The Florida Panthers signed unrestricted free agent centre Colin White signs a one-year contract worth $1.2 million. This contract carries him through just the 2022-23 season.
The #FlaPanthers sign another player on a ‘prove-it’ deal who was cut loose by Ottawa.
Hey, it worked for Anthony Duclair.https://t.co/LMTsqDR41c
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) July 13, 2022
UFA Colin White Signs Contract with Florida Panthers
Over his six-year NHL career, White played just for the Ottawa Senators until now. They drafted him back in 2015 with their first-round, 21st overall selection. In total, White amassed 36 goals and 62 assists for 98 points through 224 career games. In 2021-22, he posted just three goals and seven assists for ten points in 24 games, all small totals compared to previous years.
That being said, White enters the year at just 25 years old. Coming off a buyout, this deal gives him a chance to prove his worth on a good team. Anthony Duclair did the exact same thing, leaving Ottawa last year for Florida. And look at how well that went for him…
What This Means for the Future
Florida entered this offseason with little to no cap space to work with. In fact, after this signing, they actually exceed the cap by just under half a million dollars. That leaves them with work to do before the season begins to shed that salary. General Manager Bill Zito was rumoured to be shopping Sergei Bobrovsky but definitely would have to retain some of his $10 million cap hit in such a move. That being said, any relief there comes with a warm welcome, especially with four years left on that deal. After this year, they also receive over $5 million in relief from buyout penalties. The bulk of that comes from Keith Yandle, whose penalty drops from $5.3 million to just $1.25 million for two more years after 2022-23. Also, Scott Darling falls off the books this next summer, adding $1.18 million in space for Florida to work with. They’ll need all that cash too, as Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar hit free agency.
It was the same cap situation that resulted in Claude Giroux leaving town too. He actually goes the other direction, signing a three-year deal with the Sens. The door sits wide open for White now, who can play in the middle six of Florida’s lineup. They could even deploy him on their fourth line. White checks a lot of boxes as a two-way player, and despite production dropping this year, his possession metrics hit new highs. He recorded a whopping 14.9% relative Corsi-for. That’s a common thread with the players Florida seeks out, so don’t be surprised if this winds up being a match made in heaven.
Main Photo
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