This was an issue that I’d talked about months leading up to free agency. The Florida Panthers’ biggest issues last season came on the blue line, and there wasn’t a great selection of defensemen to pick from.
Erik Karlsson re-signed with San Jose and New York traded for RFA Jacob Trouba before July 1st. Jake Gardiner remains unsigned (at time of writing) and Tyler Myers was looking for long-term security, getting a five-year contract with Vancouver.
This left Anton Stralman, a sturdy, old-fashioned defenseman as the best remaining option on the market.