[Signing] Panthers re-signing Ekblad (8 yrs, $6.1m AAV)

[ComixZone]

Thank you Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk! Stopping the Oilers twice over, being great Flames, treating the organization well on your way out, and not helping prevent Ekblad from hitting the market.

I love the Florida Panthers.

[FlamesAddiction]

That's 1.6 using the Frederic conversion ratio.

Honestly, I think it's a good deal but not astronomically. A bargain now, and probably fair in the back half. There were points during the season where I thought he showed signs of decline. I have no doubt that some team would have given him max term at $9 million per, but I also think some team would have lived to regret that as well.

[Saqe]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

Yeah, and I'm fine with that. He earned it. I'm not expecting him to stick around.

Florida has five million in cap space left after Ekblad and need to re-sign Samoskevich. I don't see how they can keep Marchand, unless it's some ridiculously long deal where they try to cheat the system.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Groot

Sure, Ekblad and Forsling at a combined $11.85M AAV is nice and all, but how about a Nurse-Bouchard combo at a mere $20M?

I love that McDavid has to look at this Florida core locked up for his prime years remaining. He sees Barkov, Tkachuk, Bennett, Reinhart, Verhaege, Lundell, Ekblad, Jones and Forsling locked up as that core until 2030.

Then he looks down the desolate future that is an Oilers core of Draisatl, Nugent-Hopkins, Hyman, Frederic, Bouchard and Nurse until 2030.

If Bowman can convince McDavid there is a path to winning in Edmonton he's the greatest salesmen of all-time combined with McDavid having the foresight of a newborn baby

The rest of your post aside...potential dynasty. Likely to compete every year until 2030.

Verhaeghe-Barkov-Reinhart
X-Bennett-Tkachuk
X-Lundell-X
???

Forsling-Ekblad
X-Jones
???


Really solid down the middle and on defense. Some elite wingers.

Only problem is goalies. Bob is going into his final year and is 36. They traded Knight away for Jones, and there's nobody in the pipeline. That's the one reason I hated that trade because Knight was the obvious succession plan, but clearly they plan to fill that need through free agency or trade.

[ComixZone]

With Florida being a winning destination, and Zito being generally excellent I would expect as the cap grows they'll be adding more impact players to play alongside those guys.

Florida has struck gold with their roster/organization.

They're poised to have $28,375,000 in cap-space in 2026/2027 with this team under contract:

Verhaeghe - Barkov - Reinhart
Rodrigues - Bennett - Tkachuk
Luostarinen - Lundell - ?
? - Boqvist - ?

Forsling - Jones
? - Ekblad
? - Kulikov

?
?

Like...wtf is the rest of the league even going to do?

...McDavid going and signing in Florida? Oh bother.

Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor, Martin Necas, Kirill Kaprizov are all poised to be free agents that Summer.

[Bandwagon Surfer]

Seeing the way the Panthers are able to sign top tier players to discounts now, compared to how the same team used to struggle before is neat. It really shows how much of a difference having a winning team makes for attracting players. Florida spent so long as a retirement home for washout players who wanted to collect an NHL salary without media of fan pressure.

To me this shows how important winning is for attracting the right talent. All the other factors people obsess about (weather, taxes, night life, ...) didn't get players taking discounts to stay/join the way winning did. If the rumoured contract is true, Ekblad's contract history will be an excellent way to see how much difference being a winner makes, since the other factors are the same between contracts.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

The rest of your post aside...potential dynasty. Likely to compete every year until 2030.

Verhaeghe-Barkov-Reinhart
X-Bennett-Tkachuk
X-Lundell-X
???

Forsling-Ekblad
X-Jones
???


Really solid down the middle and on defense. Some elite wingers.

Only problem is goalies. Bob is going into his final year and is 36. They traded Knight away for Jones, and there's nobody in the pipeline. That's the one reason I hated that trade because Knight was the obvious succession plan, but clearly they plan to fill that need through free agency or trade.

It would be so so sweet if McDavid pulls a Lebron and takes his talent to South Beach after next year lol.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

It would be so so sweet if McDavid pulls a Lebron and takes his talent to South Beach after next year lol.

I mean sure...I guess, but honestly, they don't need him. The last two years were plenty evidence enough.

Would you seriously bump everyone down one line for that overrated, no defense, lazy malcontent? I wouldn't.

Can you imagine someone like Anton Lundell forced to center your 4th line? Ugh.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

I mean sure...I guess, but honestly, they don't need him. The last two years were plenty evidence enough.

Would you seriously bump everyone down one line for that overrated, no defense, lazy malcontent? I wouldn't.

Can you imagine someone like Anton Lundell forced to center your 4th line? Ugh.

It's honestly more for the saltiness of Oiler tears for that scenario lol. I want to see Tkatchuk / Bennett passing the cup to McDavid :-D

[InternationalVillager]

Originally Posted by Bandwagon Surfer

Seeing the way the Panthers are able to sign top tier players to discounts now, compared to how the same team used to struggle before is neat. It really shows how much of a difference having a winning team makes for attracting players. Florida spent so long as a retirement home for washout players who wanted to collect an NHL salary without media of fan pressure.

To me this shows how important winning is for attracting the right talent. All the other factors people obsess about (weather, taxes, night life, ...) didn't get players taking discounts to stay/join the way winning did. If the rumoured contract is true, Ekblad's contract history will be an excellent way to see how much difference being a winner makes, since the other factors are the same between contracts.

I would look at it another way.

There is a diminishing lure of traditional hockey markets.

Players used to go to Florida "to retire" and it was looked at as an unserious market because it wasn't one where hockey was relatively important.

Now flip that on its head, the new age players find it as a PRO that hockey is not as relatively important in Florida/Dallas/VGK/Carolina. Nice weather, nice beaches, nightlife, Miami.....++ the popularity of hockey amongst US and impact players coming from US.

The whole system has completely changed now with the way that these southern teams are now viewed. Win Cups and you don't have to play in a high stress market? Live in warm weather all year? Go to the rink in golf carts and flip flops? Checkmate.

+++ AND No State Tax? Unbelievable proposition.

[3thirty]

Years 9 and 10 are a 10.0 million consultant role with the Panthers.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Bandwagon Surfer

Seeing the way the Panthers are able to sign top tier players to discounts now, compared to how the same team used to struggle before is neat. It really shows how much of a difference having a winning team makes for attracting players. Florida spent so long as a retirement home for washout players who wanted to collect an NHL salary without media of fan pressure.

To me this shows how important winning is for attracting the right talent. All the other factors people obsess about (weather, taxes, night life, ...) didn't get players taking discounts to stay/join the way winning did. If the rumoured contract is true, Ekblad's contract history will be an excellent way to see how much difference being a winner makes, since the other factors are the same between contracts.

They also wouldn't be there without enduring that bad times and getting high draft picks. Getting someone like Barkov 2nd OA put the wheels in motion and changed the fortunes of that franchise.

[FanIn80]

Marchand is next. He wants to stay and Zito wants to sign him.

Zito:

Discussions between the Panthers and their top pending unrestricted free agents, defenseman Aaron Ekblad and forward Brad Marchand, have been going on for some time. But with the NHL free agency period starting Tuesday at noon ET, the clock is ticking to get deals done.

On Saturday, Florida general manager Bill Zito did not rule out signing both players before Tuesday.

“I have an idea,” Zito said following the conclusion of the 2025 NHL Draft on Saturday afternoon. “If what I think isn’t accurate, and it might not be, OK. We have a Plan B and a Plan C. But my preference, and maybe I’m hoping, is that there’s enough for guys to want to stay and be part of this, be treated fairly and be happy. And that’s the most important thing.”

Marshy:

“These are the best few months I have ever had in my career," Marchand said last Friday. “It’s an incredible group down here. I’ve loved every second of it, and hopefully it can continue."

Panthers GM focused on Ekblad, Marchand deals ahead of free agency: https://www.nhl.com/news/panthers-gm...d-and-marchand

[Mathgod]

Absolutely hilarious how they get a better defenseman for way less AAV than the filth had to pay Bouche.

If the Coilers get back to the final, the Panthers will be there to stop them again.

[SuperMatt18]

These Panthers want to be a dynasty, their own players were talking about it.

Good culture, tax free, winning team, a fun city for young millionaires, easy to decide to take a pay cut to stay in a situation like that.

[Locke]

He's no Bouchard...

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan

The rest of your post aside...potential dynasty. Likely to compete every year until 2030.

Verhaeghe-Barkov-Reinhart
X-Bennett-Tkachuk
X-Lundell-X
???

Forsling-Ekblad
X-Jones
???


Really solid down the middle and on defense. Some elite wingers.

Only problem is goalies. Bob is going into his final year and is 36. They traded Knight away for Jones, and there's nobody in the pipeline. That's the one reason I hated that trade because Knight was the obvious succession plan, but clearly they plan to fill that need through free agency or trade.

Didn't Florida just acquire that new goalie that has "great underlying numbers" and comes from the same hometown as Bob? Daniil Tarasov. I'd never heard of him before but the article that was referenced tried to suggest that it was some great Zito steal.

[mile]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1939786185238347789

[Mathgod]

If they want to skate it back, they're going to need all the rest they can get. They should let their farm team play the entire preseason.

[Badgers Nose]

Wow!

Daddy, can I have a Bill Zito too?