Panthers Claim Cole Schwindt Off Waivers

The Florida Panthers claimed forward Cole Schwindt off waivers from the Vegas Golden Knights, with GM Bill Zito calling the 24-year-old a familiar, versatile player with upside. Schwindt was a 2019 third-round pick of Florida and was included in the trade that sent him to Calgary as part of the Matthew Tkachuk deal. He has dressed in 49 career NHL games and compiled 110 points in 218 AHL contests; last season with Vegas he played 42 games (1-7-8), logged 41 hits and finished plus-three. The move addresses depth while Tkachuk is expected to miss time until about December and captain Aleksander Barkov may miss most or all of the season. Schwindt is expected to slide into a bottom-six, right-shot center role and could be placed on waivers again once regulars such as Tomas Nosek or Tkachuk return; his brother Kai has been assigned to the Panthers’ AHL affiliate.