The Florida Panthers have announced their decision to buyout veteran defenseman Ed Jovanovski. The former captain was placed on unconditional waivers by the team Sunday.
The 38-year-old blue-liner was set to enter into the final year of his contract that came with a $4.125 million cap hit per season. Seeing as though the organization has yet to use one of their two possible compliance buyouts courtesy of the new CBA, one can assume that the Panthers will be heading in that direction once the details are finalized.
Florida was home for Jovanovski when he was originally drafted first overall in 1994 by the Panthers. He was brought back to the Sunshine State in 2011 when general manager Dale Tallon signed him to a four-year, $16.5 million deal. It was indeed a skeptical move back then, and over the course of the three years that have come to pass, it hasn’t been seen as anything different.
The Windsor, Ontario, native played in only 37 games last season registering just one goal and four assist over that span. He has severely struggled with injuries in recent years appearing in a miniscule 43 games throughout the last two seasons.
While it’s quite evident that the Panthers brought Jovanovski back in hopes that he would be a positive mentor to the team’s younger defensemen, the potential reward has unsuccessfully managed to surpass the initial risk of his contract.
For Florida, this move clears out yet another chunk of cap space for the team to ultimately work with once July 1 rolls around. Fans should expect Tallon to make some considerable offers within the free agent market.
In 1,128 career games in the NHL, Jovanovski has recorded 137 goals and 363 assists for a combined total of 500 points along with 1,491 penalty minutes.
For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Thanks for reading! Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @dasimonetta. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Main Photo:
