When former Devil’s centre Jesper Boqvist signed on with the Florida Panthers last July, the news didn’t make many waves in the NHL world, in fact, it sort of seemed to slide under everyone’s radar. Perhaps because it wasn’t a huge contract, rather a play-it-safe one-year and $775,000 deal that was aimed at testing the waters and seeing how the 28-year-old 2nd draft pick would do in Florida. Well, time has told its tale, and Boqvist seems to have not only proved himself but also found his footing.

Just last month, it was announced that the Panthers offered Boqvist a two-year extension, a somewhat more newsworthy story because of the $1.5 million contract and because of how Boqvist seems to have grown in and with the 2024 Stanley Cup Champions. Though Boqvist isn’t necessarily a Reinhart or Tkachuk (before the days of injury) in terms of steady scoring, he does offer the team a strong backbone in terms of reliability and enforcer tendencies, i.e., physicality with 154 hits.

In a recent ride-along interview posted to the Florida Panthers’ YouTube channel, Jesper Boqvist was asked what the extension meant to him, especially considering it’s looking like the Panthers are going to be contending for yet another cup. “Yeah, I mean, that’s what we all play for, right?” Boqvist said, “And obviously, like you said, here’s this chance to do that, and it’s something I want to do.” The centre went on to add, “Personally, like I said before, I feel like I’ve grown a lot here, and I still think I can do that here. So I think it’s a perfect fit.”

And Boqvist’s growth at Florida has not gone unnoticed by the team, which has been showering this player with accolades to underscore their pride.

Why Jesper Boqvist feels Florida is the “perfect fit”

Earlier this year, Boqvist was named the Panthers’ nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. This is a special one because the award honours perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey, qualities that Boqvist definitely seems to have embodied in the understated nature of his game and his dependability despite not being too much in the limelight.

That said, it’s no surprise that Jesper Boqvist was also voted by teammates as the recipient of the Unsung Hero Award at the Panthers’ ceremony that took place before their recent match against the Sabres at Amerant Bank Arena. Boqvist teammates cast votes for a player who they believed to have had successes and made sacrifices for the good of the team, and who was not always officially recognized or translated onto the stat sheet. Boqvist, who has been setting career-high goals this season, certainly deserves the recognition.

So, so far, so good in Florida for Jesper Boqvist, and in addition to the high praise he seems to be receiving from his team, he also seems to be having a good time, joking with the interviewer about having the locker room decide the quality of his homemade Swedish meatballs. “Do you have a signature dish?” Then Boqvist messes around a bit, “Nah, no, no,” he says, before blurting out, “Swedish meatballs.” The interviewer then jokes, “We’ve got to get you and (the other Swedes on the team) together, have a meatball contest and have the locker room decide,“. Possibly elated at the prospect, Boqvist says, “That would be unreal.”

Additionally, it can’t be too bad to be building a life on the beaches of Greater Miami, after years of playing in Newark and his home of Sweden.

On the recent ride-along interview, Boqvist was asked just that: what his thoughts were on the weather in South Florida and life there in general. “Yeah, like you said, it’s unreal.” Boqvist replied, “The weather is nice — always nice,” he added with a grin. “It’s so easy to just get out, get some energy, and get a couple hours out of the way just being outside. So it’s been unreal.”

Jesper Boqvist’s two-year extension with the Florida Panthers and the many other commendations by this team signal a long-term interest in this reliable centre. Given Boqvist’s physical dependability and Florida’s post-Tkachuk era ‘bad boy’ style of play, building a strong team that knows how to work together in this style could be a huge bonus when heading into the playoffs!