Niko Mikkola and the Florida Panthers have agreed to terms on a three-year contract worth $2.5 million annually. The 127th overall draft pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft has been quite the stellar defenseman wherever he has played. Mikkola is a physical defenseman and has most recently split his 2022-23 season between the St. Louis Blues (50 games) and the New York Rangers (31 games).
While Mikkola hasn’t found his 13-point form like how he had his career-high 2021-22 season, Mikkola is a big-bodied defenseman who is incredibly tough to play against.
Mikkola’s contract breakdown is as follows:
2023-24 season: $2.5 million in salary & cap hit with a $500k signing bonus.
2024-25 season: $2.5 million in salary & cap hit.
2025-26 season: $2 million in salary & a cap hit of $2.5 million.
Niko Mikkola will take the role that Radko Gudas has left on the roster, and Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice will likely use Mikkola as a depth defenseman. Mikkola can move up and down the lineup as needed and will fit right into Paul Maurice’s style.
