Former Florida Panthers forward David Booth invited to training camp on PTO

Veteran forward and fan favorite returns to Sunrise trying to extend his NHL career.

The Florida Panthers have invited former forward David Booth to camp on a professional try out. The 30-year-old left wing spent last season playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he scored 7 goals and 13 points in 59 games.

Booth was a second round pick of the Panthers (53rd overall) in 2004. He spent the first five seasons of his NHL career with the Cats before he was traded less than a month into year six to the Vancouver Canucks, along with Steven Reinprecht, for Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm.

The speedy winger's best season as Panther came in 2008-09, when he scored a career-best 31 goals and 29 assists in 72 games. Booth suffered a serious concussion (the second of his career) early in the 2009-10 when he was hit by Philadelphia Flyers forward Mike Richards. He returned the next season to play all 82 games and bagged a team-high 23 goals.

Booth, a favorite among Panther fans, will be looking to travel the same hard road fellow veteran forward Brad Boyes did a couple of seasons ago. Boyes turned a strong 2014 training camp into a two-year stint with the Cats.

Our own Shane O'Donnell had this to say on the news:

I have to admit, without even checking any of his statistics over the past couple of seasons, I want David Booth to make the Panthers. From what I saw of his play in Toronto last season, he's still a guy who can skate, hit, and play succeed in a bottom-six role.

Also, how great would it be to see him back in South Florida? I don't know about you, but I would be up in the stands, yelling "Booooooooooooth" every time the 30-year-old forward touched the puck.

The Detroit, MI native has scored 120 goals and 111 assist in 502 NHL games. Welcome back, David.