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Home again: Florida signs Booth to PTO

Florida Panthers v Pittsburgh Penguins

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 27: David Booth #10 of the Florida Panthers handles the puck against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Center on March 27, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Penguins defeated the Panthers 2-1 in a shootout. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

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David Booth is headed back to the place of his greatest NHL success.

On Wednesday, Florida announced it was bringing Booth to training camp on a PTO, marking the return of the veteran forward that scored a career-best 31 goals for the Panthers in 2008-09.

The 30-year-old winger was drafted by Florida and spent the first six years of his career with the club. His emotional ties to the franchise ran deep; upon learning of his trade to Vancouver in 2011, Booth reportedly “broke down in tears.”

Wonder how he’ll react to the PTO.

Chances are Booth will be happy to return to a happy place, as his career has steadily declined since leaving South Florida. Health issues and diminishing foot speed have seen him score just 17 goals over his last 137 games, split between Vancouver and Toronto.

He also averaged just 11:56 TOI with the Leafs last year, his lowest total since his rookie year.