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NHL Rumors: Jason Chimera on Florida Panthers radar

By Dave Stevenson

Nov 12, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Jason Chimera (25) celebrates his goal against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 12, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Jason Chimera (25) celebrates his goal against the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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According to Harvey Fialkov from the Florida Sentinel, free agent forward Jason Chimera is on the Florida Panthers’ radar.

After trading for Keith Yandle and proceeding to sign him to a long term deal, the Florida Panthers are exploring adding some depth to their bottom six forwards. One of the options on their radar, according to Harvey Fialkov from the Florida Panthers, is former Washington Capitals forward Jason Chimera.

Chimera would provide the Panthers with a speedy option. That would go well with their very impressive group of centers that includes Aleksander Barkov, Nick Bjugstad and Vincent Trochek. Chimera is also a very solid penalty killer and would help the Panthers improve their penalty kill, which was below league average during the 2015-16 season.

Despite turning 37 on May 2, Chimera is coming off one of his strongest seasons as a pro. Thanks to getting power play time on the Capitals’ second unit, he had just his second 20-goal season, and his 40 points trailed only the 42 points that he had during the 2013-14 season. Florida has had good luck with older forwards with Jaromir Jagr.

At this stage in his career, Chimera most likely wants to play for a contender. The 2015-16 Atlantic Division champion Panthers would certainly qualify as a contender. Chimera could benefit from the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Stanley Cup run as his greatest asset, much like the Penguins, is his speed.

The Panthers have cap space to overpay for Chimera, but he might not be a guy worth overpaying for unless the Panthers really like him.

For more NHL Free Agency, check out our NHL hub page.

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