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Breaking: Panthers Land Top Defenseman Nate Schmidt in Bold Move After Winnipeg Buyout
Schmidt previously played under Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice during his final season coaching in Winnipeg
A quiet second day of NHL free agency for the Florida Panthers ended with a nice boost to the team’s back line.
As afternoon turned to evening, word trickled out that the Panthers had signed veteran defenseman Nate Schmidt to a one-year deal.
According to DailyFaceoff’s Frank Seravalli, the deal is worth $800,000.
According to Seravalli, Schmidt could have made more money signing elsewhere but wanted to play for the Panthers.
Schmidt previously played for Florida Head Coach Paul Maurice during the latter’s final season in Winnipeg and was keen on a reunion.
Considering Maurice has grown into beloved status while coaching the Panthers over the past two seasons, culminating with a Stanley Cup Win last month, it makes sense why Schmidt would be willing to forego more money and play in a favorable situation for a contending team.
Schmidt, 32, had the final season of his six-year contract, which carried an average annual value (AAV) of $5.95, bought out by Winnipeg earlier this summer.
While his offensive production has dipped in recent years, his defensive metrics have remained strong.
Overall, Schmidt is a strong skater who can move the puck and, perhaps more importantly, provide stable defensive play in his own end.
Considering the price, this seems like a great signing by Panthers General Manager Bill Zito.
Florida currently has around $5.7 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly.
A decent chunk of that will likely go to restricted free agent Anton Lundell.
We’ll see what else Zito and his staff have up their sleeves in terms of filling out the final spots of the roster.
