Florida Panthers are hoping Ian McCoshen's three years at Boston College served him well.
Blue line depth has not been an issue for Florida in recent years, but suddenly it is an area of need.
Erik Gudbranson was traded to Vancouver last month, Willie Mitchell is likely retiring, and Brian Campbell may leave via free agency. That leaves six defensemen under contract for next season: Aaron Ekblad, Dmitry Kulikov, Alex Petrovic, Mike Matheson, Jakub Kindl, and Steven Kampfer.
While Kindl and Kampfer have individually shown they bring value to the table as a potential third pairing, Panther brass might feel a little uneasy with the lack of depth in this group.
In signing McCoshen to his $925,000 deal if he is on the big club ($70,000 if in the AHL), that extra body is important not only in adding competition to this young group, but it also gives GM Tom Rowe more flexibility in dealing with adversity.
Surely the Panthers will add a player or two in free agency to solidify the back end. Dallas' Jason Demers would fit the bill nicely and is a UFA. The pickings are slim in available defensemen this summer so it will be important for Florida to pounce quickly, and even slightly overpay, on their defensive target(s).
The 20-year-old McCoshen was picked by Dale Tallon 31st overall in the 2013 NHL Draft. He had 6 goals and 15 assists in 40 games last season to go along with his team-leading plus-30 rating. His 86 penalty minutes and 63 blocked shots also led the team.
The Eagles finished 28-8-5, won the Beanpot, and reached the semifinals in the Frozen Four Tournament.
McCoshen brings the size and leadership that Tallon and Co. are looking for in their young players. He should be a welcomed addition and will certainly get a long look in camp in the hopes he can crack the starting lineup.