Ekblad and Barkov are the longest tenured Florida players after being the team's number one picks in consecutive years
There are a couple of Florida Panthers who have been waiting a long time for the team to see this kind of success.
Sasha Barkov and Aaron Ekbald were Florida’s number one picks in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
Barkov was the second overall pick while Ekblad was the first player off the board.
Both made their NHL debuts with the Panthers as 18-year-old rookies and have been foundational pieces of the franchise ever since.
Through thick and thin, Barkov and Ekblad have endured some high highs and low lows during their decade with the Panthers.
The past few years, though, there has been a noticeable difference around the team.
That’s what’ll happen when you start consistently making the playoffs after qualifying just twice in a 19-year span.
Florida’s two top picks were around for the home stretch of that dark phase in Panthers history, which helps give them an even greater sense of appreciation for what the team has done over the past two months.
“It's amazing, not gonna lie,” Panthers captain Sasha Barkov said last week. “I’ve been here for a long time, and this is the best time. Best time in my life right now.”
“This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity,” added Ekblad. “Laying it all out on the line and sacrificing whatever you need to do to make the most of it, and win, obviously, is the most important part, but (also) the journey, and all the years and all the ups and downs and ebbs and flows of life and hockey that it takes to get to this opportunity.”
Forget about how difficult it is simply to reach the NHL, but countless players go their entire careers without earning an opportunity to compete for the Stanley Cup.
Since they were drafted, Barkov and Ekblad were saddled with the hope and expectations of turning around a franchise that had been mired in mediocrity.
There is a certain level of burden and accountability that comes with bearing that kind of weight, particularly in a very public setting like professional sports.
When asked about what playing in the Stanley Cup Final could mean to Barkov and Ekblad, Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice gave an extended, detailed and thoughtful answer.
It’s not just about the players and their bond to the team, but it’s also a connection with a city and a fanbase that have longed for a team led by players like this to get behind.
“The these are good men,” he began. “When you get a guy that's a franchise player, it usually also means you're getting paid pretty well. They feel a responsibility, they do…I see that tagline sometimes, or maybe it's true in other sports, or maybe it's true of certain people…all these million-dollar players, they're just people too. When you get paid that much money, if you're a cornerstone (player), and there are two or three guys on every single sports franchise that are, they carry a weight with that and a pressure with that. They do, and they want it. They’re tied into the community, the Barkov’s and the Ekblad’s, are Florida Panthers.
“It's a little bit of a give back, because they got paid and they worked their butts off and they want the fans to be proud of them, and now their team is at a place where their fans can truly enjoy it. It's a little bit of a give back, a thank you. You know, ‘I've been here for a while. We haven’t got that far, but I'm a Florida Panther and I'm proud of it.’ There's a big part of it. There's a big give back to the fans, saying thank you. You've supported me as the captain and the face of the franchise, he gets lots of cheers, and why wouldn't he, and he gets the standing ovation, and he should because they're great players. But you need to be able to give something back to your fans, and last night was a real nice give back to the fans, right? The first Stanley Cup Final win in this building. Everybody had a great time. That's what sports is all about, in a lot of ways, it's that fan experience, so the players feel the weight of the responsibility, and they also should feel proud of themselves for pretty nice gift to the fans.”
It's a sentiment that was pretty spot on.
“To play in front of the crowd, and battling for something you've been dreaming off since literally when I was born, it's huge,” said Barkov. “To be a Florida Panther right now, I'm really proud of that.”