Instant Analysis: Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand both sign extensions with the Panthers

Bill Zito completes his hat trick

No matter the disbelief from assembled media when he says it, Bill Zito has insisted for the last two weeks that his goal was to keep all three of his major pending unrestricted free agents if possible. By late afternoon on Monday, to even more disbelief, he had done just that.

Aaron Ekblad signed an eight year, $48.8M extension which carries a $6.1M cap hit annually, and Marchand signed a six year, $31.5M extension which carries a $5.25M cap hit annually. Most of this particular deal will be paid out in signing bonuses as Pierre LeBrun has reported.

It always seemed that Sam Bennett was the most likely of the three to stay put, and he signed his deal on Friday before the Draft. Ekblad seemed the least likely of the three to say, even as he continued to make his intentions clear even as negotiations seemed to hit an impasse. Marchand could have gotten an AAV raise on the open market if he wanted to, but his success in Florida was so great that he must have changed his calculus too. Now, all three are back as the Panthers re-load for a possible threepeat.

Ekblad not only took a hometown discount to stay in Florida, he probably took a fairly steep one. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported that Ekblad might have received a $9M AAV deal on the open market, yet decided that staying with the only team he’s ever played for and keeping the band together was more important than any potential raise. Ekblad has made over $70 million in his career thus far as a #1 overall pick, and so with his desire to stay made as clear as could be over and over again, he was willing to bend on his asks as did the team. Bill Zito probably didn’t want to give out another eight year deal, but for Ekblad and the cap hit they were able to agree on, the deal makes perfect sense for both sides. The Panthers know what they have and Ekblad is happier than ever to fill his role.

Marchand’s contract is a fascinating exercise on the lengths GM’s and players may go to get something done, even if it might bend the rules. No one expected a six year contract for Marchand; the longest length speculated was four years. Whatever happens at the back end of the contract isn’t particularly relevant in the short term, when Marchand’s impact will be at its highest as the Panthers try to extend this winning window as long as they can, and the extra years on the deal helps lower the cap hit to make the math work. Getting Marchand’s impact for $5.25M AAV over the next two seasons is as good a chance there is at maximizing his impact without sacrificing much elsewhere. Yes, that is Dom Luszczyszyn’s aging model completely busted, but that’s not something that concerns the Panthers at present, or whatever happens after the next year or two. Marchand did say he wanted to keep playing until he’s 40… how about 43?

The band is well and truly back together for another run, but Bill Zito has plenty of work still to do. The Panthers are, as of this writing on the night of Monday June 30th, over the cap before signing a pair of RFA’s as well as any UFA’s they may want. This might be the end of both Evan Rodrigues and Jesper Boqvist’s time with the Panthers, as shipping them out saves the Panthers $4.5M in cap space, giving them approximately $4.15M to spend with six open roster spots to fill according to PuckPedia. Dimitry Kulikov could be another possible outgoing option with his $1.125M cap hit, though his role could be harder to fill and he’s certainly a sentimental favorite.

Those moves are to come, and might be done by the time this is posted, or even when many see this come into their inbox. But for now, the seemingly impossible task has been taken care of: the Panthers kept Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand all in the fold as they go for a dynasty. Bill Zito said he could do this and now he has. The long term implications can wait for another day while the Panthers hone in on their immediate goals.