The Florida Panthers are facing a significant challenge after star forward Aleksander Barkov suffered an injury that will keep him sidelined for at least a few weeks. In response, the Panthers have called up forward Patrick Giles from AHL affiliate Charlotte Checkers to help fill the void.
The 24-year-old Giles, who signed with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2022 following a standout career at Boston College, has yet to play at the NHL level. However, he showed offensive improvement last season, tallying 13 goals and 10 assists over 66 games with the Checkers.
Giles was a standout performer in the Panthers’ recent training camp, where he led the team in scoring with two goals and four assists in seven preseason games. Despite being one of the final roster cuts, his strong preseason performance earned him another opportunity with Barkov’s absence creating a need for forward depth.
“We’re going to need to add some depth up front,” said head coach Paul Maurice. “With Barkov out, it’s a big loss for us, but Patrick’s earned his shot. He worked hard in camp and now he gets to prove himself.”
While the Panthers had two open roster spots, they faced salary cap constraints. With only $556K in cap space before Giles’ recall, the team needed to make a cap-related move. As a result, center Tomas Nosek has been transferred to long-term injured reserve (LTIR), freeing up the necessary space for Giles and sidelining Nosek for at least 10 games and 24 days, retroactive to the season’s start.
The Panthers will hope that Giles can step up and provide the needed spark as the team looks to weather the storm during Barkov’s absence.
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