Panthers sign defenseman Jason Demers to five-year deal

Rumored to land in Edmonton, free agent blue-liner coming to Sunrise

A day after inking unrestricted free agents James Reimer, Colton Sceviour, Jonathan Marchessault, the Florida Panthers added to its free agent haul , signing defenseman Jason Demers to a five-year, $22.5M contract.

This is a bit of a surprising move as general manager Tom Rowe had said before the free agent period began that his team was set on defense.

Demers spent the last two seasons with the Dallas Stars. In 2015-16, he scored 7 goals, added 16 assists and finished with a +16 rating in 62 games.

The 28-year-old was originally drafted in the seventh round (186th overall) by the San Jose Shark in 2008.