The Florida Panthers signed Nate Schmidt to a one-year contract worth $800,000 to help replenish their defense corps, according to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli.
Schmidt reportedly left money on the table to join the Panthers, who lost Brandon Montour and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in free agency Monday. Schmidt is Florida's first notable reinforcement on the back end.
The 32-year-old veteran spent the last three campaigns with the Winnipeg Jets, who bought him out Sunday. He played under Panthers head coach Paul Maurice in 2021-22.
Schmidt was relegated to the third pairing with the Jets in 2023-24 and posted strong defensive underlying numbers. However, he played a top-four role in the previous two seasons and struggled to win his minutes.
The 6-foot, 194-pound defender is a strong skater capable of playing on both sides. He could potentially link up with Dmitry Kulikov on Florida's third pair.
Schmidt has recorded 220 points in 661 career games across 11 NHL campaigns between the Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights, and Jets.
The Panthers have about $6.5 million left in cap space, though some of that will be allocated to restricted free agent Anton Lundell.
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