Panthers add another depth forward on Day 2 of free agency. Advanced stats love him
The Florida Panthers continue to try to build new forward depth after losing a handful of key contributors on Day 1 of free agency Wednesday, and Rudolfs Balcers, their latest addition, could be one of their most interesting pick-ups yet.
The Panthers signed Balcers to a one-year, $750,000 deal Thursday, giving Florida another offensive option as it tries to replace Claude Giroux, Mason Marchment and Noel Acciari, who all left for new teams in free agency Wednesday.
“Rudolfs is a hard-working playmaker who competes with pace and skill,” general manager Bill Zito said in a statement. “His energy and competitiveness will complement our lineup well.”
Balcers is the third NHL forward the Panthers have added since the start of free agency, joining centers Nick Cousins and Colin White. The 25-year-old Latvian was a fifth-round pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft and has played in 153 games in his NHL career, recording 57 points.
Last season was a career year for the left wing. Balcers set career highs with 11 goals and 12 assists in 63 games, but the San Jose Sharks unexpectedly decided to buy him out of the final season of his two-year, $3.1 million contract Tuesday. The decision allowed Florida to make another addition Thursday.
These low-cost deals are what the Panthers were stuck with this offseason — they entered Wednesday with less than $800,000 in cap space available — and Zito has gone to work trying to uncover some hidden gems. Cousins is interesting because of his proven track record as a bottom-six forward and his feisty, defensive style of play. White is interesting because he was a first-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft and is still only 25. Balcers is interesting because the advanced stats look extremely favorably upon him, mostly because of how his team tends to fare on defense when he’s on the ice.
