Oct. 8th: Entwistle may now begin his season with AHL Charlotte after Friedman confirmed he cleared waivers.

Oct. 7th: According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Florida Panthers have placed depth forward MacKenzie Entwistle on waivers. Entwistle was designated injured/non-roster before the campaign after suffering an undisclosed injury in the preseason.

Entwistle, 27, will begin his third season in the Panthers organization. The former third-round selection went non-tendered by the Chicago Blackhawks after the 2023-24 campaign, and he signed a one-year, two-way contract with Florida as an unrestricted free agent. After an injury-riddled 2024-25 campaign, Entwistle signed a two-year, $1.63MM ($812.5K AAV) contract to remain with the Panthers.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t earned an NHL opportunity in some time. Throughout his three-year run in the Panthers organization, Entwistle has exclusively played for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. Even though he had several injuries during the 2024-25 season, it’s somewhat surprising that Entwistle didn’t play for Florida last year, given the injuries sustained. During his time with the Checkers, Entwistle has scored six goals and 13 points in 56 games with a +9 rating.

Still, he earned plenty of experience earlier in his career with the Blackhawks. A bottom-six forward in Chicago, Entwistle is a veteran of 193 games at the NHL level, all with the Blackhawks. He scored 15 goals and 35 points with a -55 rating, averaging 11:12 of ice time per game.

Since the Panthers didn’t call upon Entwistle last season, he likely won’t appear in an NHL contest this year. Things could change, but Entwistle is poised to spend another full season in the AHL.