Panthers Rumors

Joe Thornton Activated From Injured Reserve

November 18, 2021 at 5:42 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 4 Comments

The Florida Panthers have activated center Joe Thornton from injured reserve ahead of Thursday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils, per Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards.

Thornton was placed on injured reserve on October 30 with an undisclosed injury. The night before, ’Jumbo’ played just 6:34 before leaving a game against the Detroit Red Wings.

In just six games this season, the 42-year-old Thornton’s got just one goal and a -2 rating but is still averaging over 10 minutes a night. Some added depth at center is a good thing for Florida right now, who is now without captain Aleksander Barkov on a week-to-week basis after sustaining a knee injury.

Expected to center the third line for the game against the Devils, he’ll be flanked by Frank Vatrano and Owen Tippett who’ve played well in depth roles, combining for seven goals and 14 points so far on the year. With the Panthers’ health issues, though, the lineups could certainly be in flux over the next few games.

Thornton joined the Panthers this offseason, signing a one-year, league-minimum deal on August 13.

Aleksander Barkov Will Not Need Surgery, Out Week-To-Week

November 17, 2021 at 11:06 am CDT | by Gavin Lee 4 Comments

When Aleksander Barkov collided with Scott Mayfield last night, leaving him sprawled out on the ice with obvious pain on his face, Florida Panthers fans held their breath. The captain was taken from the game and many feared the worst, but it appears as though there is some good news.

Barkov will not require surgery, according to head coach Andrew Brunette, who spoke with reporters including George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. He will still be out on a week-to-week basis, but Brunette called it a “best-case scenario.”

It’s certainly not ideal to have your captain on the shelf for weeks, but the fact that Barkov won’t go under the knife is a huge win for the Panthers. The team looks like a legitimate Stanley Cup contender through the early part of the season and showed their explosive offense off again last night, potting six goals against the usually-stingy Islanders.

In fact, the Panthers lead the entire league in goals for with 62 through their first 16 games and still have a two-point lead on the Toronto Maple Leafs for first place in the Atlantic Division.

They also have several players with experience at the center ice position, including Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, and Joe Thornton, the latter of which was skating in the third-line pivot spot at practice today as he recovers from his own injury.

Minor Transactions: 11/14/21

November 14, 2021 at 3:09 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

There’s a six-game slate in the NHL tonight on this Hall of Fame weekend, but transaction action keeps rolling along at lower levels of the game as well. As COVID rears its ugly head again, affecting the rosters of multiple teams this season, teams in the AHL and ECHL have had to adjust their rosters as they lose players to their NHL affiliates. Keep track of today’s minor transactions right here.

As the Ottawa Senators deal with the NHL’s worst COVID outbreak this season, the AHL’s Belleville Senators made a minor trade yesterday, acquiring forward Chris Wilkie from the Rockford IceHogs in exchange for future considerations. Wilkie, a product of Colorado College, was originally a sixth-round draft pick of the Florida Panthers back in 2015. This is his second professional season, and he notched a goal and assist in his Belleville debut yesterday.
Defenseman Alec Rauhauser was returned to the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits today after being loaned to the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. Rauhauser, an undrafted free agent, spent last season in the Florida Panthers organization after four seasons at Bowling Green State University. He made his AHL debut in one game with the Syracuse Crunch but spent the majority of the season in Greenville. In 52 games over two seasons, Rauhauser has 13 ECHL points.
The AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms recalled forward Charlie Gerard from the ECHL’s Reading Royals today. Gerard is in his second professional season after a four-year run at Minnesota State University-Mankato and showed promise last season with 34 points in 49 games in the ECHL with the Utah Grizzlies. Now with the Phantoms on a professional contract, he’ll get his chance to show what he can do within the Flyers organization.

Panthers Assign Olli Juolevi To AHL On Conditioning Stint

November 13, 2021 at 9:39 am CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

The Panthers have sent defenseman Olli Juolevi to Charlotte of the AHL on a conditioning stint, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 23-year-old was acquired from Vancouver in training camp but has yet to make his debut due to an undisclosed injury. The conditioning stint can last up to three games.

Injury Notes: Hayes, Sabres, Raanta

November 6, 2021 at 7:19 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 7 Comments

While Philadelphia Flyers forward Kevin Hayes is eligible to come off long-term injured reserve for Philadelphia’s game on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs, it sounds like the forward isn’t quite ready to return from an injury that’s kept him out all season up until this point. Head coach Alain Vigneault won’t rule it out but says that “Wednesday is an outside chance, more on the outside than on the inside” in terms of Hayes’ availability. If Hayes does return, it will be ahead of schedule. He was expected to miss roughly two months after being placed on injured reserve in late September as he continued to recover from offseason core muscle surgery.

Other injury notes from around the NHL:

While the Sabres have dealt with some injuries to key players lately, it sounds like there’s good news on the horizon. Forward Victor Olofsson is close to returning, while a day-to-day injury that’s keeping goalie Craig Anderson out of the lineup isn’t serious enough to warrant placing him on injured reserve, per Sabres head coach Don Granato. Olofsson’s been a pleasant surprise, jumping out to lead the team in scoring with nine points in just eight games while playing over 17 minutes a night. The injury looks to be a bump in the road on a real breakout season for the Swedish forward, who’s often been chastised for his lack of production at even-strength.
Carolina Hurricanes goalie Antti Raanta left Saturday’s game after colliding with Florida Panthers forward Ryan Lomberg, and the team’s public relations team tweeted that he won’t return to the game with an upper-body injury. Raanta’s lengthy injury history gives serious cause for concern here, and it appears as though Frederik Andersen could need to continue shouldering the load for the next little while. Lomberg was assessed a five-minute major penalty on the play.

Aleksander Barkov Out For Saturday’s Game With Lower-Body Injury

November 6, 2021 at 4:38 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson 1 Comment

Per the Florida Panthers public relations team, center Aleksander Barkov is out for Saturday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes with a lower-body injury. His status is day-to-day.

Forward Ryan Lomberg will enter the lineup in his place, according to Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards. Their game against the Hurricanes is a battle of the league’s current titans, as the Hurricanes (9-0-0) attempt to remain undefeated while Florida (9-0-1) enters the game without a regulation loss.

23-year-old Eetu Luostarinen, who has three goals through seven games this season, could center the top line between Carter Verhaeghe and Anthony Duclair in Barkov’s absence.

The Panthers continue to stretch their center depth thin with injuries this season, as Sam Bennett, Joe Thornton, and Noel Acciari are all on injured reserve. A strong start from rookie Anton Lundell is helping to soften the blow, and the team has also shifted offseason acquisition Sam Reinhart back to center from the wing to compensate for the slew of injuries.

Barkov has been undeniably spectacular as the Panthers continue to bank points early in the season. Fresh off receiving an eight-year, $80MM extension, he’s tallied 12 points in 10 games while playing over 22 minutes per game.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Florida Panthers

November 6, 2021 at 4:00 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 1 Comment

Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading for the 2021-22 season and beyond. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Florida Panthers

Current Cap Hit: $82,014,416 (under the $81.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

G Spencer Knight (two years, $925K)
F Anton Lundell (three years, $925K)
F Eetu Luostarinen (one year, $890K)
F Owen Tippett (one year, $863K)

Potential Bonuses
Knight: $1.85MM
Lundell: $850K
Tippett: $850K
Total: $3.55MM

Lundell has impressed in his early NHL action. Despite being used in a heavy defensive role, he has chipped in offensively and held his own in his own end. The fact he’s in this important of a spot on the depth chart now will certainly help his cause for his second deal; three years of being a key piece certainly looks better than being up and down which is where Tippett finds himself. Another first-round pick, Tippett hasn’t produced with much consistency in the NHL and has been up and down in the lineup with some time in the minors as well. Between that and their cap situation, he’s a strong candidate for a two-year bridge contract that buys both sides more time. Luostarinen doesn’t have the numbers to command much of a raise although his playing time (over 13 minutes a game in his two seasons with Florida) should be enough to push him over the $1MM mark.

Knight has done well since joining the Panthers late last season and it’s clear he’s their goalie of the future. Can he get enough playing time over the next two years to command starter money though? That may be iffy, especially being behind a high-priced netminder on the depth chart. Making the finances work on a long-term pact two years from now seems difficult given that Sergei Bobrovsky has five years left. As a result, a two-year bridge deal to keep the combined cost down makes sense for both sides, allowing Knight to get a bigger payday after that while Florida gets only the one season of a very pricey goalie tandem (assuming Bobrovsky is still around by then).

Both Knight and Lundell have a chance to hit some of their bonuses which is worth remembering with how tight they are to the salary cap; it creates the possibility of a carryover overage for next season.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Noel Acciari ($1.667MM, UFA)
D Kevin Connauton ($825K, UFA)
D Olli Juolevi ($750K, RFA)
F Ryan Lomberg ($725K, UFA)
F Maxim Mamin ($975K, UFA)
F Mason Marchment ($800K, UFA)
D Markus Nutivaara ($2.7MM, UFA)
F Joe Thornton ($750K, UFA)
F Frank Vatrano ($2.533MM, UFA)

Vatrano has scored at least 16 goals in each of the last three seasons which certainly helps to justify his price tag but he has struggled early on this year, playing largely on the fourth line. That’s never a good sign in a walk year and could shift him from a chance of earning similar money on his next contract to having to take a bit less. That recent track record should still give him a decent market though. Acciari isn’t really the 20-goal player he was in 2018-19 but, when healthy, he’s a capable energy player but he hasn’t played this season due to an upper-body injury. The longer he sits, the more his value takes a hit. Mamin got pretty good money to come back from the KHL but has spent most of the season in the minors. He’s up now and with a one-way contract, he’s someone that could be a trade candidate if he can’t secure a regular spot. At this point, a return overseas seems likely. Marchment has turned into a bargain and is off to a nice start offensively while chipping in with plenty of physicality. While he’s a late bloomer, there will be a lot of interest if he gets to the open market and something in the $2MM range could be doable. Lomberg and Thornton are cheap end-of-roster pieces and will either be retained or replaced with someone at a similar price point next season. In Thornton’s case, it’ll probably be the latter.

Nutivaara’s value has dipped since joining Florida last year. He has been on the third pairing when healthy and is in his second stint on IR already this season. That’s a high price for a player that’s sixth or seventh on the depth chart and his next deal will reflect that and could check in at half of his current AAV. Connauton’s value is what it is at this point, a two-way contract that’s close to the minimum salary while Juolevi needs to establish himself as an NHL regular before having a chance at getting into the seven-figure range.

Two Years Remaining

D Radko Gudas ($2.5MM, UFA)
F Patric Hornqvist ($5.3MM, UFA)
F Jonathan Huberdeau ($5.9MM, UFA)
D MacKenzie Weegar ($3.25MM, UFA)

Huberdeau has very quietly produced more than a point per game in each of the last three seasons and is above that rate again in the early going this season. That’s impressive production for someone that is basically being paid second-line money. With some of the recent deals handed out to elite wingers, Huberdeau could push for more than $10MM a year although it wouldn’t be surprising if Florida tries to get him slightly below the $10MM that their captain just got. Hornqvist had a bounce-back 2020-21 campaign although he’s off to a tough start this season. The style he has played over the years tends to catch up with players as they age and considering he’ll be 36 when his next contract kicks in, it’s likely to be for considerably less than his current price tag as a result.

Weegar has worked his way up from being a role player on the third pairing to a very important part of Florida’s back end. He’s logging more than 24 minutes per game early on this season – top-pairing minutes – and his offensive game has shown considerable improvement as well. This has quickly become a very team-friendly contract and if he continues at the pace he’s on, he could be looking at coming close to doubling his price tag on the open market. Gudas is the player he was when he signed this contract – a third-pairing defensive player whose intimidation factor increases his value. As long as those two things remain true, there’s no reason to think his next contract will be much different than this one.

Three Years Remaining

F Anthony Duclair ($3MM, UFA)
D Gustav Forsling ($2.667MM, UFA)
D Brandon Montour ($3.5MM, UFA)
F Sam Reinhart ($6.5MM, UFA)

Reinhart was Florida’s big addition over the offseason from Buffalo although they weren’t able to come to terms on a long-term agreement. Instead, he signed what amounted to another bridge deal, one that bought a couple of years of team control and both sides time to see how he fits in. Speculatively, his future could be tied to Huberdeau’s; if they re-sign him, it may be hard to fit Reinhart in as well. If he gets to the open market, he’ll be well-positioned to earn another raise. Duclair has found a home in Florida after bouncing around. As a secondary scorer, he’s in a role that suits him more than a primary piece and the offensive environment that Florida has now gives him a chance to provide some good value on that deal.

Montour bounced back last season and did well in his limited time with Florida which earned him some job security. His role has dropped this season as he’s primarily been on the third pairing but as long as he can contribute offensively, he’ll still provide a reasonable return even if he winds up being more limited at even strength than anticipated. Still just 27, there’s still time for him to work his way up the depth chart as well. Forsling has been a nice waiver claim for the Panthers as he has gone from being a depth piece to one of their top blueliners. Considering he was on waivers back in January, the price tag may seem expensive but he is outperforming that new deal so far.

Four Or More Years Remaining

F Aleksander Barkov ($5.9MM in 2021-22, $10MM from 2022-23 through 2029-30)
G Sergei Bobrovsky ($10MM through 2025-26)
D Aaron Ekblad ($7.5MM through 2024-25)
F Carter Verhaeghe ($1MM in 2021-22, $4.167MM from 2022-23 through 2024-25)

Barkov has long been underpaid but that will change next season when his new deal kicks in. He has become a premier two-way center and while the price tag may be a bit high at the end when he starts to slow down, they’ve gotten more than enough value on his current contract to make up for that. He’s a franchise player and Florida did well to get him locked up well before the temptation of free agency presented itself. As for Verhaeghe, he was one of the best bargains in the league last season, producing at a top-line rate for a fourth line salary. He’s off to a nice start this year too and if he produces at close to that level beyond this season, he’ll still be a nice bargain even when his price tag goes up.

Ekblad’s contract had been the benchmark for defensemen coming off their entry-level deals until some of the ones signed over the last few months. Nonetheless, it’s one that has worked out pretty well for Florida in the end. He has become a legitimate number one defender and is at a price tag that is considerably below what other number ones are getting now. He’ll only be 29 when this contract expires so he’ll still have a shot at that big money.

It’s fair to say that Bobrovsky’s contract hasn’t worked out as planned. He struggled in his first two seasons in Florida although he has been dominant in the early going this season. They’re paying for him to be an elite goaltender and aside from a few weeks this year, he hasn’t provided that type of performance. His presence will likely force them to bridge Knight before looking at a possible buyout closer to the end of the deal unless his current level is one that he can sustain for a while.

Buyouts

G Scott Darling ($1.183MM through 2022-23)
D Keith Yandle ($2.341MM in 2021-22, $5.392MM in 2022-23, $1.242MM in 2023-24 and 2024-25)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Salary Cap Recapture

G Roberto Luongo ($1.092MM in 2021-22)

Best Value: Verhaeghe
Worst Value: Bobrovsky

Looking Ahead

Florida’s cap situation is pretty tight right now with the team needing Acciari’s LTIR to stay compliant. They’re likely to hover close to the Upper Limit all season which will limit what GM Bill Zito can do in terms of in-season movement which makes the potential for Lundell and Knight’s bonuses to roll over to next season.

Unfortunately, things will be even tighter then. With Yandle’s dead cap charge going up by more than $3MM, that offsets some of the contracts coming off the books while Barkov and Verhaeghe’s extensions take care of the rest and then some. With nearly $78MM in commitments to just 14 players and a projected cap of $82.5MM, some cuts to the roster are going to need to be made at some point. s

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Panthers Recall Christopher Gibson

November 6, 2021 at 9:34 am CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

The Panthers announced (Twitter link) that they’ve brought up goaltender Christopher Gibson from AHL Charlotte. Sergei Bobrovsky left Thursday’s victory over Washington with an upper-body injury and it appears he won’t be able to dress against Carolina tonight.

AHL Shuffle: 10/31/21

October 31, 2021 at 12:26 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

There’s a light schedule on this Halloween Sunday, with only five games on the NHL’s docket. Nevertheless, there should be some action on the recall and reassignment front as teams deal with short-term roster absences. We’ll keep track of those moves here.

Atlantic Division

The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled defenseman Cal Foote from his conditioning stint with the Syracuse Crunch today, per a team release. The 22-year-old, who’s arguably Tampa Bay’s top defense prospect, hasn’t played in the NHL yet this season after undergoing finger surgery during training camp. He’ll likely draw into the lineup on the team’s third pairing with Mikhail Sergachev, letting veteran Andrej Sustr, who’s averaged just 10:48 per game in seven contests, return to the press box or minors.
According to Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards, the Florida Panthers are re-assigning forward Zac Dalpe and defenseman Chase Priskie to the Charlotte Checkers. Dalpe was recalled just yesterday but was forced into action with Sam Bennett unable to go. Priskie’s shuffled up and down multiple times this season due to him not being waiver-eligible but hasn’t gotten into game action yet with the Panthers.
The Toronto Maple Leafs returned goalie Michael Hutchinson to the Toronto Marlies yesterday. Petr Mrazek is once again healthy and after playing against the Detroit Red Wings last night, Hutchinson’s emergency recall is now over.
Forward Jack Studnicka has been returned to Providence by the Boston Bruins, according to the AHL’s transactions page. Studnicka, one of their top forward prospects, has one assist in three games with the big club this season.

Metropolitan Division

The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, per the team. The move comes after Marcus Pettersson and Chad Ruhwedel were added to the COVID-19 protocol today. Joseph will likely make his season debut during this call-up after notching five points in 16 games with Pittsburgh last year, his first NHL action.

Central Division

St. Louis Blues head coach Craig Berube says that the team will recall goalie Joel Hofer from the Springfield Thunderbirds after Ville Husso entered COVID-19 protocol today. The 21-year-old Hofer was a fourth-round selection by the Blues in 2018 and could make his NHL debut this coming week as the team’s next two games fall on back-to-back nights. A WHL and World Junior champion, Hofer’s started strong with a .936 save percentage and 3-0-1 record in Springfield this year.

Pacific Division

The Anaheim Ducks recalled Sam Carrick from the San Diego Gulls after announcing forward Jakob Silfverberg entered the league’s COVID-19 protocol today, per The Athletic’s Eric Stephens. The news comes after Silfverberg’s mysterious brief disappearance from the Ducks’ public roster yesterday. This is Carrick’s second NHL stint this season, playing 9:51 in his only game with the Ducks in 2021-22.

This page will be updated throughout the day.

Florida Panthers’ Sam Bennett Day-To-Day With Upper Body Injury

October 30, 2021 at 3:57 pm CDT | by Josh Erickson Leave a Comment

Florida Panthers reporter Jameson Olive tweets that forward Sam Bennett is out of the lineup Saturday night against the Boston Bruins with an upper-body injury. His status is day-to-day.

In his place, Zac Dalpe, who was recalled today from the Charlotte Checkers, will make his Panthers debut. As corresponding roster moves, Anton Lundell and Joe Thornton have been placed on injured reserve, per the team.

Bennett has flourished after being dealt to the Panthers at the trade deadline last season. Centering the Panthers’ second line between Jonathan Huberdeau and Owen Tippett, Bennett has four goals and three assists in seven games for the undefeated Panthers this year. Combined with his incredible finish to last season, he has 22 points through his first 18 games as a Panther.

If this injury bug persists for Florida, they’ve already built up a five-point cushion on first place in the Atlantic Division. Undefeated through eight games, they’ll rely on their solid forward depth now to keep them at the top of the league.

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