The Florida Panthers have done an excellent job of creating a winning environment in South Florida, and today they made the news with a relevant piece of information. Defenceman Niko Mikkola is the one that is in the news, as he signs a contract extension with the club. Mikkola is another fabulous example of players loving the culture general manager Bill Zito has built. With this extension, he is sticking around until the summer of 2034. The deal he signs today doubles his average annual value. His salary is going from $2.5 million for the upcoming 2025-26 campaign, to $5 million per-year afterward. This is a big deal for Mikkola, and shows the close-knit feel of the group.
Niko Mikkola Signs an Eight-Year Contract Extension with Florida
To continue with the feeling of closeness within the group, the team has 11 players signed until 2030. The two-time Stanley Cup champs have created an environment as the class of excellence within the NHL community. Moroever, Mikkola fits right in. He signs a similar contract to fellow defenceman Gustav Forsling actually. Forsling is locked-in at $5.75 million until 2032.
What Makes Mikkola Such an Asset
As Niko Mikkola signs, he is known to provide excellent versatility in his role. Last year, he spent a bunch of time with Nate Schmidt and Dmitry Kulikov, or essentially the Panthers third pairing. He’s a reliable defender, one that head coach Paul Maurice will get it done when the Stanley Cup playoffs come around, and the games matter the most.
From a career perspective, Mikkola was originally drafted in 2015, in the fifth round of the NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues. The Cats are his third NHL club, and it is actually possible, given this deal, his last. After all, he will be 38 when his contract expires. Although, his $5 million price tag, and his skillset, will make him an asset, especially to young teams, building, who might want a man of his experience for their young players.
Mikkola has played 328 regular season game, with 14 goals, 48 assists and 62 points. Last year was his career high in goals(six), assists (16), and points (22). Also, he has reached over 20 minutes of average ice time, in each of his past two seasons. Ironically enough, coinciding with the Panthers cup wins. Quite impressive and a good reason to get the deal signed, from player and team perspectives.
Main Photo Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
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