The Florida Panthers recalled defenseman Jaycob Megna from the AHL on Wednesday.
In a corresponding move, defenseman Tobias Bjornfot was sent to Charlotte.
Joining the Panthers as a free agent on a one-year, two-way contract in July, Megna has been a steady presence on the blue line in the AHL this season, logging 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) and a +23 plus/minus rating in 64 games with the Checkers.
Originally selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the seventh round (210th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Megna, a native of Pembroke Pines, Florida, has tallied 27 points (four goals, 23 assists) over 185 career NHL games between the Chicago Blackhawks (2023-24), Seattle Kraken (2022-23), San Jose Sharks (2021-22 to 2022-23) and Ducks (2016-17 to 2018-19).
An imposing presence, the hulking left-shot defenseman stands 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds.
“He had a real good [training] camp,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “He’s a real big body. I think when he left our camp, we thought that we’d kind of like to take a look at him.”
In need of some assistance on their blue line, the Panthers are currently without two of their top defensemen in Aaron Ekblad (suspension) and Dmitry Kulikov (upper body).
Wasting no time, Megna is expected to be in the lineup when the Panthers close out their back-to-back with a battle against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena Wednesday.
“We’re into our seventh and eighth defenseman now -- I guess ninth defenseman -- and we want to have a good idea of what he looks like in our group,” Maurice said. “He’s had a good year [in the AHL], so we felt with the games left we wanted to take a look at some people in the minors to figure out how they would fit if we have to call on them in the playoffs.”
Megna last played in an NHL game on April 18, 2024 with Chicago.
