On the same day the Florida Panthers trimmed their training camp roster even further, they found out one of their core players would miss time with an injury.
After registering a career high 24 goals and 43 points in 72 games during the 2014-2015 season, Bjugstad saw a drop in production last year. In five less games (down to 67 from 72), he scored nine less points, only tallying 15 goals and 34 points overall.
Bjugstad has played in 226 games at the NHL level, and has registered 116 points (56 G, 60 A) in that span. While at the University of Minnesota, Bjugstad played at a point-per-game pace, registering 109 points in 109 games.
Florida has surprisingly good depth down the middle, with Aleksander Barkov and Vincent Trocheck set to man the center positions for the team’s top six. Jared McCann, a first round pick by the Vancouver Canucks in 2014, was brought in this offseason in the Erik Gudbranson trade. He was a candidate to start the year in the AHL, or make a move over to the wing, but now could get the first crack as the team’s third line center.
Two of the team’s free agent additions, Jonathan Marchessault and Colton Sceviour, have been listed as centers but barely took over 100 faceoffs between the two last season.
Derek MacKenzie will likely line up as the team’s fourth line center, after signing a contract extension in the offseason.
The Panthers open up their regular season schedule next Thursday, at home, against the New Jersey Devils.
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