will be something the Panthers will benefit from for the remainder of the series. In his first season with Florida, Greer led the team with 222 regular-season hits in 81 games. The 6’3″, 205-pound forward also made his presence felt in the playoffs before going down, racking up three points and dishing out 45 hits over 12 hard-fought games.

Discussing his return, Greer said, “I really hated watching from up top and not being with the guys and not being on the bench and not being able to play. But I had to make a decision that was going to be helpful to the team and helpful to what we’re trying to accomplish, and if I can’t be 100 percent, I’m not playing the right way.”

With Greer ready to rejoin the action, winger Jesper Boqvist will be the odd man out of the lineup. Greer will skate on the fourth line alongside Jonah Gadjovich and Tomas Nosek. Despite Game 1 stretching into deep overtime, Boqvist saw limited action, logging just 7:58 of ice time, which was nearly five minutes below his regular-season average over 78 games. He followed that with 8:41 in Game 2.

Greer’s return doesn’t come as a major surprise, as head coach Paul Maurice mentioned before Game 2 that the 28-year-old was trending in the right direction and had a chance to return.

“He’s on track but he won’t go tonight. But we think if he tracks out, he could be available for Game 3,” he said at the time.

Sam Reinhart Listed As Out Day-To-Day

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As the Panthers look to take a stranglehold on their Eastern Conference Final series against Carolina tonight, they’ll be doing so without the services of one of their top players.  Head coach Paul Maurice told reporters including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald that forward Sam Reinhart will not play and is listed as day-to-day.

The 29-year-old suffered a lower-body injury in the first period of Thursday’s game on a hit from Sebastian Aho.  He left the game and did not return although that didn’t slow Florida down as they picked up the 5-0 victory.

Reinhart didn’t score at quite the same pace as a year ago when he had 57 goals but he was certainly a core contributor this season, tallying 39 goals and 42 assists in 79 games while averaging a career-high 20:30 in ice time, a solid return on the first year of his eight-year, $69MM contract signed on the opening day of free agency last summer.  He hasn’t been quite as productive in the playoffs but is still seventh in team scoring with four goals and seven assists in 14 games.

In Reinhart’s absence, winger Jesper Boqvist will return to the lineup.  He has played in nine playoff games thus far and has a goal and an assist, both coming in the same game in the Toronto series.  Boqvist is averaging just 8:53 per game in the postseason but with Maurice not wanting to change his other lines around, the 26-year-old should be in line for a bigger role as he’ll line up on the top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Evan Rodrigues.

Panthers’ Evan Rodrigues Likely To Return For Game 7

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Panthers winger Evan Rodrigues will be back in the lineup for tonight’s Game 7 after missing the last two contests with an undisclosed injury, relays Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports. He’ll replace Jesper Boqvist, who had directly filled Rodrigues’ spot on the top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart in his absence.

Florida’s offense is back at full strength to counter the Maple Leafs’ top unit of Matthew Knies, Auston Matthews, and Mitch Marner, who are collectively coming off their best performance of the series in Game 6 while facing elimination. Knies was questionable for tonight’s do-or-die contest after getting banged up in the first period, but Toronto head coach Craig Berube confirmed this morning he’ll be in the lineup without any minutes restrictions.

Even before exiting the lineup, Rodrigues’ minutes were limited at times earlier in the series. He played a season-low 8:48 in Game 2 after a hit from behind by Toronto forward Scott Laughton that earned him a controversial embellishment call, and he left the Cats’ Game 4 win in the third period after a hard hit from Leafs defender Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

Rodrigues has two points in four games in the series, both in Florida’s Game 3 overtime win. He combined with linemates Barkov and Reinhart to assist on the Panthers’ first two goals of the game and logged nearly 19 minutes of ice time, his most of any game so far in the playoffs.

The 31-year-old only has three assists in nine postseason outings this year but was an indispensable depth piece in the Panthers’ Cup win last year, scoring 7-8–15 in 24 games – including four goals and seven points in seven Stanley Cup Final games. The versatile top-nine forward hit 30 points for the fourth year in a row in the regular season, mostly playing a supporting role on Florida’s top two lines.

Panthers, Jesper Boqvist Agree To Two-Year Extension

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The Panthers announced they’ve agreed to terms with pending RFA center Jesper Boqvist on a two-year extension. He’ll remain in South Florida through the 2026-27 season. The contract is worth $3MM with a $1.5MM cap hit, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports.

The Falun, Sweden native parlayed a one-year prove-it deal in Sunrise to the highest payday of his career. It’s the first time in Boqvist’s career that he’ll earn more than a $925K AAV, and it’s nearly double what he’s making in Florida this season.

He was originally selected with the 36th overall pick of the 2017 NHL Draft by the New Jersey Devils. After a few seasons with the SHL’s Brynäs IF, Boqvist transitioned to North American hockey for the 2019-20 season. It wasn’t an easy transition for Boqvist, as he scored four goals in 35 games for the Devils with a -11 rating. Still, his performance was remarkably better in the AHL with the Binghamton Devils, scoring eight goals and 11 points through 19 contests.

After a brief loan to Timrå IK of the HockeyAllsvenskan league, Boqvist returned to North America for the 2020-21 season. He improved mildly from his rookie campaign, scoring four goals and three assists in 28 games for New Jersey, and another two goals and five assists in eight games for the AHL Devils.

The 2021-22 season can effectively be characterized as Boqvist’s breakout season in the NHL. He scored 10 goals on 74 shots through 56 games, making for the fourth-best shooting percentage on the team. Still, it became apparent that Boqvist needed more maturity in the face-off dot, losing 62.7% out of 450 draws.

Since Boqvist hadn’t shown much talent outside of the 2021-22 campaign, the Devils brought him back cheaply on a one-year, $874K contract after his entry-level deal concluded. He produced similarly offensively, scoring 10 goals and 21 points, albeit in 12 more games. He maintained his efficiency shooting the puck, sitting third on the team with a 14.9% shooting percentage.

Unfortunately, New Jersey chose not to tender Boqvist a qualifying offer for the 2023-24 season, leading to a one-year league minimum salary deal with the Boston Bruins. He played much of the year for their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, scoring 10 goals and 23 points in 31 AHL contests.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers had a dearth of bottom-six forwards, thanks to a mass migration of their depth options last summer. Florida quickly signed Boqvist to his second straight league minimum deal on the second day of free agency.

It’s a signing that has worked out well for both parties. Boqvist has returned to a consistent third-line role with the Panthers, scoring 12 goals and 11 assists in 59 games while averaging 13:01 minutes of ice time per game. Meanwhile, his possession metrics have improved thanks to Florida’s system, as he’s averaged a 50.3% CorsiFor% at even strength this season, with an eye-popping 18.8% shooting percentage.

There are no expectations that Boqvist will return to center, given his career 36.9% faceoff percentage in 1,042 faceoffs. Still, he should remain an effective bottom-six winger in the Panthers’ lineup over the life of his new contract.

PHR’s Brennan McClain contributed to this article. 

Atlantic Notes: Matthews, Senators, Boqvist, Vecvanags

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The Maple Leafs will be without captain Auston Matthews for at least the next two games, mentions Nick Barden of The Hockey News.  The 27-year-old has missed the last two contests due to an upper-body injury that has lingered throughout the season.  When healthy, he has been productive with 11 goals and 12 assists in 24 games although that output is below his usual level.  Head coach Craig Berube did note that Matthews is getting better which is a positive sign although given how long this injury has lingered, it’s fair to suggest that it’s something the center will be dealing with at times throughout the rest of the season.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Senators winger David Perron (upper body) and defenseman Artem Zub (foot) both skated today as they work their way back from their respective injuries, notes Sportsnet’s Alex Adams (Twitter link). The veterans each last played back on November 23rd when they sustained their respective injuries.  Meanwhile, winger Michael Amadio (head) is expected to be out for a while according to head coach Travis Green.  It’s unlikely that Perron and Zub will be available to return right away given Ottawa’s four recalls earlier today but the fact they’re both skating suggests they’re getting closer to suiting back up.
  • Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist has been cleared to return to the lineup, team reporter Jameson Olive relays (Twitter link). He missed the last three games while being in concussion protocol.  Boqvist is in his first season with Florida and has five goals and six assists through 33 games so far while averaging 13 minutes a night of playing time.  Although he was eligible to be placed on IR during his absence, the team elected not to do so.
  • Canadiens prospect Mikus Vecvanags has signed with QMJHL Acadie-Bathurst, per a team announcement (Twitter link). Montreal selected the netminder in the fifth round (134th overall) back in June.  Vecvanags was selected by the Titan in the CHL Import Draft but elected to start the season with BCHL Brooks but playing time was hard to come by as he got into just five games with the Bandits, posting a 3.18 GAA with a .881 SV%.

Morning Notes: Peeke, Pionk, Goncalves, Kastelic, Tufte

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The Boston Bruins will soon receive some relief on the blue-line, with defenseman Andrew Peeke returning to the team’s practices per Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. Peeke hasn’t played since leaving Boston’s November 5th match against Toronto following a hit from Max Pacioretty that seemed to bounce Peeke’s shoulder awkwardly off the boards. He was ruled out week-to-week with an upper-body injury soon after, though participating in practice marks a big step in his path back to the lineup. Peeke isn’t expected to play in Boston’s Monday game against Columbus but could suit up when the team hosts Utah on Thursday.

Peeke was joined on the shelf by Hampus Lindholm, who’s week-to-week with a lower-body injury. The pair of absences quickly drained Boston’s top-four of its impactful, defensive stalwarts. Peeke rotated through the lineup when healthy, serving anywhere from 13 minutes in a sheltered role to 20 minutes on the top pair. He’s recorded two assists, 18 hits, and 21 blocked shots in 13 games. While not a thrilling stat line, Boston has felt every bit of Peeke’s absence – averaging the fifth-highest goals-against per-game (3.60 in five games) since he left the lineup. Upcoming matchups against Columbus, Utah, and Detroit should give Boston a chance to ease Peeke back into the lineup.

Other notes from around the NHL:

  • Winnipeg Jets defenseman Neal Pionk has been fined $5K, the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement, for “clipping” Florida Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist on Saturday. Pionk went in for a hip-check but caught more of Boqvist’s knee than anything else. No penalty was issued for the hit. Boqvist nursed his left-knee for a while, but didn’t need helped off the ice. Pionk played 20 minutes in the 5-0 loss, going without any major stat changes – but still boasting 17 points in 18 games this season. He’ll continue to be a main fixture of the Jets lineup – and likely continue delivering heavy hip-checks – after avoiding suspension here.
  • The Tampa Bay Lightning have once again assigned forward Gage Goncalves to the minor leagues, after he stepped into a third-line role in the team’s Saturday night win over New Jersey. Goncalves played a career-high 15:32 worth of ice time in the outing, though he only put up two hits and one shot. Goncalves has yet to record his first NHL point, despite four appearances this year and two last year. He’ll return to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, where he’s already posted six assists in five games – the only Crunch still scoring above a point-per-game pace.
  • The Boston Bruins received a couple more updates at Sunday’s practice, with forwards Mark Kastelic designated as day-to-day with a lower-body injury and Riley Tufte expected to be sent to the minor leagues per Steve Conroy. Tufte played in 7:46 of Boston’s Saturday overtime-loss to St. Louis, with a -2 his only stat change. Tufte has yet to record a point in three games this year, though he’s managed three points in 21 career NHL games while serving as a go-to call-up since 2021. Kastelic has been much more productive – posting seven points in 19 games this season – while still serving a fourth-line role.

Panthers Sign Jesper Boqvist, Chris Driedger

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The Panthers have dipped their toes into the unqualified RFA market, inking former Bruins center Jesper Boqvist to a one-year deal, per a team announcement. Financial details weren’t disclosed. They’re also bringing back netminder Chris Driedger to the organization on a one-year deal, providing some competition for the backup role with Spencer Knight.

Boqvist, 25, was let go by Boston after recording six goals and 14 points in 47 games last year with a +12 rating. It’s his second straight year not receiving a qualifying offer. He was non-tendered by the Devils in 2023 as well.

The 2017 second-round pick has proven to be somewhat of a solid tertiary scorer, even if he’s been consistently buried in the lineup and is likely a fourth-line piece at his peak. He’s not a good option at center – he really struggles to win draws (36.1 FOW%), but he is an effective winger with good possession numbers over the past two seasons. That makes him a decent replacement for some of the depth forwards Florida lost on the open market today, such as Ryan Lomberg and Kevin Stenlund.

Driedger, meanwhile, could land his first stable NHL role in a while if he outperforms Knight in training camp. He was the Kraken’s expansion draft selection from Florida in 2021, but the three-year, $10.5MM extension he immediately signed in Seattle didn’t work out. Limited significantly by injuries in his first season, he ended up spending the back half of the deal almost exclusively in the minors on assignment to AHL Coachella Valley, where he’s backstopped the Firebirds to back-to-back Calder Cup Finals. His last extended NHL action with Seattle in 2021-22 wasn’t great, posting a .899 SV% and 2.96 GAA with one shutout in 27 games played.

However, the year prior saw him serve as one of the better backups in the league with Florida, tossing up a .927 SV% in 23 appearances. That’s eerily similar to the type of elite pinch-hitting performance they got from Anthony Stolarz last year, who moved onto the Maple Leafs on a two-year deal today. The Panthers will take a low-risk bet that Driedger can recapture the magic he last had in South Florida.

Bruins Recall Jesper Boqvist, Assign Georgii Merkulov To AHL

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With there being a bit of uncertainty with Boston’s lineup for tonight, the Bruins have opted to make a recall up front, announcing that winger Jesper Boqvist has been recalled from Providence.  To bring Mason Lohrei back up after being papered down yesterday, Georgii Merkulov was assigned to Providence as well.

The 25-year-old had 21 points in 70 games with New Jersey last season but was non-tendered back in June, making him an unrestricted free agent.  Boqvist eventually settled for a one-year, one-way contract worth the minimum salary of $775K a couple of weeks later with the hopes that he could lock down a full-time spot on Boston’s fourth line.

That hasn’t gone completely as planned as instead of securing a full-time spot, he cleared waivers at the end of training camp and has spent most of the season in the minors.  Boqvist has done well down there, picking up 10 goals and 13 assists in 31 games with Providence while also making a pair of appearances with Boston.

As for Merkulov, he played in four games with Boston while on recall, being held off the scoresheet while averaging 10:35 per night.  The 23-year-old has been quite productive with Providence, however, notching 14 goals and 16 assists in 31 games and should go right back to being in a top role for them.

As Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic notes (Twitter link), winger James van Riemsdyk is day-to-day so it would appear Boqvist’s recall is to help cover against that.  Lohrei could also take his place in the lineup if they want to go with seven blueliners while Matthew Poitras is also available after returning from his stint at the World Juniors.

Metro Injury Notes: Boqvist, Kuraly, Fast

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Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Adam Boqvist has not played since December 5th, but he could be inching closer to a return to the ice. According to the Columbus Dispatch’s Brian Hedger, Boqvist skated on his own this morning before Blue Jackets practice, as part of his recovery from a shoulder sprain.

Boqvist has played in a total of 13 games this season, three points. His 17:05 average time-on-ice per game in that span is in line with his career averages, although as he’s now 23 years old one would likely hope to see a step forward from the 2018 eighth overall pick. If he can work his way back into health and into the Blue Jackets’ lineup, the rest of 2023-24 will be his opportunity to take that step forward fans have been waiting for.

Some other injury updates from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Blue Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent gave a more firm timeline on the injury to veteran Sean Kuraly, telling Hedger that they expect Kuraly to miss around two more weeks. Kuraly hasn’t played since a scary collision knocked him out of a December 23rd contest, but when healthy he’s a crucial bottom-six leader for the Blue Jackets. He has registered 11 points in 35 games this year.
  • Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesper Fast will be out of the lineup for the team’s next game, according to Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour. Fast was on the receiving end of a hit to the head from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Noah Gregor on December 30th, a hit that knocked him out of the game. The 32-year-old veteran winger has 11 points in 37 games this season, skating in his usual bottom-six defensive role.

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