Sometimes, things are so good they seem to fly right by. Brad Marchand‘s stint with Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers may be a perfect example of that in the NHL. However, it doesn’t have to end there. According to reports, the two parties may have found the perfect recipe to extend Marchand’s contract after hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Marchand now faces a major dilemma: walk away after a Stanley Cup triumph to join a new team, or stay for another chapter in Florida. His time with the Panthers could go down as one of the most memorable trade deadline rentals in NHL history. Or, on the other hand, it could be just the beginning of an even greater story.
Regardless of his choice—or the Panthers’—fans will always remember the magical redemption arc Marchand experienced in Sunrise. However, they can’t help but feel the story might be cut short. Tkachuk and Marchand just feel like a meant-to-be dynamic duo in the NHL. Florida will leave no stone unturned in its effort to extend Marchand—and a plan may already be underway.
According to reports around the league and in line with Bill Zito’s latest statements, the Panthers might have drawn up a contract to keep Marchand in town.
“If Marchand ends up staying in Florida, he may be looking at a three-to-four-year deal worth around $5 million to $6 million, per season,” as stated by The Fourth Period.
On a budget
The Panthers have several champions on the roster set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1st. Still, the talk of the town is centered around Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad. Those three stars will demand the biggest contracts and take up most of the Cats’ current cap space.
At the moment, Zito and Florida have $19M in cap space to work with. In order to re-sign the three players, they would have to spend an average of $6M on each. That is, if they decide to move on from every other soon-to-be free agents on the roster. Therefore, it seems unlikely the Cats can keep this ‘Big 3’ for the next NHL season.
Buckle up
However, Zito has earned the benefit of the doubt, and if there is someone capable of making it work in Sunrise, it’s definitely him. One name to keep a close eye on will be Evan Rodrigues, who has two years of contract left. Coming off back-to-back Cups, it might be the best moment to work a trade as value on the 31-year-old is high.
Another one might be Niko Mikkola, who played lights out throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and will enter a contract year next season. The 29-year-old defenseman takes up $2.5M of the team’s cap, which isn’t much, but that number will most probably only rise if he puts on another good season in 2025 and 2026.
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That’s too much, nevertheless. Right now, the Panthers cannot be bothered to do anything but enjoy themselves and celebrate the franchise’s second Stanley Cup. On Sunday, they will enjoy an evening-long championship parade in Fort Lauderdale Beach. And maybe then, they might sit down to address their contractual issues.