Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers Sign Veteran NHL Forward to Contract
FORT LAUDERDALE — The Florida Panthers appear to have addressed their forward depth by staying in house (sort of) by signing Jesse Puljujarvi to a one-year, two-way contract.
Puljujarvi, the fourth-overall pick of the 2016 draft by Edmonton, has played in 382 NHL games. He was most recently with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Florida placed Puljujarvi on waivers Wednesday in order to sign him to an NHL contract.
If he clears waivers on Thursday, he could join the Panthers — or return to Charlotte with a chance for a call-up after the NHL Trade Deadline when roster size is not a concern.
Puljujarvi signed an AHL deal with the Checkers after he and the Penguins agreed to a contract termination so he could try and latch on with another club.
In seven games with the Checkers, Puljujarvi has three assists.
Puljujarvi was limited to 17 games with Carolina during the 2022-23 season and had double hip surgery that summer.
The Penguins invited Puljujarvi in on a free agent tryout last December after he recovered from surgery; he started with their AHL team and was given a two-year contract with Pittsburgh.
This season, he had three goals and nine points in 26 games with the Penguins before his contract was terminated — leaving about $800,000 on the table.
Speaking with Teemu Suvinen of the Finnish outlet Ilta-Sonomat about his situation, Puljujarvi said he wanted a real chance to play somewhere else.
“At this point in my career,’’ he said, “I didn’t think about money at all.I want to enjoy hockey, play, and see the light at the end of the tunnel. I felt that was important.”
ON DECK: GAME No. 63
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS at FLORIDA PANTHERS
- When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
- Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
- Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SW Fla)
- Streaming: Panthers+; ESPN+
- Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
- This Season (Panthers lead 1-0) — At Florida: Thursday. At Columbus: Panthers 4, Blues Jackets 3 (Oct. 15); March 20.
- Last Season: Panthers Won 3-0
- All-time Regular Season Series: Columbus leads 26-21-4
- Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday vs. Buffalo Sabres, 6 p.m.
