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Florida Panthers Ink Nick Bjugstad To Six Year Extension

As the saying goes, C.R.E.A.M. Get the money. Dolla dolla bill, y’all. 

 

Fresh on the heels of a one-goal performance that knotted Tuesday’s game against the visiting Montreal Canadiens at the death, one Minneapolis native will be calling Sunrise, Florida his adopted home for years to come; Nick Bjugstad, the strapping 22-year old pivot of the Florida Panthers, finalized and signed a six-year contract extension post-game, a deal that nets the skater $4.1 million annually over the course of six years.

 

As that other saying goes, DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYUM.

 

At this stage in life, most 22-year olds find themselves at quite a juncture, somewhere in between scrambling to find a job and moving back in with mom and pop. Bjugstad, in particular, will be making Johnny Fat-Stacks type bank, his $4.1 million annual salary comparable to that of fellow NHLers James van Riemsdyk, Jakub Voracek and American bada$$ T.J. Oshie. Though some may criticize the settlement as overpayment of a player who has yet to eclipse 40 points or 20 goals, the deal shakes out favorably for both parties involved; the Panthers, locking up a behemoth power-forward for the foreseeable future, retain a potential top-line centerman with massive upside, a skater that has paced all Panthers skaters in scoring two seasons running. And Bjugstad effectively becomes BjugSTACKS to all his homies back in the Gopher State. It’s a win-win, methinks.

 

Furthermore, comparing Bjugstad’s stats thus far in his fledgling career to the aforementioned trio, we see that Big Nick is following a similar statistical trajectory. Nevermind that, should he produce at his current clip, he would be the Cats’ first 50-point scorer since Tomas Fleischmann, Stephen Weiss, Kris Versteeg and Brian Campbell realized that feat during the Panthers’ magical Southeast Division title run in 2011-2012; what follows is a list of sentences, very repetitive in structure, constructed to feebly prove a point:

  • Including his current 51-point pace on the season, we find that Bjugstad has amassed 59 points off of 29 goals through his first two full NHL campaigns-a total of 110 games-good for a .536 point-per-game clip.
  • J.V.R, a former number two overall draft pick, compiled 75 points over the course of 153 games, equating to a .490 point-per-game average.
  • Voracek, the current leader in the NHL scoring title race, accrued 88 points through 161 contests with a dismal Columbus Blue Jackets squad; his point-per game figure reads .545.
  • Oshie-we all know who he is-accomplished the highest watermark of the troika, piecing together 87 points over his first 133 professional matches, producing at a solid rate of .654 points-per-game.

All’s I’m trying to say, I suppose, is that Bjugstad has kept good company; making steady strides towards fulfilling his promise and reaching his lofty ceiling, Bjugstad appears slated to hold down the fort along the middle for years to come.

Alex Lopez

Alex Lopez

Ridiculously injury-prone Business Administration major who tries to row, enjoys writing, digs rap, appreciates Chance The Rapper a tad bit too much, and loves the Florida Panthers. Spirit animal-Left Shark. Once set a food challenge record at some diner in High Springs, Florida. "Nice beard, dude"-Chadwick Stokes, Dispatch. Also enjoys long walks on the beach, guacamole and doing everything "for the bois".
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