The Florida Panthers announced that the club has come to terms with forwards Jayce Hawryluk and Dryden Hunt and defenseman Thomas Schemitsch on one-year, two-way contracts.
Hawryluk, 23, appeared in 42 games in his first NHL season with Florida, producing seven goals and 12 points, and added a needed spark to the bottom-six. The 5-foot-11, 196-poud winger also played in 31 games with Florida’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds, recording 32 points (8G/24A).
He was originally selected by Florida in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
According to CapFriendly, his deal is worth $874,125 at the NHL level and carries a $70,000 minor league salary.
The 23-year-old Hunt appeared in 31 games with Florida, registering three goals 10 points. The 6-foot, 191-pound native of Cranbrook, BC, produced 44 points (23G/21A) in 51 games with Springfield, matching his AHL career-best in goals.
Hunt has played in 42 career NHL regular season games, all with the Cats, posting 11 points (3G/8A).
Undrafted, Hunt was originally signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with Florida on March 2, 2016.
According to CapFriendly, his deal is worth $715,000 at the NHL level and carries a $100,000 minor league salary.
Schemitsch, 22, appeared in 56 games with Springfield, producing an AHL career-best 24 points (9G/15A). The 6-foot-4, 200-pound native of Thornhill, ON has produced 47 points (20G/27A) over 162 career AHL regular season games.
He was originally selected by Florida in the third round (88th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
According to CapFriendly, his deal is worth $715,000 at the NHL level and carries a $70,000 minor league salary.
Still no official confirmation of backup goaltender Samuel Montembeault’s new contract (which is also on CapFriendly). A matter of putting pen to paper, perhaps?
Florida’s remaining unsigned restricted free agents are forward Denis Malgin and defensemen MacKenzie Weegar and Ian McCoshen.