Florida Panthers sign defenseman Niko Mikkola to three-year contract

The Florida Panthers have signed defenseman Niko Mikkola to a three-year deal, PuckPedia reported Saturday afternoon.

Mikkola, 27, collected six points (one goal, five assists) while averaging 17:26 in 81 games split between the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers during the 2022–23 regular season.

The six-foot-four defender, who shoots left, added a pair of assists while averaging 14:23 in seven games with the Rangers in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Mikkola’s new contract with the Panthers carries a $2.5 million cap hit. He joins Oliver-Ekman Larsson and Mike Reilly in having signed with the Panthers on July 1.

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The #TimetoHunt signed 27 y/o UFA LD Niko Mikkola to 3 year $2.5M Cap Hit Deal Year 1 $2.5M Salary & $500K Signing Bonus Year 2 $2.5M Salary Year 3 $2.0M Salary 1G 6P in 81GP Rep'd by Markus Lehto @wassermanhockey puckpedia.com/player/niko-mi…

6:02 PM · Jul 1, 2023

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The Blues originally selected Mikkola in the fifth round (No. 127 overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft. The Finnish defender made his NHL debut with the Blues during the 2019–20 season and established himself as an NHL regular the following year.

Mikkola recorded three assists in 50 games with the Blues in 2022–23 before being traded to the Rangers alongside Vladimir Tarasenko in exchange for Sammy Blais, Hunter Skinner, a 2023 first-round pick, and a 2024 fourth-round pick.

Through 170 career NHL games over parts of four NHL seasons with the Blues and Rangers, Mikkola has collected five goals and 23 points. He’s added four assists in 23 career playoff contests.

Mikkola will now compete for ice time as part of a Panthers defensive group that also includes Aaron Ekblad, Brandon Montour, Gustav Forsling, Josh Mahura, Ekman-Larsson, and Reilly.

The Panthers also re-signed forward Grigori Denisenko to a two-year, two-way contract on Saturday afternoon.

Denisenko, 23, collected 36 points in 56 AHL games with the Charlotte Checkers during the 2022–23 season. The 2018 first-round pick added three assists in 18 games with the Panthers last year.

The Panthers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final earlier this year, falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.