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NHL teams might have to scramble a bit for top defensemen this summer.
A few days after trading for his negotiating rights, the Florida Panthers came to terms with defenseman Keith Yandle on a long-term deal late Wednesday night. ESPN's Pierre LeBrun originally reported the deal, and the Panthers confirmed it shortly afterwards to the Miami Herald.
Per reports, Yandle's new deal lasts seven years and will pay him $6.35 million on average per season. The deal makes the 29-year-old one of the highest-paid defensemen in the NHL.
Yandle (7 yr @ $6.35M) comparables:
— General Fanager (@generalfanager) June 23, 2016
Seabrook 8 @ 6.875M
Giordano 6 @ 6.75M
E. Johnson 7 @ 6M
Boychuk 7 @ 6M
More: https://t.co/VO1Lx9HdpT
Yandle fills a hole and a need for the Panthers, who are probably losing defenseman Brian Campbell in free agency this summer and required an offensive-minded defenseman to replace him and boost their 23rd-ranked power play. Yandle was a regular 40-to-50 point player with the Arizona Coyotes, and racked up 47 points last season with the New York Rangers.
The Rangers, by the way, traded Yandle's rights earlier this week to Florida for a sixth-round pick. But now that Yandle has signed, the deal changes somewhat:
#Panthers now send 2017 FLA 4 to #NYRangers, was conditional on signing Yandle.
— General Fanager (@generalfanager) June 23, 2016
To FLA:
Keith Yandle
To NYR:
2016 FLA 6 (#174)
2017 FLA 4
Yandle was expected to be one of the biggest free agency targets on defense this summer. Now that he and Alex Goligoski have signed with new teams, the market is considerably thinner.