With everyone else fixated on the trade market, the Florida Panthers have announced a pair of signings.
GM Bill Zito told reporters today that defenseman Gustav Forsling signed an eight-year extension worth $5.75 million per season with the club, while forward Jonah Gadjovich also signed a two-year extension.
The move comes a day after the club acquired Vladimir Tarasenko from the Ottawa Senators.
Forsling has been a revelation for the Panthers over the past two years. Originally drafted 126th overall by Vancouver in 2014, Forsling became a huge piece of Florida’s Stanley Cup push last year, registering a career-high 41 points. He’s already at nine goals and 31 points in 62 games, putting him on pace to match his output from last season.
Forsling never played for the Canucks, instead starting his career with a three-year run with the Chicago Blackhawks. He found himself as the odd-man out with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2019-20, spending the entire season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers despite spending significant time with Chicago’s big club before that.
It wasn’t until Forsling joined the Panthers via waivers on Jan. 9, 2021 that he started to establish himself as a full-time impact NHLer. He signed a three-year deal worth $2.66 million in 2021, a deal that made him one of the most valuable inexpensive defenders in the NHL.
Gadjovich, meanwhile, was drafted 55th overall by the Canucks in 2017. He scored two goals and three points en route to a gold medal with Canada at the 2018 world juniors before turning pro the following year. He played just one game with the Canucks in 2021 before joining the San Jose Sharks for two years, adding value as a bottom-six grinder. Gadjovich joined the Panthers for the 2023-24 season, where he currently leads the team with 90 penalty minutes.
More must-reads: