Panthers sign ‘playmaker’ Balcers to help replace Giroux, others
The Florida Panthers continue to try to build new forward depth after losing a handful of key contributors on Day 1 of free agency Wednesday, and Rudolfs Balcers, their latest addition, could be one of their most interesting pickups yet.
The Panthers signed Balcers to a one-year, $750,000 deal Thursday, giving Florida another offensive option as it tries to replace Claude Giroux, Mason Marchment and Noel Acciari, who all left for new teams in free agency Wednesday.
“Rudolfs is a hard-working playmaker who competes with pace and skill,” general manager Bill Zito said in a statement. “His energy and competitiveness will complement our lineup well.”
The Panthers lost a lot on Day 1 of free agency, but Zito defends the conservative strategy
Balcers is the third NHL forward the Panthers have added since the start of free agency, joining centers Nick Cousins and Colin White. The 25year-old Latvian was a fifth-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and has played in 153 games in his NHL career, recording 57 points.
Last season was a career year for the left wing. Balcers set career highs with 11 goals and 12 assists in 63 games, but the San Jose Sharks unexpectedly decided to buy him out of the final season of his two-year, $3.1 million contract Tuesday. The decision allowed Florida to make another addition Thursday.
These low-cost deals are what the Panthers were stuck with this offseason — they entered Wednesday with less than $800,000 in cap space available — and Zito has gone to work trying to uncover some hidden gems. Cousins is interesting because of his proven track record as a bottomsix forward and his feisty, defensive style of play. White is interesting because he was a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and is still only 25. Balcers is interesting because the advanced stats look extremely favorably upon him, mostly because of how his team tends to fare on defense when he’s on the ice.
ELSEWHERE
Devils: New Jersey has agreed to terms with left winger Ondrej Palat on a $30 million, five-year contract, according to an anonymous source who spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday.
Palat had 52 points in 71 games during Tampa
Bay’s three consecutive trips to the Cup Final. He finished sixth in Conn Smythe Trophy voting as playoff MVP this year.
Tampa Bay attempted to keep the 31-year-old Palat and defenseman Jan Rutta, who signed with Pittsburgh, but couldn’t make the salary cap numbers work. Instead, general manager Julien BriseBois turned to locking up defensemen Mikhail Sergachev and Erik Cernak and center Anthony Cirelli to eight-year extensions through 2031.
The Devils landed Palat after losing the Johnny Gaudreau sweepstakes to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Gaudreau signed a $68.25 million, eight-year contract with Columbus after deciding to leave Calgary. His decision came after an initial frenzy of signings, including the Washington Capitals getting Cup-winning goaltender