Swedish defenseman Linus Hultstrom is set to sign with the Florida Panthers as a free agent, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Freidman. He is expected to put pen to paper once his status for the upcoming World Championships in Moscow and St. Petersburg is clarified.
Hultstrom’s Djurgardens IF was eliminated from the SHL Playoffs on Thursday, making him eligible to find a new team.
The 23-year-old isn’t a big player, but is a good skater with a solid shot and offensive instincts. He’s been an asset for Djurgardens on the power play, but could probably use a little tightening of the screws defensively.
His development showed itself well this season when he put up a career-high 12 goals, along with 31 points in 52 games. Despite being eliminated, he also made an impact in the postseason, scoring three goals and 12 points in eight games.
This was probably a good signing for the Panthers no matter what, with a divide between some younger and older blue liners, but with the recent news that Willie Mitchell’s career may be at an end, taking a risk on a high-upside defender makes a good deal of sense for the Cats.
Alternate angle of Linus Hultstrom goal…SHL free-agent defenseman #FlaPanthers are in the running for: pic.twitter.com/ecKHI4xDho
— Cats On The Prowl (@Cats0ntheprowl) March 25, 2016
Dustin Nelson is the News Editor for The Hockey Writers. He’s a contributor to Hockey Prospectus, Hockey Wilderness, and writes a column for Rotowire. He’s also written for Gone Puck Wild, Wild Xtra, InDigest, Electric Literature, The Rumpus, Tiny Mix Tapes, Prefix Magazine & other publications. Have a tip? Email him at dlukenelson[at]gmail[dot]com.
