Nutivaara, 28, appeared in only one game for the Florida Panthers last season due to injury, collecting one assist on Oct. 29, 2021. In the 2020-21 season, Nutivaara appeared in 30 games recording ten assists. Over the course of his career, he has appeared in 275 NHL games, scoring 71 points (17 goals, 54 assists) with a plus-26 rating with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Panthers. In each of his six seasons, Nutivaara has been an even-or-better rating. He has also appeared in 17 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, scoring two points.
Prior to his NHL career, Nutivaara appeared in 50 games for Karpat of Liiga, Finland's top hockey league. He recorded 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in parts of two seasons with the club, helping Karpat to a Bronze medal in 2015-16 and won the Liiga championship the year prior.
Internationally he has represented Team Finland at the 2018 World Championships, recording nine points (three goals, six assists) in eight contests and was named as a Top-3 Player on the team.
The six-foot-one, 187-pound defenseman was originally selected by Columbus in the 2015 NHL Draft (seventh round, 189th overall).
