The Panthers are gearing up for a three-peat attempt.
As the NHL offseason continues, Florida has already reportedly agreed to new contracts with three of its key contributors. Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad are all set to remain with the team long-term.
With 22 years of combined contract years between those three players, the Panthers are running it back with deals that managed to keep three notable pieces in town for the long haul.
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Here’s a look at the Panthers’ offseason re-signings and how it affected their cap space.
MORE: Tracking all the latest moves in 2025 NHL free agency
Panthers offseason moves
In the past three days, the Panthers have reportedly agreed to new contracts for Bennett, Marchand, and Ekblad.
On Friday, Florida signed Bennett to a new eight-year deal that pays him $8 million annually, preventing him from hitting the open market when free agency began. Bennett earned a pay increase from his $4.425 million annually on his previous deal.
The 29-year-old Bennett had 25 goals and 26 assists in 76 games during the 2024-25 regular season before winning the Conn Smythe Trophy by posting 11 goals and 12 assists over 21 playoff games. He’s been with the Panthers since 2021, and he’s now set to stick around in Florida for years.
That wasn’t the end of the team’s high-profile retentions. ESPN reported Monday that Florida was re-signing Ekblad to an eight-year deal worth $6.1 million annually, bringing back their defenseman and also preventing him from hitting free agency.
Also 29 and one of the top potential free agents of this cycle, Ekblad “left potentially millions of dollars per season on the table to stick with Florida,” ESPN wrote. He’s been with the team since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2014.
Finally, the Panthers also reportedly agreed to a six-year extension with Marchand, who will likely spend the rest of his career in Florida after being traded by Boston at the 2024 trade deadline. Marchand is reportedly set to make $5.25 million annually, and the deal is front-loaded with $1 million in base salary each season and the rest in signing bonuses, per Pierre LeBrun.
Marchand scored 10 goals over 23 playoff games on the Panthers’ playoff run, and his new deal will take him until age 43.
Panthers cap space
Florida came into the offseason with an expectation that it may not be able to retain its three key free agents due to limited cap space. That has not been the case.
Per ESPN, after the Panthers re-signed Ekblad and Bennett, they were left with a projected $4.9 million in salary cap space. Marchand’s deal reportedly has an average annual value of $5.25 million, so there are likely more moves coming for Florida as it navigates the salary cap.
The Panthers likely won’t have much wiggle room as NHL free agency officially begins, as PuckPedia projects that the team is left with just $1.275 million in cap space right now. However, that also assumes that two players are sent down; otherwise, they’d be over the salary cap.
After signing Marchand ($5.25M), #TimeToHunt have $1.275M Projected cap space with 17 active players. Assumes both Greer and Gadjovic are sent down (both require waivers) (10F/6D/1G)
RFA: Samoskevich, Tarasov
UFA: Nosek, Sturm, Schmidt, Megna, Vanecekhttps://t.co/4v6vEP9mVB— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) June 30, 2025
It’s also worth noting that Florida has no state income tax, meaning the three significant contracts dished out to Bennett, Marchand, and Ekblad will mostly go right to the players. Between that tidbit and the Panthers being annual Stanley Cup contenders, it’s clear that all three of those players prioritized remaining in Florida over potentially getting more money on the open market.
Here’s a full look at the players that Florida has locked in until 2030:
Florida Panthers until at least 2030
Barkov
Tkachuk
Reinhart
Bennett
Verhaeghe
Lundell
Marchand
Jones
Ekblad
ForslingBob’s $10M deal ends after this year and I assume he will also re-sign at a more reasonable cap hit. This group isn’t close to slowing down.
— Chief (@BarstoolChief) June 30, 2025
