Mascherin doesn’t sign, will re-enter NHL draft

What was expected is now official: Adam Mascherin will not be a Florida Panther.

Mascherin, a 2016 second-round draft pick, did not to sign with the Panthers ahead of Friday’s 5 p.m. deadline, meaning he will re-enter the draft later this month. Florida selected the winger Mascherin with the No. 38 pick two years ago, one slot before Chicago chose Alex DeBrincat (28 goals and 24 assists with the Blackhawks last season).

Mascherin, who turns 20 on Wednesday, is known most for his hard shot, which resulted in a careerhigh 40 goals last season for the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League. Mascherin is slightly undersized at 5-foot-10, but weighs 210 pounds.

The Panthers could have traded Mascherin’s rights to another team, but no deal materialized.

When the team couldn’t sign Zach Hyman, they sent his rights to Toronto for Greg McKegg and a conditional seventh-round pick in 2015. When the team couldn’t sign Corban Knight, they sent his rights to Calgary for a fourthround pick in 2013.

Any team can select Mascherin during the draft — June 22-23 in Dallas — though he will likely slide to later rounds.

Multiple reports indicated the relationship between Mascherin and the team soured over a lack of communication.

In a December interview, Mascherin said he kept in touch with the Panthers organization about his play, that he asked director of player personnel Bryan McCabe questions and added that “We’ve had a good relationship so far this year.”

He said he was “not really worried about” being unsigned.

The team also lost the rights to goaltender Hugo Fagerblom, a seventhround pick in 2014. Fagerblom has played his entire career in Sweden.