Islanders claim Adam Boqvist off waivers from Panthers

On Friday, the New York Islanders claimed defenseman Adam Boqvist off waivers from the Florida Panthers.

The Islanders have been adding to their blue line after their past week. After signing Tony DeAngelo for the remainder of the 2024-25 season last Friday, the team made a deal to acquire Scott Perunovich from the St. Louis Blues.

Boqvist was placed on the wire on Thursday after having not been in the lineup since Jan. 6. The 24-year-old was in his first season with the Panthers after signing a one-year, $775,000 deal this past offseason. Through 18 games with the Cats, he totaled two goals and four assists for six points, registering a plus/minus of -4 while averaging 12:51 of ice time.

The Swedish defender was able to sign with the defending Stanley Cup champions after the Columbus Blue Jackets elected to buy out the final year of Boqvist’s contract, which had a cap hit of $2.6 million. Last season, Boqvist appeared in just 35 games, scoring a goal and nine assists for 10 points.

Due to injuries and being a healthy scratch on multiple occasions, Boqvist has never managed to play a full 82-game season in his five-plus seasons in the NHL. The most he’s ever played came in 2021-22 when he skated in 52 games.

Prior to becoming a Blue Jacket, the former London Knight played parts of two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, the team that took him eighth overall in the 2018 NHL Draft.

In 227 career appearances, Boqvist has notched 25 goals and 66 assists for 91 points, playing in eight games during the 2020 postseason with the Blackhawks.

The Islanders (23-20-7) have won six straight games and have climbed up to fifth in the Metropolitan Division. They are still four points back of the Blue Jackets for the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.