Florida Panthers Bring Back Defenseman

The Florida Panthers have signed defenseman Casey Fitzgerald to a one-year, two-way contract.

Fitzgerald became an unrestricted free agent on July 1. However, after not finding a home for over two weeks, Fitzgerald is heading right back to the Panthers. 

Fitzgerald spent this past season split between the Buffalo Sabres and Panthers. In 27 games on the campaign, the 26-year-old posted three assists to go along with 35 hits. Overall, he was primarily utilized as a depth defenseman and did his job fairly well when called upon.

When looking at the Panthers' roster heading into next season, Fitzgerald will likely continue to be an extra defenseman on their NHL roster. He will continue to be a good option to have around again when injuries occur.

In 63 career NHL games split over two seasons, Fitzgerald has recorded nine assists to go along with 40 penalty minutes. We will need to wait and see how well he improves upon these career stats this upcoming season with the Panthers.

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