Jesper Boqvist Excelling Everywhere on the Ice

If it feels like Jesper Boqvist is everywhere on the ice for the Florida Panthers, that’s because, well, he kind of is.

Head coach Paul Maurice said during the preseason that Boqvist’s strength was the ability to slot on almost every line, next to players with a wide array of skill sets. The silky forward began the regular season on the fourth line with physical grinders Jonah Gadjovich and A.J. Greer, but it always felt like his time there would be short. By the third game of the season, injuries necessitated Boqvist moving to the third line with Greer and Mackie Samoskevich against the Buffalo Sabres.

The 26-year-old spent his first four years in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils and one year with the Boston Bruins before signing a one-year contract with Florida over the summer. Boqvist had made a reputation for himself as a smooth skater with impressive puck skills, but he has had to take on different roles with injuries to key special teams players – most recently Aaron Ekblad.

He’s spent at least 20 minutes with eight different line combinations from the second to fourth lines this year, sometimes having to move out of position to center, and has been a contributor on the penalty kill and power play.  

“I didn’t know that he would be as versatile as he is,” Maurice said. “It’s very easy for him to slide all over. But the player, this is what we had hoped for. It looks like, wherever we play him, he plays well.”

The constant mixing and matching isn’t hurting his game, either. If anything, it’s elevating him. Through 44 games, he already has a career-high in goals (11) and shooting percentage (22.9). When asked to take faceoffs, his win percentage is also at a career-high of 41.3.

ABSOLUTE FILTH FROM JESPER BOQVIST!!! pic.twitter.com/d3yRQElNSD

— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) November 15, 2024

Most recently, he’s found himself on the third line with Carter Verhaeghe and Anton Lundell. In the 10 games they’ve been grouped together, that line has scored eight goals and has been the most potent trio while the rest of the team is mired in a scoring drought.

“Boqvist is so fast down the lane, makes really good plays, gets on their D,” Verhaeghe said.

Verhaeghe admittedly didn’t know much about Boqvist’s game when he first arrived in Sunrise. Now, the trio looks like a scoring threat on every shift.

“We kind of play a similar game,” Verhaeghe said. “Me and Bo, we kind of just skate up the ice. He’s so smart defensively and makes good reads. He has a really good shot, really skilled, and can win battles in tight areas.”

Boqvist’s scoring pace is already at the best of his six-year career. His aforementioned career-high 11th goal came in Saturday’s 3-0 win over the Anaheim Ducks. The Swede ripped a shot past Ducks goaltender John Gibson with 8:38 left in the second period to put the Panthers up, 1-0. Boqvist notched the new water mark after just 44 games. He had scored 10 with the Devils in 2021-22 and 2022-23, doing it in 56 and 70 games, respectively.

“Good opportunity to play with good players and a good team,” Boqvist said. So try to work hard and have my stick on the ice, and then people will find me.”