Panthers Is Adamant on Keeping Top Elite Despite “Mouth-Watering” Offers From Top Giants

Despite the temptation, the Florida Panthers should hang onto their top defenseman through his final contract year.

The Florida Panthers have a few weeks left to savor their first Stanley Cup championship before the defense officially begins. As the season approaches, there are many questions about their ability to protect their title and how long their core players will stay together.

At the forefront is defenseman Aaron Ekblad, the Panthers’ former first overall pick. Since joining the team in 2015, he has been a key player, but now both he and the organization are at a pivotal moment. With Ekblad entering the final season of his contract at just 28 years old, he is understandably looking for a new long-term, lucrative deal after this season.

Recently, David Dwork and Lyle Richardson from The Hockey News noted that Ekblad’s name keeps popping up in trade rumors, despite no solid indication that the Panthers are actively pursuing a trade. Given his impending unrestricted free agency, speculation will continue until he either re-signs with Florida or hits the market in July 2025. I’ve also contributed to this discussion, highlighting how crucial it is for the Panthers’ future to decide on Ekblad’s situation.

With training camp just weeks away, it seems likely that discussions about Ekblad will be postponed until the season starts or later. The pressure might be on the team to trade him rather than risk losing him for nothing in free agency. However, Panthers general manager Bill Zito should resist that temptation.

The Panthers have an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins and become the third team to win back-to-back Stanley Cups in the last decade. The roster remains mostly intact, with the significant exception of defenseman Brandon Montour, who has joined the Seattle Kraken. Their offensive lineup, featuring Sasha Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, and Carter Verhaege, remains formidable, and Sergei Bobrovsky is playing at the top of his game in goal.

The biggest challenge for the Panthers in their pursuit of consecutive titles will be their defensive performance, heavily relying on Ekblad. Last season was tough for him despite the team’s success; injuries restricted him to just 51 regular-season games, and although he averaged over 20 minutes per game in the postseason, he was noticeably less effective.

A healthy and motivated Ekblad could be a game-changer for the Panthers. With Montour gone, he is now the team’s only reliable right-handed defenseman and should return to his usual role as a top-pairing player in all situations. Although the team could consider trading him, such a move might stem from anxiety. If the Panthers aim to defend their Stanley Cup title, they need to hold on to Ekblad and address his contract after the upcoming season.