Rasmus Asplund

During parade day for the 2024 Stanley Cup Champions Florida Panthers, the organization got a minor item of work completed. PuckPedia reports that the organization has signed forward Rasmus Asplund to a one-year, two-way agreement that will pay $775K at the NHL level and $400K at the AHL level. The reported deal was later confirmed by David Dwork of The Hockey News.

After being traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the Nashville Predators during the 2022-23 NHL season, Asplund became an unrestricted free agent last offseason after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Predators. A few days after free agency officially opened, Asplund signed an identical contract with the Panthers paying him $775K at the NHL level and $400K in the AHL.

As things would turn out, Asplund would never see a dime of his salary in the NHL as he spent the entire year with the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. As an effective playmaker in the minor leagues, Asplund scored nine goals and 35 assists in 67 games which led the team in the latter category.

It will be interesting to see how high the Panthers play Asplund up the depth chart next season as the team could lose several players up front to unrestricted free agency in the next 24 hours. If Florida can bring back a generous amount of their forward depth from last year, expect Asplund to spend most if not all of his time back in the AHL.

The Florida Panthers loaned forward Rasmus Asplund to the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers on Saturday, a post from the team on Twitter/X relays.

This ends a nine-day stint on the NHL roster for Asplund, whom the Panthers recalled from Charlotte on November 2. However, the 25-year-old did not enter the lineup, sitting as a healthy scratch for five games while traveling with the team.

Returning him to Charlotte could indicate that at least one injured reserve activation is imminent. Both center Sam Bennett and defenseman Brandon Montour are nearing returns from their respective injuries, and the Panthers were carrying 22 players on the active roster. That means one player needs to be moved elsewhere to make room for Bennett and Montour while staying under the 23-player limit.

The Swedish-born 2016 second-round pick signed a one-year, two-way deal with the Panthers in July after seeing his NHL ice time decrease dramatically last season. Just two seasons ago, Asplund was viewed as one of the better defensive wingers in the league, posting 27 points in 80 games with the Sabres in 2021-22 and earning a handful of third- and fourth-place Selke Trophy votes.

Asplund slipped down the Sabres’ depth chart last season, though, recording just two goals and eight points in 27 games before the Predators acquired him at the trade deadline for a 2025 seventh-round pick. He appeared in 19 games down the stretch for the Predators, failing to record a single point and posting a -6 rating while averaging just over ten minutes per game.

That fateful stint with the Predators significantly harmed his stock on the free agent market after being non-tendered, forcing him to settle for a two-way deal with a minimum guaranteed salary of $450K. He did not make the Panthers’ roster out of camp and cleared waivers back in October, meaning he can be recalled to the Panthers for up to 21 more days before he needs waivers to return to Charlotte again.

In seven games with the Checkers this season, Asplund has two goals, three assists and a -1 rating. He will be a restricted free agent next summer.

The Florida Panthers have recalled Rasmus Asplund from the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. This transaction comes in the wake of injuries to Sam Bennett and Evan Rodrigues. Bennett is expected to miss some time with a lower-body injury, while Rodrigues is questionable for the team’s Thursday night game.

Asplund has played in seven games with Charlotte to start the year, scoring two goals and five points. This tally ties him for third on his minor league team in scoring. Asplund has totaled 183 career NHL games, most recently appearing with the Nashville Predators after the team traded a seventh-round pick to the Sabres for him. He appeared in 19 games with the Predators, failing to score any points and recording a -6. The team failed to extend him a qualifying offer before July 1st, making him an unrestricted free agent that Florida signed to a one-year, league-minimum, two-way contract.

The two-way deal is certainly not what a former 33rd-overall selection would hope for in their age-25 season but Asplund will get a chance to prove himself once more after a hot start in the AHL.  The Panthers are likely to ask Asplund to suit up at some point during this recall. He is their only extra forward who’s both healthy enough to play and signed to an active contract, although Brett Ritchie remains on a professional try-out. Either way, it doesn’t seem Florida has many other places to turn until they’re able to get key pieces back from injury.

The Florida Panthers have signed UFA forward Rasmus Asplund to a one-year, two-way contract, the team announced. PuckPedia reports Asplund’s deal is worth $775K in the NHL and $450K in the minors.

Asplund hit the UFA market after not receiving a qualifying offer from the Nashville Predators. Nashville had acquired Asplund as some utility depth down the stretch, sending the Buffalo Sabres a 2025 seventh-round pick for him in March.

He’s a very strong shutdown forward and is worth a spot in most teams’ bottom six groups, making it a tad puzzling he’d receive a two-way deal. He’ll have to fight for the opportunity to stay in an everyday NHL role in Florida after the team bolstered their bottom six with acquisitions such as Evan Rodrigues, Kevin Stenlund, and Steven Lorentz while also earmarking a lineup spot for 2018 15th overall pick Grigori Denisenko.

The 25-year-old Swede recorded two goals, six assists, and eight points in 46 games last season, split between Buffalo and Nashville. Able to play both wing and center, he’s totaled 18 goals and 49 points in 183 NHL contests to date.

He is still a likely candidate to make the team out of camp, even though it may be as a 13th or 14th forward. He would allow the team to more comfortably return Zac Dalpe to AHL Charlotte, where he’s served as the team’s captain for the past two seasons. Injuries forced Florida to call him up for their playoff run, where he scored a goal and posted a -8 rating in 13 games.