Panthers envision Nick Bjugstad as big part of future with new 6-year deal
SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers announced Wednesday that they have agreed to terms on a six-year contract with 22-year-old center Nick Bjugstad.
"We are very pleased to have agreed to a long-term contract with Nick," Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said in a release.
"He is a big, strong and skilled forward who will play an important role on our club for the next several seasons. Nick, along with Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, Erik Gudbranson and Johnathan Huberdeau are all part of our club's growing nucleus of young and talented players that will lead our team to future success."
Though terms were not disclosed, George Richards of the Miami Herald reports Bjugstad will make $4.1 million per season.
In locking up Bjugstad, the Panthers believe they've sent a strong message to not only their own players, but also other teams around the league. The organization is serious about their commitment to not only turn things around this season, but also establish a strong foundation for sustained success.
When free agency opened July 1, the organization pledged $60 million to improve the team's present situation by signing several veteran free agents to lucrative deals. On Wednesday, they made their first move in securing their future.
"It sends a great message that we're committed to our young players," Tallon said. "Not only is he a really good hockey player, but he's a tremendous young man of character, and that's important to us. It's important to Vinnie (Viola) and Doug (Cifu) and myself and the whole franchise that we take care of our own."
For Bjugstad, Tallon's message was received loud and clear. The team is improving and players such as himself are buying in. The team is investing in its players, and players are growing more comfortable in investing their future with the up-and-coming organization.
"I just really like it down here. It's great down here," Bjugstad said. "The security is nice with the long-term contract, but I think we go a thing going with the young guys and Dale's doing a really good job with the draft picks. I think we're going to have some really good chances at the playoffs these next few years and I think that really contributed to my decision."
Bjugstad, who was scheduled to be a restricted free agent following this season, is playing in the final year of his entry-level contract. And although he wasn't necessarily chomping at the bit to sign on the dotted line, Minnesota's former "Mr. Hockey" is happy knowing he'll be spending his offseason thinking about goals and assists, rather than dollars and cents.
"Obviously, it's in the back of your head that it's a contract year a little bit," said Bjugstad, who is making $900,000 this season. "I just really emphasized and stressed playing the way I've been playing and working hard. I didn't really think too much about it. You start thinking about the money and then it's tough to produce. I just tried to play my best and it worked out.
"Thankfully we could get the deal done halfway through the season rather than wait and do it through the summer and maybe going into September. I didn't want to deal with any of that."
On Tuesday, Bjugstad scored his team-leading 13th goal with 1:49 left in regulation to help the Panthers force overtime and steal a point in an eventual 2-1 shootout loss to the visiting Montreal Canadiens.
Shortly after leaving the ice, he traded his hockey stick for a ballpoint pen, putting pen to paper on his new contract before heading out to a celebratory dinner with his mother, Janine, and sister, Abbie, who just so happened to be in town visiting from the Netherlands.
An incredibly humble individual, Bjugstad laughed off suggestions from reporters of what he should do with his newfound fortune. He doesn't see any lavish purchases in his immediate future and says that his old Chevy Tahoe should last him a few more years.
Instead, Bjugstad talked about less what he's receiving and more about what he still owes the friends and family that helped him get to this point.
"They did a lot for me when I was younger," said Bjugstad. "I don't know how they did it half the time, as far as finance. It was a lot of hockey and hockey's not cheap, obviously. I owe a lot to them and a lot to my family and friends. I've just very thankful that I'm at this point. Without them, I wouldn't be here."
"I've been helped by a lot of people throughout my whole life."
Now, it's time for Bjugstad to help the Panthers.
One of three players to be selected by Florida in the first round of the 2010 draft, Bjugstad, who went 19th overall, led the team in scoring last season as a rookie with 38 points in 76 games, and has looked even better in his sophomore campaign.
A former University of Minnesota standout, Bjugstad has 13 goals and 21 points in 34 games this season while centering Florida's top-scoring line.
Standing 6-foot-6, 211 pounds, Bjugstad is certainly considered a big piece, both literally and figuratively, of the Panthers' future. Florida has its sights set on the playoffs this season and, possibly in the near future, even a Stanley Cup.
"I think it's something we can really go for," said Bjugstad. "It's a good opportunity with these guys. Cups are obviously the main goal for every team in the NHL and I think this team can definitely do it in six years."
You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.
