Aaron Ekblad is at a critical juncture of his career. The lifelong Florida Panther, who the team selected No. 1 overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Level Draft, is entering his 11th NHL season. He’s also entering the final year of his eight-year, $60 million contract he signed back in 2016. Ekblad has made it known that he wants to spend his career with the Panthers. He has roots here now. He was here for all the bad years, all the turmoil and turnover that ultimately led to the team’s current stability and ultimately led to the team winning its first Stanley Cup last season.
But is he concerned about his contract status as the season is set to get underway on Tuesday when Florida hosts the Boston Bruins at Amerant Bank Arena? Not really. He watched how president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito operated last season when it came to getting deals done with the likes of Sam Reinhart and Gustav Forsling. “We had some great examples last year of how it can play out right with Reino and Forsling, all different kinds of scenarios,” Ekblad said. “You never know what’s going to happen. I’m just going to ride it out and see what happens.” That’s the sentiment the . In addition to Ekblad, two other members of Florida’s core in forwards Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe are also entering contract years. Both, like Ekblad, want to stay with the Panthers long-term. And both, like Ekblad, are perfectly content with letting the process play out without making much of a fuss about the situation. “It’s nice to not have that distraction,” Bennett said. “I’ve got a great relationship with the team, so I’m not worried about that at all. Let’s go through camp and we’ll see how things play out.”
All three have made their marks with the Panthers. Ekblad the second-longest tenured player on the roster, behind only captain Aleksander Barkov. He has missed 99 games over the past five seasons due to a variety of injuries, but holds a slew of Panthers defenseman records including games played (676), goals (115), assists (232), points (347) and power-play goals (41). Bennett, who the Panthers acquired in a trade with the Calgary Flames in April 2021, has steadily been Florida’s second-line center and epitomizes Florida’s style of grit, tenacity and offensive talent. In 213 games with Florida, Bennett has logged 145 points (70 goals, 75 assists) while also recording 417 hits. And Verhaeghe has been one of Florida’s most clutch performers since signing ahead of the 2020-21 season. He has scored 118 goals in 278 regular-season games, including 76 over the past two seasons. He has 10 game-winning goals in the playoffs over the past three seasons, including five in overtime. And if they have their way, they will continue to make their marks far beyond the end of this season. “I love playing here. It’s like my home now,” Verhaeghe said. “It feels like I’ve been here for a long time. I love being a Panther and playing here. I love the guys and the organization is nothing but first class. It feels like home. That’s the goal.”
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