The Florida Panthers announced Wednesday they have re-signed forward Brandon Pirri to a two-year worth a reported $1.85 million.
Acquired in a pre-deadline deal with the Chicago Blackhawks on March 2, Pirri, 23, quickly become one of the Panthers' most reliable and productive forwards on a team that had struggled to find the back of the net for the majority of the season -- scoring a meager 2.29 goals per game on average.
A second-round pick (59th overall) in the 2009 draft, Pirri lit the lamp early and often upon his arrival in South Florida, notching seven goals and seven assists in team's final 21 games of the regular season.
Finishing the year on a point-per-game game pace over the final seven games of the regular season, Pirri showed flashes of what the Panthers hope could be a top-six scoring winger in the making.
For his career in the National Hockey League, the Toronto, Ontario native has appeared in 56 games split between Chicago and Florida, compiling 13 goals and 14 assists.
Prior to catching on with the Panthers, Pirri made a name for himself as an offensive dynamo in the American Hockey League, scoring 68 goals and 132 assists in 238 games with the Rockford IceHogs. Following the 2012-13 season, Pirri won the John B. Sollenberger Trophy as the AHL's leading scorer, recording 75 points in 76 games played. In 2014, he was named MVP of the AHL All-Star game, recording two goals and an assist.
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