Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito has retained the services of another piece of his championship core, signing first paring defenseman Aaron Ekblad to a new eight-year contract worth $48.8 million according to The Athletic.
Ekblad, who was the first overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft, has spent his entire career with the Cats, producing 118 goals and 262 assists in 732 career regular season games.
The 29-year-old has eight goals and 25 assists in 83 career playoff games. This postseason, Ekblad appeared in 19 of 23 games and contributed four goals and nine assists to Florida’s Cup defense.
Ekblad is coming off an eight-year, $60 million deal that paid him $7.5 million annually. So, at a $6.1 million AAV, Zito is getting the hometown discount here, although the term is long.
The Panthers are reportedly still trying to somehow squeeze UFAs Brad Marchand and Tomas Nosek under the cap. If they are able to do so, they will be run back a large portion of this past season’s roster as they try to become the first team to win three-straight titles since the New York Islanders won four in a row from 1980 to 1983.