The Florida Panthers have made a few moves to improve their roster, as they are looking to improve the team in every way possible.
According to Panthers general manager Dale Tallon, the Panthers have decided to re-sign veteran forward Chris Kunitz and free agent defenseman Alexei Emelin.
They are also looking to add a player to bolster their blue line and to give the club a bit of a bit more speed on their power play.
The Panthers announced they signed Kunitz on Monday.
Kunitz, who played for the Anaheim Ducks from 2009-11, spent two seasons in Florida with the Panthers and one with the New York Rangers.
He had 12 goals and 19 assists in 73 games last season.
The 29-year-old, who has seven points (two goals, six assists) in 22 career NHL games, signed a three-year, $5.25 million contract with the Florida Panthers on July 1, 2019.
Kunoitz had two goals and four assists in 14 games for the Predators in 2017-19.
He also had four points (one goal, two assists) with three penalty minutes in 10 games with the Ottawa Senators last season, which he played in all 82 games.
Emelin signed with the Carolina Hurricanes on July 4, 2019, and will be a free agent following the season.
He played two seasons with the Calgary Flames and scored 20 goals and 39 assists in 78 games.
The 22-year old, who was acquired by the Hurricanes from the Tampa Bay Lightning on June 26, 2018, has three goals and six assists in 34 games for Carolina this season.
Emlin will join Kunitz, Emelin and Emelin’s teammate and former teammate, former Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby.
Crosby and Emlin are both set to become unrestricted free agents following the 2018-19 season.CPSA has a roster of 28 players.
The Carolina Hurricanes are in the midst of a rebuild, as the Panthers will be without a top-line center for the majority of the 2017/18 season.
The Panthers also lost a pair of top-six defenders in defenseman Chad Ruhwedel and defenseman Andrej Sekera.
With the loss of Ruhwnel, the team’s top two defensemen in terms of scoring and playmaking, the roster will likely be comprised of either forwards and/or defensemen.
The team’s depth is not a problem, however, as Florida has one of the best forwards and defensemen groups in the NHL.
With the addition of Kunitz it seems as though the Panthers are making a move to add some additional offensive punch.