The Florida Panthers are bringing back two familiar names, locking up forward Cole Schwindt and defenseman Alexander Petrovic on new two-year contracts Wednesday.
Schwindt’s deal comes even though Florida did not qualify him as a restricted free agent. The Panthers originally picked him in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, and his path back to Sunrise has already included a few turns. He was part of the summer 2022 trade that sent Matthew Tkachuk to Florida, then the Panthers claimed him off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights in October of last year.
Last season, Schwindt appeared in 29 games for Florida and put up five goals and seven points. He also showed enough in the faceoff circle to look like a strong option for the fourth line next season, taking a career-high 115 draws and winning 44.2% of them.
“Cole has developed into a well-rounded two-way forward who fits seamlessly with our team,” Panthers GM Bill Zito said in a statement released by the team. “He competes hard every night and we are pleased to have him back as a part of our strong forward group for the next two seasons.”
Petrovic is also back in the organization that drafted him. Florida selected the veteran blueliner in the second round of the 2010 NHL Draft, and he went on to spend parts of seven seasons with the Panthers before being traded to the Edmonton Oilers in December of 2018 for Chris Weidman and a third-round pick.
Since that deal, Petrovic has logged 60 NHL games and 341 AHL games over the last eight years. Fifty-four of those NHL appearances came last season with the Dallas Stars.
“Alex is a stalwart shutdown defenseman who brings size and depth to our blueline,” Zito said in a statement. “We are excited to welcome him back to our organization.”
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