When it became apparent that a youthful roster would need some in-season help, Florida management went to work.
In came veteran defensemen Tim Erixon and Maxime Fortunus, who signed AHL contracts.
A calmness arrived with the veterans, said Kinnear, who was an AHL captain as a player in the New Jersey Devils organization.
Fortunus (5-11, 205), 34, is a highly respected long-time AHL captain in two NHL organizations with Texas (Dallas Stars) and Iowa (Minnesota Wild) and has played 814 AHL games.
Erixon (6-3, 200), 26, has 12 points (one goal, 11 assists) in 18 games with Springfield. He started the season with Binghamton, scoring one assist in five games.
Florida also took a chance on defenseman Ludwig Bystrom (6-0, 175), who came in a trade from Dallas for defenseman Reece Scarlett on Nov. 10. Dallas selected Bystrom, 23, in the second round (No. 43) of the 2012 NHL Draft, and he has parts of seven seasons of experience in the Swedish Hockey League and the AHL.
For a bit of abrasiveness, Springfield also signed veteran forward Bobby Farnham (5-10, 187), 27, to an AHL contract.
"I lean on the leadership group and get the team to head in the right direction, and they've done a good job of that," Kinnear said.