Bill Zito is at it again.
The Florida Panthers’ brilliant general manager has pulled off the improbable and re-signed all three of his marquee free agents: Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad.
The money looked tight, and most believed the Panthers could only afford to keep two of the three, at best.
However, Zito inked the Conn Smythe winner Bennett to an eight-year, $64 million deal. If there were a Conn Smythe runner-up trophy, it would have gone to Marchand, who agreed to a six-year, $31.5 million contract. Finally, 11-year Florida veteran Ekblad agreed to an eight-year, $48.8 million figure.
Here is what Zito had to say about retaining Bennett, Marchand, and Ekblad:
“I didn’t. It was those guys. There’s no gray area whatsoever… It’s those guys wanting to be part of something they created.”
Zito’s selflessness is part of the reason the Panthers have been so dominant lately, winning the Eastern Conference each of the last three seasons and capturing consecutive Stanley Cups.
That attitude resonates throughout the organization and is particularly evident on the ice, where Florida relies on every active skater and goaltender, not just its top guys.
Zito has also somehow locked in a core of Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Seth Jones, Gustav Forsling, and the three aforementioned names through the 2029-30 season.
A three-peat, and potentially more, are all within sight for one of the best teams the NHL has ever seen. Zito is probably out of money for any more blockbuster moves, but never say never with this front office.
