Panthers agree to deals with Dylan Olsen, Garrett Wilson, Ryan Martindale
The Florida Panthers have agreed to terms with defenseman Dylan Olsen on a two-year contract as well as forward Garrett Wilson and center Ryan Martindale on one-year, two-way contracts, the team announced Monday.
Olsen, 23, appeared in 44 games for Florida last season, registering three goals and nine assists, including a career best five-game point streak. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound defenseman scored his first NHL goal and recorded his first multi-point game Dec. 5 against Winnipeg.
Acquired in an early-season trade with Chicago on Nov. 14, Olsen's arrival served as a spark for the Panthers as they tried to salvage their 2013-14 season. In the first 17 games Olsen suited up for the Panthers, the team clawed its way to a 9-7-1 record before slowly sliding back down the Eastern Conference standings.
Also benefiting from Olsen's arrival was newly re-signed Panthers defenseman Erik Gudbranson. A former World Junior teammate of Olsen's with Canada, Gudbranson, not known for his offensive output, tallied two goals and three assists over an eight-game span as Olsen's defensive partner.
For his career, Olsen has appeared in 72 games split between Chicago and Florida, scoring three goals with 10 assists. A former first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2009 draft, Olsen will likely compete with Greg Zanon, Colby Robak and Alex Petrovic for the sixth spot on Florida's blueline this season.
Wilson, 23, made his NHL debut with Florida on March 18 in San Jose and would go on to play in three games for the Panthers. A fourth-round pick of the Panthers in the 2009 draft, Wilson spent the majority of last season in the American Hockey League, notching 14 goals, 16 assists and 58 penalty minutes in 71 games for the San Antonio Rampage.
Martindale, 22, played in 37 games with the San Antonio Rampage last season, recording five goals and nine assists after being acquired in January from Edmonton. A third-round pick of Edmonton in the 2010 draft, he has earned 16 goals and 40 points over 116 career AHL games.
With these three players now under contract, only restricted free agents Jimmy Hayes, Brandon Pirri and Dmitry Kulikov remain unsigned.
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