We’re in the final hours before the NHL free agency period officially opens. Starting at noon on Tuesday, teams can officially begin signing players who are unrestricted free agents to new contracts. The NHL salary cap is also going up, increasing by $7.5 million to a total cap ceiling of $95.5 million. That represents the largest jump between seasons since the salary cap was implemented back in 2005. As of Monday at noon, 24 hours before the official open of free agency, the Florida Panthers had $11 million in cap space to work with based off the players – 11 forwards, five defensemen and a goaltender – who were under contract with Florida for the 2025-26 season. For those wondering, they are Sasha Barkov, Sergei Bobrovsky, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, Seth Jones, Gus Forsling, Anton Lundell, Evan Rodrigues, Eetu Luostarinen, Niko Mikkola, Jesper Boqvist, Dmitry Kulikov, A.J. Greer, Uvis Balinskis and Jonah Gadjovich. Well, the Panthers are now seemingly out of cap space thanks to a pair of signings that sent shockwaves across the hockey world. Defenseman Aaron Ekblad and forward Brad Marchand have each agreed to long-term extensions to stay in South Florida. For Ekblad, he signed an eight-year deal that carries an average annual value (AAV) of $6.1 million. Marchand inked a six-year deal with the Panthers with an AAV of $5.25. Those are two massive signings by Florida, and it sets up the Panthers with an amazing core of players who are all locked into contracts for the foreseeable future. Signed at least through 2030 are Barkov, Tkachuk, Reinhart, Bennett, Jones, Forsling, Lundell and now Ekblad and Marchand. But the Panthers likely aren’t done. At the moment, they are over the cap by $350,000, and they still need to sign a backup goalie. The likely candidate is restricted free agent Daniil Tarason, who Florida acquired last week during the NHL Draft. It’s also been reported by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period [https://x.com/TheFourthPeriod/status/1939907333607629008] that the Panthers are looking into bringing back Tomas Nosek, another unrestricted free agent. Could Florida be exploring a potential trade? Is there a possibility that a player could start the season on LTIR? These are questions that could be answered in the coming hours, or in the coming weeks and months. We’ll have to wait and see, but don’t think that just because Florida had a busy June 30th, they won’t be active on July 1st. Stay tuned. LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA Panthers to sign Brad Marchand to multi-year extension, per report [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/panthers-to-sign-brad-marchand-to-multi-year-extension-per-report] Report: Aaron Ekblad staying with Panthers on long-term extension [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/report-aaron-ekblad-staying-with-panthers-on-long-term-extension] NHL Rumors: Insider Names 3 Suitors For Brad Marchand [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/nhl-rumors-insider-names-3-suitors-for-brad-marchand] Stanley Cup heading to Montreal, will soon have names of 2024-25 Florida Panthers engraved onto it [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/stanley-cup-heading-to-montreal-will-soon-have-names-of-2024-25-florida-panthers-engraved-onto-it] NHL Rumors: 3 Teams Who Could Target Panthers' Nate Schmidt [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/florida-panthers/latest-news/nhl-rumors-3-teams-who-could-target-panthers-nate-schmidt] Photo caption: May 7, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Florida Panthers center Brad Marchand (63) scores a goal and celebrates with defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the second period in game two of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. (Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images)
