Panthers waive Adam Boqvist

The Florida Panthers have placed defenseman Adam Boqvist on waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

Skating in his first season with the Panthers, the 24-year-old Swedish-born blue-liner has made 18 appearances in which he has collected two goals and four assists for six points coupled with six penalty minutes and a minus-four rating.

Signing a one-year, $775,000 deal with Florida in unrestricted free agency, Boqvist joined the Panthers following five seasons split between the Chicago Blackhawks and Columbus Blue Jackets. With the Blue Jackets last season, a string of injuries limited Boqvist to 35 appearances in which he finished with one goal and nine assists for 10 points. At season’s end, the Blue Jackets opted to buy out the final year of Boqvist’s contract, which would have paid $2.6 million, making him an unrestricted free agent.

In all, through 227 career contests, Boqvist has notched 25 goals and 66 assists for 91 points. Through 46 games with the Blue Jackets in 2022-23, Boqvist reached a career high of 24 points counting five goals and 19 assists.

A graduate of the OHL’s London Knights, Boqvist was a dominant two-way defenseman in the junior circuit, where his lone season with the Knights saw him finish third in team scoring and first among defensemen with 60 points counting 20 goals and 40 assists through 54 games.

Boqvist was originally chosen eighth overall by the Blackhawks in the 2018 NHL Draft. In 2021, he was dealt to Columbus as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Seth Jones to Chicago.

For the Panthers, the defending Stanley Cup champions sit atop the Atlantic Division this season, sporting a 30-19-3 record and 63 points. The Panthers shut out the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday and will look to secure their second-straight victory when the club returns to the ice Saturday against the Blackhawks.