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Alexander Petrovic Signed a One-Year Deal With Panthers

Courtesy of YardBarker

NHL

Florida Panthers general manager Dale Tallon has successfully retained another piece of last season. On Friday, the young defenseman, Alexander Petrovic signed a one year, one-way contract to stay as a Florida Panther.

“Petro” is a young, physical defenseman from Edmonton who was drafted by Florida in 2010. However, he would not become a staple in the Panther’s lineup until the 2015-16 season. In total, Petrovic has played 228 career NHL games, including six playoff games in 2016, all with Florida. In addition, Petrovic has racked up 48 points in his career, which includes only five goals. However, he has yet to play an entire NHL season either due to injury or being a healthy scratch. Fortunately, Petrovic has improved over the past few seasons and looks to boost the team in the near future.

In addition, Petrovic also fits with Florida’s young core lead by head coach Bob Boughner. Additionally, veteran defenseman Keith Yandle plays top line minutes, so young stars can take a page out of his playbook. It also helps that former NHL defenseman Chris Pronger works in the Panthers front office as an assistant to the general manager. He can pass down advice to the young Panthers defensemen, like Petrovic. This teams young nucleus, along with veteran presence, can make a commanding run towards the postseason.

Contract details

According to Capfriendly.com, Petrovic’s one year deal is expected to be worth $1.95 million. This will leave the Panthers with a little more than $2.9 million in cap space. However, rumors have been brewing that forward Nick Bjugstad was being discussed for trade. If a trade occurs, it could free up about $4.1 million (according to Cap Friendly). With this move, three out of five restricted free agents have signed deals offered from Tallon. The only two that remain are Curtis Valk and Mackenzie Weegar (who filed for salary arbitration). Although it seems the Panthers do not have much to spend, they still plan to keep last years roster intact.

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