Florida Panthers Recall Four Players
With a lengthy injured list and five players on COVID-19 protocol, the Florida Panthers recalled four players from the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers today, per Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards.
Three of the callups have at least a handful of NHL games under their belt at this point (forward Grigori Denisenko and defensemen Matt Kiersted and Chase Priskie). Forward Cole Schwindt was also recalled and could make his NHL debut if Thursday night’s game against Los Angeles happens as scheduled.
Florida has a heavily depleted roster. Their COVID protocol list includes Carter Verhaeghe, Ryan Lomberg, Sam Bennett, Brandon Montour, and Radko Gudas. That’s bad enough on its own, but captain Aleksander Barkov, Mason Marchment, Noel Acciari, Markus Nutivaara, and Maxim Mamin are all unavailable due to injury. Gustav Forsling is out with an undisclosed illness.
Despite that, though, they still sit second in the Atlantic Division with an 18-6-4 record. They’ve dropped three out of four, though, as the absences begin to take their toll.
Kevin Connauton, Joseph Woll Activated From Injured Reserve
A pair of preseason injuries are no longer limiting two players that are looking to push for more NHL opportunity this season. PuckPedia reports that the Florida Panthers have activated veteran defenseman Kevin Connauton from the Season-Opening Injured Reserve and CapFriendly reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs have done the same with young goaltender Joseph Woll.
Connauton, 33, is just two years removed from being a starter for the Arizona Coyotes and the year before that set a career high with 21 points and 73 games. Yet, the past two years he has been used sparingly, to say the least. Connauton played in only four games with the Colorado Avalanche in 2019-20 and last season suited up for just seven games with the Panthers. Despite his limited NHL time of late, Florida still re-signed the experienced blue liner this summer and at least seem willing to give him a shot at a permanent job by not only activating him to the NHL roster, but making room by demoting priority NCAA free agent addition Matt Kiersted. The Cats are still only carrying seven defensemen with Markus Nutivaara currently on injured reserve, but Connauton may still have to prove he is worthy of a roster spot before Nutivaara returns. With solid depth on the blue line, recently supplemented by the acquisition of Olli Juolevi, Florida needs a reason to keep Connauton on the NHL roster and his seven games last season may not be enough. Getting healthy and back in action as quickly as he did certainly helps his case though.
Woll, 23, may ironically have a better shot at NHL opportunity this season despite having no experience in the league. The 2016 third-round pick, who was a standout at Boston College, has been with the AHL Marlies for the past two seasons and while his numbers aren’t eye-popping, his play continues to draw praise. The Toronto net is far from set and just while Woll was recovering from injury himself, the Leafs lost off-season addition Petr Mrazek to injury. Mrazek signed a three-year deal this summer, but has a history of injury issues. Current starter Jack Campbell and backup Michael Hutchinson are on expiring contracts and will be on the wrong side of 30 as they look for their next deal. Between planning for the future and managing the present, the Maple Leafs have some incentive to give Woll a look – potentially a long look – this season. Now healthy, the young keeper can settle in down in the AHL and hopefully look forward to his NHL debut sooner rather than later.
Florida Panthers Sign Matt Kiersted
The Florida Panthers have inked one of the top undrafted college free agents, signing Matt Kiersted to a two-year entry-level contract. Kiersted has spent the last four years at the University of North Dakota, becoming one of the most effective two-way defensemen in the country. Panthers GM Bill Zito released this statement on his newest player:
Matt is an exciting defenseman who plays the game with great speed and vision. His steady progression and development from an undrafted player to one of the NCAA’s top defensemen is a display of his resiliency and motivation to succeed. We are pleased to have agreed to a contract with Matt and look forward to his future with our organization.
Still just 22, Kiersted is joining the Panthers organization after recording 22 points in 29 games as a senior for UND. He wore an “A” as an alternate captain and was named to the NCHC First All-Star Team at the end of the year. Corey Pronman of The Athletic ranked Kiersted as the best undrafted free agent available from the college ranks, noting his very high hockey IQ and projecting him as a third-pairing defenseman in the NHL.
Like with any college free agent, there are warts in Kiersted’s game, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be a valuable addition to the Panthers. Bringing in an NHL-ready defenseman for nothing more than an entry-level contract is always a win. Now it’s up to the young defenseman to prove he’s more than just that depth option and continue his development in an organization where everything is suddenly going right.