Panthers sign Jonah Gadjovich to two-year contract extension

The Florida Panthers announced on Sunday that they have signed forward Jonah Gadjovich to a two-year contract extension that will commence in the 2026-27 campaign.

Gadjovich is currently making the league minimum $775,000 at the NHL level, and under the terms of the extension, he’ll make $905,000 in each of the next two years.

“Jonah has become an integral part of our locker room and a strong contributor for our group on the ice,” said president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito via the team’s press release. “He possesses a fearless attitude and unrelenting competitiveness, and we are excited for Jonah to continue with us in South Florida.”

Gadjovich, who broke into the league with the Vancouver Canucks and also had a stint with the San Jose Sharks before joining the Panthers, is a 26-year-old who has been a part of both of Florida’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championships the past two seasons.

A year ago, he scored four goals without recording an assist in 42 regular season games before appearing in 16 postseason games in which he scored twice and added a helper for three points. An imposing physical presence on the team’s fourth line, Gadjovich fought Darnell Nurse in the Stanley Cup Final last year after incurring six fighting majors during the regular season.

Alongside AJ Greer, Gadjovich has played a big role in establishing Florida’s tough and physical identity.

In his three appearances so far this season, he’s already topped his assist total from a year ago when he recorded one in a 3-2 Opening Night victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Despite injuries to star forwards Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk, the Panthers are showing no signs of a Stanley Cup hangover in their start to the season, now 3-0-0 and atop the Atlantic Division after a 6-2 drubbing of the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.