The Florida Panthers signed restricted free-agent Bobby Butler, who was acquired from Nashville ten days ago for defensemanTJ Brennan, to a two-year contract. The Cats also signed minor-league forward Eric Selleck to a one-year deal.
The 26-year-old Butler has already played for three other NHL organizations (Senators, Devils, Predators) since entering the league in March 2010 after a four-year stint at the University of New Hampshire, where he was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award as a senior. He has scored 48 points (20G/28A) in 128 career NHL games.
Butler’s best season was his rookie campaign in 2010-11 when he scored 21 points (10G/11A) in 36 games with Ottawa. In the AHL playoffs that season, Butler scored 13 goals in 23 games to help lead Binghamton to the Calder Cup.
Last season Butler appeared in 14 games with the Devils, where he only mustered a goal and an assist, before he was waived and picked up by Nashville. In 20 games with the Predators he found his touch to some degree and notched 3 goals while adding 6 assists.
Eric Selleck appeared in 60 games last season with the San Antonio Rampage, scoring 5 goals and 11 assists. Selleck was called up by the Panthers on March 19th and made his NHL debut that night against Carolina where he suffered a concussion while compiling 17 PIM. After missing 16 games, he returned and picked up an assist in the season finale against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Panthers originally signed Selleck as an undrafted free-agent after he completed two seasons at Division III SUNY-Oswego.