In an effort to replenish their forward depth from the previous campaign, the Florida Panthers have entered the PTO market. According to David Dwork of The Hockey News, forward Matt Luff has reached a professional tryout agreement with the Panthers and will join the team the next week.
After being signed by the Los Angeles Kings out of the Ontario Hockey League, Luff started his career with the team in 2016. After playing 45 games with the Hamilton Bulldogs, he finished the season with 25 goals and 49 points. The limited use of his larger frame was one of the main questions at the time of his signing. Despite rarely playing to his size, he was one of the bigger players in the OHL at the time, which made him an intriguing fit to the Kings’ tough-minded playstyle.
He spent the most of his time with the Ontario Reign, the Kings’ AHL affiliate. Despite this, he was able to skate in 64 games for Los Angeles between 2018 and 21, contributing 10 goals and 17 points altogether. Luff finally signed a contract with the Detroit Red Wings, where he has stayed ever since, following a one-year spell with the Nashville Predators organization in 2021–2022.
He has made 19 appearances in the NHL with two goals and four points thanks to two consecutive one-year contracts he had with the Red Wings. Despite a history of ailments, he has been most productive during his tenure with the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Red Wings’ AHL club. He’s appeared in 54 games for the Griffins over the last two years while posting 18 goals and 43 points.
Although breaking into the Panthers’ revised bottom six will be difficult for Luff, his recent success in the AHL has at least given him a chance. Since Florida had trouble scoring in Charlotte the previous season, they do not have a strong crop of forwards in the AHL. Going into the season, Luff will need to adopt a “next man up” mentality, but at least he will be aiming to join the ranks of the reigning Stanley Cup Champions.
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