Colin White was bought out this offseason by the Ottawa Senators, with a large reason being his age. As he is under 26 years old, they can save a lot of money against having to do it a couple years from now. They actually get a cap credit in 1 of the next 6 seasons where the buyout applies.

It left White to sign wherever he wanted as a free agent and he landed with the Florida Panthers:

Let's break down what this means for him and the team in the fantasy game.

What Florida Gets

It is tough to talk about White's performance without talking his injuries. He had shoulder surgery early in the 2021-22 season that kept him out for five months while also missing significant time at the start of the 2019-20 season, the first year of his big contract. Between injuries and the occasional healthy scratch, White only played 130 of a possible 210 games.

He got his big deal off the back of a 41-point season as a rookie in 2018-19, but there are diverging ways to look at that season. He played nearly half his time alongside Mark Stone and the team's results changed drastically when he wasn't: team scoring went down by over one-third while expected goals against rose by over 25%. Stone did a lot of carrying that year and the Sens didn't have the depth to help White along when he wasn't skating with one of the elite wingers in hockey.

That he might not be worth nearly $5M a season and got bought out doesn't mean he's not an NHLer, though. Including that rookie season and the two years after, here are his play-driving numbers from Evolving Hockey:

In the shortened 2021 COVID season, according to Corey Sznajder's tracking data, White was above the league average in both shot assists (passes leading to shots) and controlled zone entries. In all, this is a player who is a good playmaker and similarly proficient in transition work, but does not excel at either. In short, there's a reason he got a one-year deal for a low AAV and not a multi-year deal.

He goes to a Florida team where he won't be relied upon for those things, though. Regardless of where he plays in the lineup – remember they have their top-3 centres locked in – he won't have to be the guy to move the puck. He just has to develop chemistry with his line mates and keep playing the way he has.

If he can get back close to that 40-point mark, that would be a wildly successful season. He won't come close to top PP minutes and if they want to keep him at centre, he could be the 4C. Should they decide to move him to the wing, though, there is room in the top-6. They have Carter Verhaeghe and Jonathan Huberdeau on the left and Sam Reinhart was a third-line staple with Anton Lundell. Anthony Duclair is still around but he could sneak onto a line with either Barkov or Bennett, though whether it lasts is another matter. At least White can provide some hits, so he could be a nice depth option in multi-cat leagues.

Who this helps

Colin White

Who This Hurts

Patric Hornqvist

Cole Schwindt