Florida Panthers sign Adam Boqvist to one-year contract

The Florida Panthers have added some depth on their back end as the team announced on Tuesday they’ve signed right-handed defenseman Adam Boqvist to a one-year contract.

Boqvist, 23, spent the past three seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets and recently had the remainder of his contract bought out by the team. He earned $2.6 million average annual value on his previous deal.

Last season with the Blue Jackets, Boqvist recorded 10 points in 35 games and averaged just over 18 minutes of ice-time a night, including over two minutes per game with the man advantage. His best season came back in 2022-23 when he posted 24 points in 46 games, however throughout the first five seasons of his NHL career, injuries and inconsistent play appear to be a hump Boqvist needs to climb over in order to unleash the next level to his game.

Columbus originally acquired the Swedish defenseman from the Chicago Blackhawks back in the summer of 2021, in the blockbuster deal which sent Seth Jones to Chicago and Boqvist and two first-rounders and one second-round pick landing in Columbus. Unfortunately, Boqvist wasn’t able to develop both sides of his game enough for the Blue Jackets’ liking and after just over a week as a free agent, he signs with his brother Jesper, and the Panthers.

The Panthers have reshaped their roster after winning the 2024 Stanley Cup and Boqvist will be brought in to challenge for bottom-pair minutes, after the team lost Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to free agency. In a perfect world, Boqvist is able to develop his game and take strides to help the Panthers replace Montour’s minutes.

Florida’s general manager Bill Zito has essentially maxed out his cap space and NHL contract slots early on this offseason, not wasting any time trying to re-tool on the fly and get his team back to the Stanley Cup Final next season.