The Florida Panthers acquired minor-league forwards Graham Black and Paul Thompson from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a second-round pick in 2018 and the Devils also took on the final year of Marc Savard’s contract.
Thompson is a 27-year-old who attended the University of New Hampshire and went undrafted. After leaving college, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins and began playing in the AHL for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He was traded to Columbus for Spencer Machacek on February 6, 2014. After the 2013-14 campaign, he signed with New Jersey and has spent the last two years in Albany. In addition to scoring 13 goals and 22 assists in 56 games with the River Rats this past season, Thompson played his first three NHL games with the parent Devils, going scoreless with 2 PIM.
Black, 23, was selected by New Jersey in the fifth round of the 2012 Entry Draft. After playing four years with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos, the 6′ center has spent the last two seasons in the AHL with the River Rats. In 98 career games with Albany, Black has totaled 14 goals and 9 assists. He scored two goals and added two helpers in the River Rats’ five-game opening round playoff loss to Utica in April.
Contractually, Thompson is signed through the end of the season before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, while Black is in the final year of his entry-level contract. He will become a restricted free agent at the end of 2016-17.
As part of the trade, the Devils are on the hook for the final $4-plus million of the injured Savard’s contract.