Blue Jackets flip Nutivaara to Panthers for Pu

The Columbus Blue Jackets traded defenseman Markus Nutivaara to the Florida Panthers for forward prospect Cliff Pu, the team announced Thursday.

Nutivaara helps relieve the logjam on the left side of Columbus' blue line, with the team keeping Zach Werenski, Vladislav Gavrikov, Ryan Murray, Dean Kukan, and Gabriel Carlsson in the fold.

The 26-year-old rearguard is signed for two more seasons with an annual cap hit of $2.7 million, per CapFriendly. He'll help fill a hole on the left side of Florida's blue line following Mike Matheson's departure, who the team traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sept. 24.

Nutivaara tallied nine points in 37 contests last season and has played 244 career NHL games.

The Buffalo Sabres originally picked Pu in the third round in 2016. He notched a pair of assists in 10 AHL games last season.

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