Already back in the junior ranks for the season, the Florida Panthers have today (Monday), agreed to terms with forward Jonathan Huberdeau, the 3rd overall selection in this past Summer's Entry Draft. Huberdeau showed some real flashes of brilliance between the team's rookie camp, training camp and some preseason games, but the knock on the kid, if you could really call it a knock, was that he wasn't considered physically matured enough, even at the draft in June.
Nevertheless, poolies should be expecting some big things from this kid, as he is a Memorial Cup winner in his junior career and a very talented scorer, not to mention a natural leader. Another year in the junior ranks will at least give him another kick at the can for a World Junior spot, a full year on filling out and he'll likely be ready to make a big impact next year.
It's no surprise that Huberdeau will receive some of the maximum bonuses allowed on entry-level contracts, which could top out his cap hit at around $3.225 million per season, in each of the three seasons. Since he is in junior, he is not eligible to play, except on emergency recall, which likely wouldn't be necessary.
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