George Richards, FHN Publisher
The Florida Panthers added to their center depth on Tuesday by bringing back Juho Lammikko on a one-year, two-way deal.
Lammikko, 24, last played for the Panthers during the 2018-19 season when he replaced Derek MacKenzie as the team’s fourth-line center in the home opener.
After playing in 40 games and not scoring a goal with just six assists, he was sent to AHL Springfield to work a little on his offense.
Lammikko ended up leaving the organization to play in his native Finland where his game picked up considerably.
This season, Lammikko has six goals and eight points in 22 games for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL.
During the 2019-20 season, Lammikko played for Kärpät in Finland, ending up finishing second on that team in scoring with 22 goals and 51 points in 57 games.
Lammikko was originally selected by Florida in the third round (65th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft.
With Lammikko back, there’s a possibility he starts this coming season either with the Panthers or with their new AHL team in Charlotte.
By signing with the Panthers, Lammikko is done with the KHL (at least for now) and will be attending training camp with the Panthers.
In 2018, he was initially sent to Springfield, but when MacKenzie reinjured his shoulder in the opener at Tampa Bay, Florida called Lammikko up.
He made his NHL debut against the Blue Jackets as MacKenzie’s replacement.
He handled the position well at least defensively but the Panthers wanted a little more offense out of him.