Another day, another Florida Panthers player taking a team-friendly deal.
On Thursday, the Panthers announced they had signed defenseman Niko Mikkola to an eight-year extension.
The deal is worth a total of $40 million, which will carry an AAV (average annual value) of $5 million.
“It feels awesome,” Mikkola said Thursday morning. “We were talking throughout the summer. I saw all the boys signing here so it was a no-brainer to keep the band together.”
With his new contract running through the year 2034, Mikkola joins a growing list of Panthers players who are all locked up for the foreseeable future.
Florida now has Mikkola, Sasha Barkov ($10M AAV through 2030), Matthew Tkachuk ($9.5M through 2030), Sam Reinhart ($8.625M through 2032), Aaron Ekblad ($6.1M through 2033), Gus Forsling ($5.75M through 2032), Sam Bennett ($8M through 2033), Carter Verhaeghe ($7M through 2033), Seth Jones ($7M through 2030), Brad Marchand ($5.25M through 2031) and Anton Lundell ($5M through 2030) all signed through at least the end of the decade, and most, if not all of those deals come with very team-friendly figures.
That is especially true when considering the NHL salary cap – which over the past three years has jumped from $83.5M to $88.0M to its current spot at $95.5M – is expected to rise to somewhere in the range of $104M in 2026-27 and $113.5M in 2027-28.
All those long-term AAVs start looking better and better as they become smaller pieces of the growing pie, which in turn will give Panthers General Manager Bill Zito more flexibility to add to Florida’s already potent roster.
Mikkola, who will turn 30 in April, has exceled since joining the Panthers.
His physical, ranging defensive game has proven to be a perfect fit in Florida’s defensive systems, with opponents often remarking how much they despise playing against him.
“You love those guys because they are part of the fabric of your group and they do all the hard things,” Maurice said of Mikkola. “I did not want to see him to go free agency. He’s a big part of that back end, so we’re real happy.
“And he’s funny as hell, so it’s good to keep him around,” Maurice added.
While the deal represents a 100% pay rise (his previous deal carried an AAV of $2.5 million), Mikkola would likely have demanded a higher salary had he elected to enter free agency next summer without a contract.
It would seem the appeal of committing long-term to the Panthers and having the security of playing for a proven winner with teammates you love on what just happens to be the biggest deal you’ve ever signed was too much for Nikkola to pass up.
Can you blame him?
“All the guys are great guys, and I’ve been enjoying it (here) since the first day I came to Florida, so it was a no-brainer to stay,” he said. “I feel like this might be my last contract, so it’s awesome to know for the next nine years where I’m going to play.”
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Photo caption: Mar 16, 2025; Elmont, New York, USA; Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola (77) at UBS Arena. (Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images)