The celebrations are already well underway for the Florida Panthers after they were once again crowned Stanley Cup champions, thanks to their second consecutive championship victory, defeating the Edmonton Oilers in six games.
The Panthers are attempting to stake their claim to having a modern-day dynasty. Critics would be hard pressed to disagree with what they’ve managed to accomplish in the last two seasons.
But as the celebrations continue, the Panthers are going to be facing some tough decisions on a handful of their key players who are up for new contracts.
Can The Panthers Afford To Keep All Of Their Free Agents?
The Florida players who are up for new contracts happen to be three of the most important on their roster. Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sam Bennett and veteran forward Brad Marchand, both of whom were integral to Florida’s second straight Stanley Cup run, can become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
Additionally, longtime Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad is also up for a new contract. All three players are expected to command top dollar on their new deals. It may not be financially feasible for Florida to be able to keep them all short of their willingness to accept major discounts.
Ekblad made it clear in no uncertain terms that he views himself as a Florida Panther and hopes to make it a career-long commitment.
“That’s part of who I am at this point,” Ekblad said during exit interviews at Amerant Bank Arena earlier this week. “I’ve spent 11 years here, and that’s more than I’ve spent in any home or city in my life. So it’s home, and I expect it to be home.”
As far as ongoing contract negotiations are concerned, Ekblad said that there have been conversations.
“Conversations have been had, obviously nothing material yet,” Ekblad said. “But they’ll be working on it. Things seem to come down to the last minute here.”
Ekblad was the Panthers’ first overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, and he’s spent his entire NHL career with the club. Not only has he experienced several disappointing years when the Panthers weren’t a championship threat, but he’s now firmly added “two-time Stanley Cup champion” to his professional resume.
If the Panthers can convince Ekblad to accept a cap hit lower than the $7.5 million he earned for the last several years in his most recent contract, then there stands a good chance that he could return to the team with a new deal.
