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Don’t sleep on the Florida Panthers signing Bogdan Kiselevich

By Nick McAdam

GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 25, 2018: Gold medalists, Olympic Athletes from Russia Bogdan Kiselevich, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Nikolai Prokhorkin (L-R) pose at a victory ceremony for the men's ice hockey event at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, at Gangneung Hockey Centre. The Olympic Athletes from Russia won 4-3 in overtime. TASS (Photo by TASSTASS via Getty Images)
GANGNEUNG, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 25, 2018: Gold medalists, Olympic Athletes from Russia Bogdan Kiselevich, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Nikolai Prokhorkin (L-R) pose at a victory ceremony for the men's ice hockey event at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, at Gangneung Hockey Centre. The Olympic Athletes from Russia won 4-3 in overtime. TASS (Photo by TASSTASS via Getty Images) /
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The 2018 Stanley Cup Finals are currently dominating the headlines. However, some moves already happening under the radar should not go unnoticed.

Dale Tallon has a real eye for finding the proper players for his team. There’s no doubt that he did incredible things for the Chicago Blackhawks to set them up for the modern dynasty over the past few years.

Now, it’s time for Tallon to try and do the same with the Florida Panthers. Even though it’s been a bit of a struggle, the Panthers could make a few additions in order to make them a promising team over the next few years.

One addition that came in recently is former KHL All-Star Bogdan Kiselevich. The signing was likely only heard by Panthers fans and some members of the media, but the deal could do a world of wonder for Florida in the near future.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA APRIL 4, 2018: CSKA Moscows Bogdan Kiselevich and Nikita Nesterov (L-R front) after Leg 4 of their 2017/18 KHL Western Conference final playoff tie against SKA St Petersburg at the CSKA Ice Palace in Moscow; CSKA Moscow won 2-1. Mikhail Japaridze/TASS (Photo by Mikhail JaparidzeTASS via Getty Images)
MOSCOW, RUSSIA APRIL 4, 2018: CSKA Moscows Bogdan Kiselevich and Nikita Nesterov (L-R front) after Leg 4 of their 2017/18 KHL Western Conference final playoff tie against SKA St Petersburg at the CSKA Ice Palace in Moscow; CSKA Moscow won 2-1. Mikhail Japaridze/TASS (Photo by Mikhail JaparidzeTASS via Getty Images) /

Kiselevich is a big defender at six foot and near 200 pounds to be exact. Tallon tends to add the big defenseman with skills to go along with it, and that’s exactly what his new acquisition provides. Kiselevich is strong on the puck and by the looks of it, the Russian handles the puck tremendously.

The 28-year-old is big on play near the boards and will occasionally spring forward to make a hit. Kiselevich is a recent Gold Medal winner with Russia in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.

The defender has spent his past nine seasons in the KHL with CSKA Moscow and the Severstal Cherepovets. Over the course of that time, Kiselevich notched 23 goals and 100 assists with the two clubs.

Even more impressively with Russia, Kiselevich has 13 goals and 37 helpers in just 120 contests with his country.

Here’s what Tallon had to say to the NHL website:

"“Bogdan is a solid, shutdown defenseman who adds depth to our blue line and possesses a strong work ethic,”“He’s proven himself to be a reliable defensive presence on the international stage and in the KHL and has the ability to be a steadying influence on the back end for our young defensemen.”"

There’s no secret to what Tallon is trying to do with the signing of Kiselevich. The term of the deal is low in terms of money and years, so if the player doesn’t turn out to be what was expected, the Panthers simply let him walk next summer.

Kiselevich is the perfect age for a defender with at least a season or two left in his prime. At the age of 28, the defender will perfectly stabilize the low-pairings of Florida’s defense core which is led by the likes of Aaron Ekblad and Keith Yandle.

The final, but most important thing is that the deal leaves more room for Florida to add more in other areas. Alexander Petrovic becomes a restricted free agent on July 1, but there will most certainly be some room to try and lock him up. That leaves at least five stable defenders at the back with the focus then needed to be on the scoring production of the squad.

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The only downside to the deal is that Kiselevich isn’t a veteran to North American ice and tactics. It may take some time to adjust, but there’s still the big risk that things don’t pan out for him in the NHL.

Regardless, it looks to be a great find for Tallon. There seems to be a big explosion of players coming from the KHL and over to the NHL, and vice versa. The Panthers, like many other clubs, are taking their chances hoping some of the players can create some value.

At least for the defensive side of the spectrum, the Panthers are looking very decent. It’s all about finding the players to put the puck in the back of the net that could ultimately give Florida those last few points in the standings that have been biting them for the past two seasons.

Stay tuned on this signing, and don’t let it get swept under the rug.

Next: The Boston Bruins paid big for Rick Nash once; should they do it again?

What do you think of the Kiselevich deal for the Panthers? Is it really that big of a deal? Do you think the new signing will be worth it by this time next year? Let us know in the comments section below!

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