Schmidt signed a one-year contract with the Panthers on Tuesday, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reports.
Per CapFriendly, his salary will be $800,000. Schmidt was bought out by the Jets ahead of free agency and will now link up with the defending champions. The 32-year-old defenseman has been little more than a third-pairing option in recent years, but he'll replenish the Panthers' blue line while reuniting with head coach Paul Maurice. Schmidt had 14 points, 76 blocked shots, 66 hits and a plus-10 rating over 63 regular-season appearances in 2023-24.
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Nate Schmidt: Goes on unconditional waivers
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Winnipeg put Schmidt on unconditional waivers Sunday for the purpose of buying out the remainder of his contract, Chris Johnston of The Athletic reports.
Schmidt had one more season left on his six-year, $35.7 million contract. The 32-year-old blueliner will be eligible for unrestricted free agency Monday. Schmidt notched two goals, 14 points, 75 shots on net, 76 blocked shots and 66 hits in 63 regular-season contests in 2023-24.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Gathers assist
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Schmidt notched an assist, three shots on goal, five hits and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 4-3 win over the Kings.
Schmidt snapped a four-game drought with the helper. The 32-year-old defenseman has not been an everyday player lately, due to Colin Miller and Logan Stanley offering alternative options on the third pairing for head coach Rick Bowness. Schmidt is at 13 points, 73 shots on net, 76 blocked shots, 65 hits and a plus-9 rating through 62 appearances.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Set to return Friday
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Schmidt (illness) is expected to play Friday against Seattle.
Schmidt missed the Jets' 4-3 loss to the Kraken on Tuesday due to the illness. He has a goal, 10 points, 52 hits and 65 blocks in 52 outings in 2023-24. Schmidt is projected to play on the third pairing alongside Dylan Samberg versus the Kraken.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Out with illness
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Schmidt (illness) won't play Tuesday versus Seattle, per John Lu of TSN.
Schmidt will miss the game due to a flu bug he has been battling. He should have enough time to recover ahead of Friday's rematch against the Kraken. Schmidt has supplied 10 points, 61 shots on net, 65 blocked shots and 52 hits in 52 contests this season. He will be replaced in Tuesday's lineup by Logan Stanley.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Adds helper in win
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Schmidt recorded an assist and four PIM in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Canucks.
Schmidt endured a six-game drought from Jan. 20 to Feb. 8, but he's now earned an assist in two of the last three contests. The 32-year-old defenseman remains in a steady third-pairing role this season. He's up to nine points, 50 shots on net, 60 blocked shots, 38 hits, 12 PIM and a plus-6 rating over 46 outings.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Pockets assist Sunday
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Schmidt notched an assist, two hits and a plus-3 rating in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Coyotes.
Schmidt has points in consecutive games for the first time this season, and four of his five points overall have come in the last eight contests. The 32-year-old has been confined to a third-pairing role for much of the campaign, though he also sees some power-play usage. He's added 32 shots on net, 45 blocked shots, 26 hits and a plus-6 rating over 33 appearances.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Nets first goal of season
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Schmidt scored a goal on two shots in Friday's 3-1 win over the Ducks.
Schmidt has been an occasional scratch this season, but he's played in 12 straight contests, albeit in a third-pairing role. The blueliner has three points in that span, accounting for all but one of his points for the season. The 32-year-old has added 31 shots on net, 44 blocked shots, 24 hits and a plus-3 rating. With his limited production, Schmidt is best left on the waiver wire in fantasy.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: On track to face Flames
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Schmidt (lower body) is slated to play Wednesday against Calgary.
Schmidt had seven goals, 19 points, 45 hits and 85 blocks in 71 contests with the Jets in 2022-23. He's projected to serve on the third pairing alongside Brenden Dillon.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Suffers lower-body injury
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Schmidt is day-to-day with a lower-body injury, Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun reports.
Schmidt is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season. The defenseman had seven goals and 19 points in 71 contests last season and should be considered a fringe fantasy asset in deep pools.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Registers assist in win
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Schmidt posted an assist and three shots on goal in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Golden Knights in Game 1.
Schmidt helped out on Blake Wheeler's third-period tally. It's been a down year for Schmidt on offense -- he finished with 19 points in 71 regular-season games. He may have some motivation to perform better against one of his former teams, but he's still stuck in a third-pairing role.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Preparing for Game 1
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Schmidt (rest) practiced Sunday and is slated to play in Game 1 versus Vegas on Tuesday, John Lu of TSN reports.
Schmidt sat out Thursday's regular-season finale against the Avalanche for some rest. He posted 19 points, 101 shots on goal and 85 blocked shots across 71 contests in 2022-23.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Sitting out versus Avs
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Schmidt will be rested for Thursday's season finale against Colorado, Jeff Hamilton of the Winnipeg Free Press reports.
Schmidt will join fellow blueliner Josh Morrissey in watching from the press box as a handful of Jets players are being given the night off ahead of the postseason. The 31-year-old blueliner will come up one point shy of reaching the 20-point threshold in back-to-back seasons but should offer decent mid-range fantasy value in the playoffs.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Scores Sunday
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Schmidt tallied a goal, two hits, and a blocked shot in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Lightning.
Schmidt got Winnipeg on the board halfway through the first period, firing a shot through traffic that snuck past Andrei Vasilevskiy. The goal extends Schmidt's point streak to four games, a season high, with two goals and two assists in that span. Overall. the 31-year-old blueliner has had a down year offensively with 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) through 57 games after posting 32 points last season. However, as evident by his recent hot streak, Schmidt can offer some upside while logging time on Winnipeg's power play.
Schmidt contributed a goal in Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to San Jose.
Schmidt scored in the third period to put the Jets up 2-1, but Winnipeg couldn't hold onto that lead. He has six goals and 13 points in 54 contests in 2022-23. Schmidt was unable to find the back of the net -- and registered just one assist -- over his previous 12 outings.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Contributes power-play helper
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Schmidt recorded a power-play assist, two shots on goal and two blocked shots in Friday's 5-1 loss to the Avalanche.
Schmidt ended an eight-game point drought with the helper. The 31-year-old defenseman hasn't been a huge factor on offense, but he has earned five of his 12 points this season with the man advantage. He's also produced 69 shots on net, 62 blocked shots and a plus-8 rating while playing in a bottom-four role through 50 contests.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Scores power-play goal
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Schmidt supplied a power-play goal in a 3-2 loss to Buffalo on Thursday.
Schmidt's marker came at 15:14 of the third period to reduce Buffalo's lead to 3-1. He has five goals and 11 points in 41 contests in 2022-23. Schmidt has been held off the scoresheet just once in his last four games.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Registers hit in return
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Schmidt (upper body) had a shot and hit in 19:48 of ice time in Winnipeg's 4-2 victory against Tampa Bay on Friday.
Schmidt was playing for the first time since Dec. 15 because of the injury. He has three goals and six points in 30 contests in 2022-23. If you include the time before his injury, then the 31-year-old is on a six-game scoring drought.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Good to go
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Schmidt (upper body) will be activated off injured reserve and rejoin the lineup Friday against the Lightning, Ken Wiebe of Sportsnet reports.
Schmidt is expected to skate on the third pairing and the second power-play unit versus Tampa Bay. The 31-year-old American has collected six points through 29 games this season.
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Jets' Nate Schmidt: Won't play Tuesday
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Schmidt (upper body) has been ruled out for Tuesday's game against Calgary, Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun reports.
The Jets want to give Schmidt some additional time to recover. It sounds like there is a very good chance that he will be back Friday versus Tampa Bay. Schmidt, who has been out since Dec. 15, has generated three goals, three assists, 37 shots on net and 40 blocks in 29 games this season.