Ekblad is entering the final season of an 8-year, $60 million contract he signed in 2016

There could be some significant changes coming to the Florida Panthers this offseason.

The Panthers are fresh off the franchise’s first Stanley Cup Championship, but the quick turnaround from Game 7 of the Cup Final and the start of free agency has left little time to take a breath.

Florida General Manager Bill Zito and his staff are going to have some money to spend, currently coming in with just under $20 million in salary cap space.

The Panthers will have some holes to fill from their championship roster as 11 key contributors to last season’s squad will be hitting the open market as unrestricted free agents.

Those players are Sam Reinhart, Brandon Montour, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Kevin Stenlund, Nick Cousins, Dmitry Kulikov, Anthony Stolarz, Ryan Lomberg, Steven Lorentz and trade deadline additions Vladimir Tarasenko and Kyle Okposo.

On top of all that, another longtime Panthers player may also be on the move.

THN Florida has learned that Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad is being shopped on the trade market.

This was first reported by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. 

Ekblad is entering the final season of an eight-year deal he signed on July 1 of 2016, which came with an average annual value (AAV) of $7.5 million.

That’s how much he’s on the books for in 2024-25.

He also has a full no-movement clause in his deal that shifts to a 12-team no-trade list when free agency opens on July 1.

Ekblad is one of three Panthers entering the final year of their contracts. Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe are also going to be UFA following next season, though THN Florida has learned that Florida is already working toward an extension with Verhaeghe.

It will be interesting to see what kind of value the Panthers may potentially get for Ekblad.

The 28-year-old former first overall draft pick has played 10 seasons in the NHL, all with Florida.

He’s played 676 games in the league, racking up 115 goals and 347 points while earning a reputation as an extremely skilled defenseman with a very active stick.

Ekblad is currently the only right-shooting defenseman on Florida’s roster, so it would make sense that they’ll be looking for one or two this summer.

Whether that happens in a deal with Ekblad remains to be seen, but this is certainly something to keep an eye on as the NHL Draft and the new league year draws closer.

Stay tuned.  

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