The Florida Panthers Face a Busy Off-Season Following the Stanley Cup Final
The Florida Panthers have a lot of pending free agents this off-season. A Stanley Cup win makes it all worth it, even if it leads to some changes to fit under the salary cap.
Headed to the Stanley Cup final for the second straight year, the Florida Panthers are determined to avoid history repeating itself. For their current roster, it will be their last chance to challenge for hockey's holy grail.
PuckPedia indicates 11 players are eligible to become UFAs on July 1. The notables include winger Sam Reinhart and defenseman Brandon Montour.
Reinhart, 28, had a career-best 57-goal performance in the final season of a three-year contract with an average annual value of $6.5 million. Meanwhile, the 30-year-old Montour is a puck-moving, right-shot defenseman finishing a three-year deal with a cap hit of $3.5 million.
Both seek significant raises on their next contracts that would bite deeply into the Panthers' $20.8 million of projected cap space for 2024-25.
Sportsnet's Luke Fox cited Panthers GM Bill Zito recently telling the Miami Herald his club would do everything it could to keep its best players. He claimed they made progress in contract talks before the playoffs but a lot of work remained to be done.
Before the playoffs began, Zito and Reinhart separately told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun they believed an agreement could be reached on a new contract. However, Montour's future with the Panthers appears hazy.
Fox noted Zito prioritized signing blueliner Gustav Forsling in March to an eight-year extension with an annual cap hit of $5.75 million. With Montour set to double his cap hit on his next contract, this season could be his last with the Panthers.
The Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons reported Sunday that the Panthers want to re-sign Montour and Reinhart. He believes they'll look into trading first-pairing blueliner Aaron Ekblad and use the savings for Montour.
Ekblad is a key part of the Panthers' roster core. He has a year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $7.5 million and a no-movement clause until July 1, when it becomes a 12-team no-trade list.
Trading Ekblad would be a bold move by Zito that would leave a gaping hole in the Panthers' blueline. However, the 28-year-old defenseman is a year away from UFA eligibility and battled injuries over the past four seasons.
Zito might prefer avoiding that route to free up cap space for Reinhart and Montour. He could instead consider peddling Evan Rodrigues ($3 million per season through 2026-27) or Niko Mikkola ($2.5 million through 2025-26).
Another option would be shopping Sam Bennett. He carries a $4.145-million cap hit through next season and will also become a UFA next July.