The Florida Panthers announced on Tuesday that they had signed right-handed defenseman Adam Boqvist to a one-year contract, giving them some depth at the back end.
Boqvist, 23, played with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the previous three seasons before the team recently bought out the remaining portion of his contract. In his prior contract, he received an average annual value of $2.6 million.
Boqvist averaged slightly over 18 minutes of ice time per night, including more than two minutes per game with the man advantage, during his final season with the Blue Jackets. He finished with 10 points in 35 games. Although Boqvist had a strong season in 2022–2023 with 24 points in 46 games, his poor play and injuries throughout the first five seasons of his NHL career seem to be a hurdle he must overcome to reach the next level of his abilities.
The Swedish defenseman was first acquired by Columbus from the Chicago Blackhawks in the summer of 2021 as part of a blockbuster trade that also sent Seth Jones to Chicago, Boqvist, two first-round picks, and a second-round pick to Columbus. After just over a week as a free agent, Boqvist signed with his brother Jesper and the Panthers. Sadly, he was unable to sufficiently improve both aspects of his game to satisfy the Blue Jackets.
Boqvist will be added to the Panthers’ roster to compete for bottom-pair minutes after the team lost Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to free agency. The Panthers changed their lineup following their 2024 Stanley Cup victory. In a perfect world, Boqvist can improve and make progress to assist the Panthers in taking Montour’s minutes.
In an attempt to avoid wasting any time in trying to retool on the fly and return his team to the Stanley Cup Final the following season, Florida general manager Bill Zito has basically maxed up his salary space and NHL contract slots early in the offseason.
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