According to an announcement from his agent, Dan Milstein, defenseman Uvis Balinskis has agreed to a two-year extension with the Florida Panthers. TSN’s Chris Johnston added that it’ll be a two-year, $1.75MM ($875K AAV) deal.
Balinskis, 29, didn’t have a straightforward path to the NHL. The Latvian spent multiple years in the European professional circuit, primarily in the KHL and Extraliga. He began garnering NHL interest throughout his last two years overseas, scoring 20 goals and 58 points in 92 games split between Czechia’s HC Litvínov and Bílí Tygři Liberec.
The Panthers ultimately landed Balinskis toward the end of the 2022-23 campaign, with his one-year, $840K contract beginning in the 2023-24 season. Throughout his first year with the club, Balinskis scored one goal and three points in 26 games with Florida. Additionally, he tallied three goals and 21 points in 37 games for their AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers.
Needing defensive depth and being encouraged by his performance in the AHL, the Panthers signed Balinskis to a two-year, $1.7MM extension almost as soon as he became eligible. It proved to be a wise investment, as Balinskis finished fifth on the team in scoring among defensemen with four goals and 18 points in 76 games. His defensive metrics were solid as well, finishing with a 90.4% on-ice SV% at even strength, and an expected +/- of 12.0.
Suffering a handful of injuries this season, Florida has again deployed Balinskis fairly regularly, sometimes in a top-four role. His scoring has dissipated somewhat, though he’s second amongst defenseman in oiSV% behind Niko Mikkola.
A pending unrestricted free agent once again, Balinskis didn’t appear headed for a large payday this summer. Still, it was a no-brainer for the Panthers, who retain a familiar option for a mere $25K bump in salary.