Aaron Ekblad Signing Extension with Florida Panthers

According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, “Being told Aaron Ekblad is staying in Florida.” TSN’s retired insider Bob McKenzie adds, “All signs point to Aaron Ekblad and FLA making progress on a long-term deal that, assuming it’s finalized, would take the veteran defenceman out of free agency.”

Terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, but it’s believed Ekblad took a reduced salary to stay in Florida, the only NHL team he has ever played for. Friedman notes, “Sounds like this is going to be around 8 x $6.1M-ish.”

MacKenzie added that there is reason to believe Ekblad could have gotten a max eight-year deal (technically, UFAs can only sign seven years with a new team) with an AAV of perhaps as much as $9 million on the open market. Instead, Ekblad stays put and works to lower the AAV, in part thanks to the no-tax considerations in Florida. He will be leaving considerable money on the table.

The Panthers were looking to get three big-ticket free agents signed. They’ve now taken care of two of them.

Sam Bennett signed an eight-year deal worth $8 million per season on June 27th. The Panthers are also hoping to get Brad Marchand to commit to an extension. There is talk he might test free agency, however.

More to come…

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