Veteran defenseman has informed his team he will test free agency.

There are several teams in the National Hockey League looking to add defensive depth through free agency or trade this summer but the options are very limited. It does appear however that at least one more name will be available on the market.

According to a report Harvey Fialkov of the Florida Sun-Sentinel, defenseman Brian Campbell and his agentr have informed the Florida Panthers that they desire to test free agency. According to Fialkov the Panthers reached out to Campbell to re-sign him and it was at that time he informed the team he would be looking to test the market.

From Fialkov's report:

Rowe said that the Panthers told Campbell and his agent they want to re-sign him but it appears Campbell, who turned 37 on Monday, will test the market first.

The first question here will be obviously how much term Campbell is looking for, at 37 years of age teams are likely to hesitate when it comes to giving him a lengthy deal, but despite his advanced age he continues to contribute at an elite level.

The veteran defenseman averaged over 22:00 minutes of ice time this season, and those kinds of minutes on the blue line are extremely valuable, especially when you consider the fact he was +31 on the season. There's also the matter of Campbell's durability, in five seasons as a member of the Panthers he missed a total of 0 games, yet another remarkable statistic in the 37 year old's favor.

It's unclear at this time where Campbell wants to land, but there will undoubtedly be a number of teams interested.

[pub]