Stanley Cup Champions ink Connor Bedard's former teammate to a surprise contract

The Florida Panthers are a team that made it out of free agency unscathed, as they were able to retain their important players. They'd re-sign Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and keep Aaron Ekblad, too.

A masterclass by GM Bill Zito! After completing all of that, it was time for Zito to get down to the brass tacks and prioritize signing of depth players in the lineup, and one of those was former Chicago Blackhawk, Mackenzie Entwistle.

Entwistle, who played only 7 games last season with the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL, will be rejoining the Panthers' lineup.

In those 7 games, he'd score 2 points (1-1).

The deal is a two-way contract, which pays him the league minimum ($775K) over the next year.

Entwistle has played a total of 193 games in the NHL, all of them with the Chicago Blackhawks. He'd score a total of 35 points (15-20) and 86 PIMs.

He was originally drafted 69th overall in the 3rd-round of the 2017 NHL Draft, and wouldn't find his way onto NHL ice until the 2020-21 season.

Since then, he's served as a depth forward on the Blackhawks roster, and could be on the journeyman path should his time in Florida not result in a roster spot with the Stanley Cup-winning champions.

While Entwistle may not be a gamebreaker, at times you'll need depth options to call up in times of injury which can cripple a lineup.

He's done so before in Chicago, and could do so again in Florida.