Free agent defenseman Jason Demers has signed a five-year contract with the Florida Panthers worth a total of $22.5 million. Demers had previously spent parts of six seasons with the San Jose Sharks and two with the Dallas Stars.
Jason Demers signs with Florida. 5 yrs at $4.5
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 2, 2016
Jason Demers Signs With Florida Panthers
In two nearly-full seasons with Dallas, Demers has been consistent in his abilities, scoring 22 and 23 points respectively, and maintaining a positive plus-minus rating. He also put up three assists during the Stars’ 2016 playoff run, despite missing time due to injury. Demers has proved himself to be a solid blueliner with additional offensive skill who will ideally add to Florida’s defensive core, which Tom Rowe has locked up Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle to lead it.
Demers, 28, put up solid possession numbers last season. He had a 54.2% Corsi for, which was +3.1% relative to his teammates. Those numbers were second best among Stars defencemen, trailing only John Klingberg.
The San Jose Sharks picked Demers in the 7th round of the 2008 NHL draft. The Victoriaville Tigre led the QMJHL in scoring for defensemen that season with 67 points in 64 games. He would go on to have a successful season with the team’s then AHL affiliate in Worcester, Massachusetts, before making his NHL debut at the start of the 2009-2010 season.
Demers played 30 games with the Finnish SM-Liiga’s Kärpät during the 2012 NHL lockout, scoring an impressive 21 points. He returned to San Jose, scoring a career-high 34 points in the 2013-14 season. He was traded, along with a 3rd round pick in the 2015 NHL draft, to the Dallas Stars in exchange for defenseman Brenden Dillon. The trade occured one month into the 2014-15 season.
Main Photo:
Main Photo Caption: GLENDALE, AZ – FEBRUARY 18: Jason Demers #4 of the Dallas Stars in action during the NHL game against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on February 18, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Coyotes defeated the Stars 6-3. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
