Forward Jared McCann reached an agreement with the Florida Panthers, remaining in South Florida for another two seasons.
On July 1st, 2018, just past the noon mark, Jared McCann and the Florida Panthers agreed to terms on a two-year contract worth $1.25M annually.
The Ontario native was originally acquired from the Vancouver Canucks on May 25th, 2016, sending defenseman Erik Gudbranson the other way in the deal. Since the acquisition, Jared has featured in a total of 97 games for the Cats, tallying 10G, 25A, and 35 points altogether.
During the 2017-18 campaign, McCann recorded career-highs in assists (19) and points (29). He also tied his career-best in goals (9), while playing in the second-most amount of games in a season (68), falling one short of the 69 he appeared in during his rookie season (2015-16).
McCann also participated in 42 AHL games for the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2016-17, registering 11G, 14A, and 25 points. He was also nominated as the ‘AHL Player of the Week’ in the month of April.
For the Vancouver Canucks, Jared tallied 9G, 9A, and 18 points in the lone season that he spent with the club. However, since the trade between the Panthers and the Canucks, McCann has seen tremendous growth in his game, becoming an everyday NHLer for the Florida Panthers.
GM Dale Tallon had a few words to say about the freshly signed Jared McCann:
"“Jared is a versatile two-way centerman who possesses excellent speed and suits our team well. He has improved his game during his time with our organization and we look forward to him taking the next step in his development with the Panthers.”"
Throughout the 2017-18 season, McCann became a bit of a scoring threat down on the third line, developing an eye for goal when chances would arise. Jared wasn’t particularly confident around goal in his first season with Florida, but come his second season, you noticed a completely different player.
Below is by far my favorite goal scored from Jared McCann in a Panthers jersey. McCann beat
to the puck in a foot race from
pass, followed by McCann blazing through
down the center of the ice and sniping the overtime-winner past
:
Next: Florida Panthers Sign Michael Hutchinson to a One-Year Deal
In short, you knew that Dale Tallon was going to do everything possible to extend Jared McCann. He’s not only a player for the present, but a vital depth piece for the future. Keep an eye on McCann next year as he looks to take another step in his young NHL career.