123 days after being claimed off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks, Josh Mahura gets himself a much-deserved contract extension from the Florida Panthers.
The 24-year-old blue liner signed a one-year extension with an AAV of $925,000.
Mahura is in the final year of a two-year, $1.5 million contract he signed with the Ducks.
Mahura Extension a Win for Bill Zito and Panthers
Josh Mahura, a former third-round pick from the 2016 entry draft, was claimed by the Panthers back on October 10th of last year.
The smooth-skating defencemen quickly earned himself a regular role on the Panther blue line. His efforts have earned him an extended stay in South Florida.
“Josh joined our club just prior to the start of the season and we felt his positive impact on our defensive group immediately,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. “He brings consistency and energy to our blue line.”
Through 54 games this season, Mahura has set career highs in goals (4) and assists (7). He also sports an impressive +13, good for fourth best on the Panthers and second amongst the team’s defensemen.
But as we take a look into the financials of this deal, it is one that works out quite well for both parties. Especially the Panthers.
Josh Mahura Evolving Into An Every Day Player For Panthers
Up till this season, Mahura’s services were used sparingly in the NHL. While on the Ducks’ blue line, Mahura dressed in only 79 games through four seasons.
But now with the Panthers, the young defenceman has carved out a significant role with the club.
After Aaron Ekblad went down with an injury early into this season, Mahura was expected to take on more responsibility.
The crafty defenceman wasted no time taking advantage of his opportunity. He quickly earned the trust of his coach, Paul Maurice.
And gaining that trust has been huge for a team that doesn’t have a whole lot of options to improve on their backend. Their current cap situation is challenging.
Money And Term Both Make Sense For Panthers
The Panthers are currently pressed right up against the cap. With virtually zero dollars in cap space, making moves is difficult for general manager Bill Zito.
So the fact that he could re-sign a contributor like Mahura, to a deal under one million, is huge for the club.
And as good a season as Mahura is having for himself, it’s still important to remember that his production is a small sample size. So this was a smart move by Zito to not open the wallet and instead go with a bridge deal.
Typically a bridge deal is a two-year, show me what you got, situation. But with the Panthers getting relief from Patric Hornqvist’s contract in the off-season and former Panther Keith Yandle’s ‘dead cap’ being alleviated by four million dollars, the Panthers could bargain with Mahura to accept a one-year deal over two.
This now gives the Panthers a discounted player whom they can trust on their blue line and allows more time for prospects like Evan Nause and Santtu Kinnunen to develop.
Looking Ahead
And that is important because those two will likely need to step into the lineup in a couple of seasons.
Entering the 2024-25 season, the Panthers will now have three key defencemen to re-sign.
Brandon Montour, who’s having a breakout year, and the steady Gustav Forsling, will be up for renewals, both with hefty price tags attached to those new contracts.
It’s unlikely the Panthers will be able to afford all three with their new deals. But for the time being, Zito has situated himself nicely in this championship window with three solid defencemen all on cap-friendly deals.
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