There was a fair bit of outcry when Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito missed out on the 2025 General Manager of the Year Award, which was instead handed to Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill, who became the first GM in the award’s 15-year history to win it three years in a row.
It appears Zito has already put that supposed slight in the rearview mirror. On the eve of free agency, Zito managed to wrap up sensible deals for both Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand.
Ekblad signed an eight-year, $48,800,000 deal while Marchand agreed to a six-year, $32,000,000 deal. With Sam Bennett signed to an eight-year, $64 million deal, that brings the Panthers’ expenditure on their top three unrestricted free agents to $144.8 million.
Panthers GM Bill Zito Gets Candid on Retaining Star Players
Zito was asked for his thoughts on how he managed to keep all three of his prized pending free agents in town. The Panthers’ GM took a humble approach to that question: “I didn’t. It was those guys. There’s no gray area whatsoever,” Zito said.
“It’s those guys wanting to be part of something they created.”
Zito was asked how he signed Bennett, Marchand and Ekblad.
“I didn’t. It was those guys. There’s no gray area whatsoever. … It’s those guys wanting to be part of something they created.”
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) July 1, 2025
Zito was rightly credited as being the mastermind behind the Panthers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals wins. His move to bring Marchand to town from Boston paid dividends in the playoffs, where Marchand proved he still has more than a few years left at the highest level.
Dig a little more into his postseason stats, and his impact is painted clearly in numbers. Marchand had 20 points (10-10-20) in 23 postseason games to help hoist his second Stanley Cup. Those 20 points were his second-highest tally in a postseason run in his career.
Marchand also scored two overtime goals in the playoffs, one against Toronto in Round 2 and another against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, breathing new life into the Panthers’ quest for glory, sending the series back to Florida.
With the Panthers retaining Bennett, Ekblad, and Marchand, all eyes will be on if they can win three Stanley Cups on the bounce. If they manage to go all the way this time next year, they would be the fourth NHL team to achieve that feat after the Toronto Maple Leafs (twice), Montreal Canadiens (twice), and New York Islanders.
