Veteran defender signs with Sunshine State

Day two of NHL free agency may not be as active as day one. However, there are still plenty of deals going on. News broke early Tuesday morning that the Florida Panthers signed Nate Schmidt to a contract. The news was reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press. This contract is for one season and has a cap hit of $800,000.

The Panthers are expanding their pool of free agents by signing D Nate Schmidt to a one-year deal, according to a source.

— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) July 2, 2024

Panthers sign Nate Schmidt to contract

Schmidt played for the Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights, Vancouver Canucks and Winnipeg Jets during his 11-year NHL career. The soon-to-be 33-year-old had two goals and 12 assists for 14 points in 63 games this season. He had a Corsi for of 54.0 and a relative Corsi of 4.3

The veteran blhueliner has 47 goals and 173 assists for 220 points in 661 career games. Washington signed Schmidt as an undrafted free agent after a standout career at the University of Minnesota. Vegas then selected the St. Cloud, Minn. native in the expansion draft

He represented the United States at the international level at the 2022 IIHF World Championships. The team finished fourth in that tournament.

What it means

Winnipeg recently bought Schmidt out on Sunday before free agency began. He didn’t reach double figures in goals. However, he could still be useful for a Florida team looking to shore up its defense.

The Panthers will have a different look at blueliner with Brandon Montour leaving, but this Florida team should still be in the mix to repeat.

This is a reasonable, cheap deal for a veteran defenseman. If it works out, he could sign with the team long-term. This is a good showcase to show other teams that Schmidt can still be part of a good defensive group. He also won’t have to waste a lot of minutes with Aaron Ekblad on the roster.

Main photo by: Terrence Lee-USA TODAY Sports