The Florida Panthers are fighting to grab the top spot in the Atlantic Division. They sit at second in the division behind the Boston Bruins with a record of 45-19-4 and 94 points, just one point less.
The Cats have had to go through some drastic changes defensively over the past couple of weeks. First off, Aaron Ebkald left the game against the Calgary Flames with a knee injury and was given a week-to-week timetable. Furthermore, defenseman Dmitry Kulikov was given a two-game suspension after elbowing Tampa Bay Lightning forward Conor Sheary in the head on March 16.
At the trade deadline, the Panthers claimed Tobias Bjornfot off of waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights. With the losses on the defensive side of the puck, he has a chance to showcase his abilities and earn himself a spot on the Panthers roster going into the end of the regular season.
Bjornfot’s NHL Journey
The Swedish defenseman was the 22nd overall pick by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2019 NHL Draft. He suited up for 117 games across five seasons for L.A., scoring only one goal and tallying four assists. He spent a good chunk of his time with the Ontario Reign of the American Hockey League (AHL), with 60 games under his belt. In January, he was placed on waivers and acquired by the Golden Knights.
However, he only suited up for the Golden Knights for two games before being buried in the AHL and sent on waivers once again. He could never find his footing in the NHL. But he’s being given another chance by the Panthers.
Waiver Wire Pickups Have Worked Wonders for Zito
Panthers general manager Bill Zito has this knack for finding small pieces in the waiver wire and turning them into core pieces on the roster.
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Much like Bjornfot, he took in a Swede in Gustav Forsling, who couldn’t find his footing with the Carolina Hurricanes or Chicago Blackhawks. Now, he’s easily the best defenseman on the roster with 37 goals and 92 points in four seasons with Florida. In addition, he is the league leader in plus/minus with a plus-48 rating. As a result of his excellent play, he was extended for another eight seasons at $5.75 million average annual value (AAV).
Maurice Needs to See if He Has Extra Defensive Depth on His Roster
The Panthers have always had a strong defensive unit. But one of the biggest things that killed them last season in their playoff run was their lack of depth. Players were never 100 percent during the run and played through the pain. This includes some of their top defenders in Ekblad and Brandon Montour. In addition, some of the other pieces on the back end haven’t been as good as of late, such as Josh Mahura.
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If Bjornfot comes into the fray and performs, head coach Paul Maurice will have another option to work with on the back end as the playoffs close in. Extra depth is never a bad thing, especially in the postseason.
Bjornfot Has to Make the Best of His Opportunity
If Bjornfot wants to remain with the Panthers, he has to make the best of the opportunity he was given. He will likely not play Thursday against the Nashville Predators, but he does have a chance to suit up against the New York Rangers on Saturday night. That game is the final game of Kulikov’s suspension period.
Regardless, this waiver acquisition is a low-risk, high-reward type of move for Zito and company. If it works out, he may have another Forsling on his hands, and his jersey will be seeing the ice more often for years to come.