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Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito is facing a problem this summer that probably every NHL executive would love to have — none of his unrestricted free agents want to leave.
After capturing a second consecutive Stanley Cup championship — and celebrating accordingly — all of Aaron Ekblad, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand have made it clear they'd love to re-sign in Sunrise.
Although there's only so much money to go around, it makes sense that the trio, who were all instrumental in Florida's title run, would want to stick around for the long haul.
That includes Ekblad, who has been a heart and soul player for Florida since being selected first overall by the franchise in the 2014 NHL Draft. He's the leader in games played and points scored by a defenceman in Panthers franchise history.
“Conversations have been had,” Ekblad said on Saturday regarding contract extension talks, per team reporter Jameson Olive. “Obviously, nothing material yet, but they'll be working on it. Things seem to come down to the last minute here.”
The 29-year-old added: “I've spent 11 years here. … It's home, and I expect it to be home.”
Panthers' Bill Zito has his work cut out for him this summer
As of Saturday, the Panthers have $19 million in cap space to work with, per Puck Pedia. Ekblad, Bennett and Marchand are all pending unrestricted free agents on July 1, but they aren't the only ones.
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Tomas Nosek, Nico Sturm, Mackie Samoskevich, Jaycob Megna, Nate Schmidt and Vitek Vanecek also need new contracts before next season. Obviously, at least a couple of those players will be going to market on July 1.
Ekblad played some of his best hockey of the season in the playoffs, and there have been rumblings that he will command upwards of $7.5 million AAV on his next deal. It's a similar story for Bennett, who led the postseason in scoring and earned the Conn Smythe Trophy for his efforts.
Marchand was also excellent during the run, scoring 10 goals and 20 points — including six tallies in six games against the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Final.
Something is going to have to give; either a few of Florida's star players take team-friendly discounts, or potentially one or more of them hits the open market.
It's certainly going to be interesting to see how the next few weeks shake out, but based on the raucous celebrations, it's clear that none of Ekblad, Bennett or Marchand are thinking too hard about a new contract at the present moment.
Still, that time is coming soon, and if Zito can somehow find a way to get all three locked up, he will continue cementing his status as the best general manager in hockey.
