The Florida Panthers have avoided arbitration with restricted free agent defenceman MacKenzie Weegar signing him to a three-year contract worth $9.75 million. The contract carries a salary-cap hit of $3.25. million per season.
FLA & Mackenzie Weegar have a three-year deal at a $3.25M AAV
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) November 6, 2020
Florida Panthers Re-sign MacKenzie Weegar
Over his four-year NHL career, Weegar has played for only the Florida Panthers. In that time, he has put up 13 goals and 28 assists for 41 career points in 172 career games. Weegar was drafted in the seventh round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, 206th overall.
Looking back at last season. He scored a career seven goals. On top of that, he added eleven assists for a career-high of 18 points. He also added 33 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 51.7 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 2.2.
What This Means for the Future
In the long run, this will be a humungous signing for the Panthers. Many Panthers fans were very concerned that the two sides would not agree on an extension. With over ten-million in cap space, the Panthers have had the money to sign him. Yet, they wanted to wait for the right moment, after weeks of silence between the two parties. Many people, including Weegar, are relieved to have a new contract under his belt.
Moving forward, Weegar will continue to play a pivotal role on the Panthers’ blue line. The gritty defenseman is something that Panthers have been in desperate need of for quite some time now. Not only does he enjoy the physical side of things. Weegar is an excellent skater with plenty of getting up and go. He has a fantastic vision on the ice and plays his defensive positioning very well.
Continuing to pair with Aaron Ekblad, Weegar will look to play an even bigger role moving forward. With that being said, re-signing Weegar, along with the additions of Radko Gudas and Markus Nutivaara. The Florida Panthers have given their defensive group a new identity of being tough to play against. Which is something the Panthers have always struggled with.
Main Photo:
Embed from Getty Images
