Both sides agreed on a deal that would pay Mark an annual average salary of 2.7 million over the next 3 seasons. Despite being labeled as a 3rd pairing defenseman, Mark is arguably the most solid defensive d-man on the Cats. The Panthers conceived a barrage of goals throughout the 2016-17 season, but Mark Pysyk stood out above the rest as he totaled 72 impactful hits and an impressive 99 blocked shots.
He also experienced a breakout season offensively as he registered a career high 4 goals, 13 assists and 17 points (all even strength). He proved to be the Cats most reliable and dependable defenseman as he played in all 82 regular season games in a tumultuous season which saw Aaron Ekblad and recently signed Alex Petrovic battle injuries throughout the course of the year.