Florida Panthers claim Tobias Bjornfot off waivers from Vegas Golden Knights

Bjornfot, 22, found himself on waivers after the Golden Knights needed to make room on their roster for Noah Hanifin after trading for him earlier in the week. Otherwise, Vegas would have had eight defensemen on their NHL roster, and since Bjornfot was one of two defensemen on the roster with a six-digit cap hit, it was going to either be him or Ben Hutton.

Bjornfot joins a Panthers team that now has a crowded blueline, with their roster holding eight defensemen. Only Bjornfot and Josh Mahura have six-digit cap hits so it will be interesting to see what other roster moves need to be made.

Bjornfot has only gotten into three NHL games this season between the Golden Knights and the Los Angeles Kings, and was held without a point in all three games. In fact, he hasn’t registered a point in any pro hockey game this season, as he has also been held pointless in the 14 AHL games he played with the Ontario Reign and the Henderson Silver Knights.

Bjornfot was the 22nd overall pick of the Kings in the 2019 NHL Draft, and spent parts of five pro seasons with the Kings before he was claimed off of waivers earlier in the 2023-24 season by the Golden Knights. After just over two months in Vegas, he now moves on to Florida.

Bjornfot is currently in the first year of a two-year contract with a $775,000 cap hit, one he signed as a restricted free agent in the 2023 offseason.

The Panthers currently sit in first place in the Atlantic Division with a 43-17-4 record, which is currently the best record in the league. They will look to bounce back from  their 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers when they  host the Calgary Flames on Saturday at 4 p.m. EST.