The Florida Panthers and forward Kris Versteeg have agreed to four-year deal Monday morning, thus avoiding salary arbitration.
Terms of the deal were not released but the deal was one of the top offseason priorities for the reigning Southeast Division champions.
Versteeg had a career bests with 23 goals and 54 points last season, along with three goals and two assists in Florida's first-round series against the New Jersey Devils. He also recorded a hat trick last season and scored 25 points in his first 20 games with the Panthers.
Versteeg was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for conditional second-round draft picks and a third-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft.
"Kris played an important role in our club's success last season and we are pleased to have reached a long-term contract agreement with him," said general manager Dale Tallon. "He is a skilled player who recorded career highs in goals and points last season, while playing on our top line alongside Stephen Weiss and Tomas Fleischmann. We look forward to his continued offensive production, as well as his off-ice contributions in the South Florida community."
Versteeg has scored 88 goals and 113 assists for 201 points in 321 career games with Chicago (2007-10), Toronto (2010-11), Philadelphia (2010-11) and Florida (2011-12). In 57 postseason games, he has 14 goals and 37 points, and was a member of the Chicago Blackhawks' Stanley Cup-winning team in 2010.
