Carlsson and Denisenko were key players for Florida’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte last season
The Florida Panthers are hoping one of the team’s recent top picks is ready to take the next step in his career.
Forward Grigori Denisenko has signed a two-year, one-way contract extension with the Panthers.
The Panthers selected Denisenko with the No. 15 pick at the 2018 NHL Draft. After playing a couple more seasons with Lokomotiv in the KHL, Denisenko signed his first contract with the Panthers three years later.
During his time with Florida, Denisenko has simultaneously battled through injuries and the difficulties of both transitioning his game to North America and maneuvering the strange scheduling situations that came during COVID.
Last season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, Denisenko had his best and most consistent season yet.
He accumulated 36 points in 56 games, which is a big number considering he played a combined 53 games between the NHL and AHL after during his first two seasons with the franchise.
“He's an interesting guy because he was an elite player within the context of his age group, high pick in the draft, very skilled, and had some pretty significant injuries for two years,” Panthers General Manager Bill Zito. “He fought back, rehabbed, and came back and played a really great season last year.”
Denisenko also played 19 games in the NHL with Florida last season, including a playoff game, but his ice time was limited, and he rarely skated with anyone outside the bottom six.
An opportunity to earn some shifts with the Panthers top forwards would be huge for Denisenko, but he will need to prove he can carry himself on the ice.
It will be interesting to see who he skates with when Florida gets to training camp and the preseason.
“We see him as a possibility of somebody who could make the team and get his chance, and we're really excited to have him,” Zito said.
Florida also re-signed defenseman Lucas Carlsson to a one-year, two-way deal.
If Carlsson is going to remain with the Panthers all season, he’ll likely need to stay in the NHL.
After his breakout season in the AHL last year, where he led all defensemen with 20 goals, it’s unlikely Carlsson would make it through waivers.
That’s why he wanted to sign a one-year deal. Carlsson and his agent know that should he get waived, someone will take a shot and claim him, especially on a one-year deal, after the year he had with Charlotte.
“Waivers is always a consideration,” Zito said when asked about Carlsson. “It’s a situation where the best guys are going to play, and then we sort it all out and deal with it. Every team does it.”
As Zito would then point out, Florida has been the beneficiary of team’s having to waive some very solid defensemen, namely Gustav Forsling and Josh Mahura.
“That's always a risk that you run,” he said. “But we're just excited about the guys that we have and the opportunities that we have.”