The Florida Panthers signed defenseman Adam Boqvist, who was bought out of the final year of his contract by the Columbus Blue Jackets on June 30, to a one-year contract that carries a cap hit of $775K.
A former first round pick (8th overall in 2018) of the Chicago Blackhawks, Boqvist spent the last three seasons as a member of the Blue Jackets after he was acquired by the lowly club in the July 23, 2021 trade that sent Seth Jones to the Blackhawks.
Boqvist was selected by Chicago after appearing in 15 games for Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League and seven games for Almtuna IS of second-level HockeyAllsvenskan during the 2017-18 season.
After signing his entry-level contract on July 5, 2018, Boqvist spent the 2018-19 season in the OHL with the London Knights, producing 20 goals and 60 points while appearing in 54 regular season games. During the playoffs, Boqvist potted an eye-popping ten goals in 11 games as the Knights were eliminated in the second round in seven games by Guelph after sweeping Windsor in the first.
Boqvist opened the 2019-2020 campaign with the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs, before making his NHL debut on November 2 in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings. The young Swede notched his first big-league goal a day later in a 3-2 overtime road win over the Anaheim Ducks. He appeared in 41 NHL regular season games during his rookie season, finishing with four goals and 13 points. Boqvist also saw action in eight of the Blackhawks’ nine postseason games.
Boqvist spent the entirety of his second season with Chicago, suiting up in 35 games during the COVID-truncated schedule and established new career-highs in assists (14) and points (16). During the following offseason he was moved out as part of the package to bring Jones to the Blackhawks. His last game with Chicago saw him contribute an assist in a 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at United Center on April 27.
When Boqvist saw the ice during his first season with the Blue Jackets he was highly productive, especially for a third-year skater, scoring a career-high 11 goals in 52 games played. He added 11 helpers to finish with a career-high 22 points, earning a three-year deal worth $7.8 million after his entry-level contract expired.
Unfortunately, injuries and a lack of playing time conspired to derail Boqvist’s development in Columbus. Over the course of his final two seasons with the Blue Jackets, he appeared in 81 out of a possible 164 games, totaling six goals and 28 assists. He found himself waived by new general manager Don Waddell and then a buy out casualty prior to the opening of free agency.
Now 23-years-old and needing a change in scenery, the right-shooting Boqvist is in a similar spot to the one that Gustav Forsling found himself in when he was claimed by the Panthers off waivers in January 2021. Also like the rangy Forsling, Boqvist is a good skater, moves the puck well and has offensive ability.
Has general manger Bill Zito, who signed Adam’s older brother Jesper just over a week prior, plucked another potential gem from the scrap heap? Only time will tell. There is definitely room to grow with a player of this talent level. With some more work on the strength and conditioning side and by bringing Boqvist into a winning environment, we could see yet another bit of Zito magic come to fruition.