A big shocker across the NHL broke today, as the Florida Panthers are keeping their star defenceman as Aaron Ekblad re-signs with the club. This does come as a bit of a surprise. The veteran blueliner decided to take a little less money to stay put in South Florida.
This deal is for eight years at a cost of $48.8 million. The agreement has an average cap hit of $6.1 million and expires at the end of the 2032-33 season.
Report: Panthers re-sign Aaron Ekblad to eight-year contract
— DailyFaceoff.com (@dailyfaceoff.bsky.social) 2025-06-30T19:45:36.342Z
Aaron Ekblad Re-Signs With Florida Panthers
When it comes to big, tough, right-hand shot defenceman, Ekblad is the standard that NHLers live by. When you are a top-pair defenceman on the Cup winning squad, you really don’t have much more to prove. Ekblad is one of the top NHL defenceman, and when Team Canada brass come calling over the next couple seasons, his spot is already waiting for him.
He was the first overall selection way back in 2014 for the Panthers. Throughout his career, he has done nothing but proven why Florida was right in 2014 to take him first overall. In 10 years in the league, he has played 732 games, scoring 118 goals and adding 262 assists for 380 points.
He won the Calder Trophy as league’s top rookie in the 2014-15 season. However, he hasn’t been close to a Norris Trophy for league’s top defenceman. This is possibly due to the fact that more offensive defenders tend to walk away with the silverware. Ekblad has averaged 22:53 of ice time throughout his career, and never really looks out of position while he’s out there.
What It Means
For the Panthers and General Manager Bill Zito, after they won the 2024 Stanley Cup, you knew the roster would have to change. However, they’ve managed to keep the band together for the most part.
There may be some roster changes coming. However, Ekblad seems to be a lifer for the Panthers. He doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
Main photo credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
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