Following the extensions of Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad, the Florida Panthers are fixed on re-signing another member of the team’s core. As a key veteran enters a contract year in the 2025-26 NHL season, the Cats aren’t rolling their dice.
The Panthers are in prime position to become a modern-day NHL dynasty. Hoisting back-to-back Stanley Cups was only the beginning for the team in the Sunshine State. Now, the real fun begins. However, the Panthers must first take care of a pivotal piece of business. Extending Bennett, Marchand, and Ekblad was only the beginning, GM Bill Zito and company still have work to do.
Not one fan in Florida will second-guess the team’s decision to trade for Seth Jones. Still, that move has now left the Panthers with no plan B behind goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
After the Cats moved on from Spencer Knight, the future of the franchise’s net now lies entirely on Bob’s shoulders. However, the Russian goalie is set to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA). On that note, reports suggest Zito and the front office might’ve found the sweet spot for Bobrovsky’s new deal.
“Something in the $6.5-7 million range for five-six years may get a deal done quicker than not,” Florida Hockey Now’s George Richards stated. “It would not be surprising to see Bobrovsky get a shorter deal (say four years at $8 million per) which would end when he is 42 years old.“
Once upon a time…
Back when Bobrovsky signed his seven-year, $70 million contract with the Panthers in 2019, many across the NHL were skeptic. Some even went as far to say the deal would go down as one of the worst in league history.
After a rocky start to his tenure in Florida, Bob turned the page and became a brick wall when the Cats most needed him. Now, all concerns about how much Bobrovsky makes a year or his impact on Florida’s cap space are long gone.
Donning the leaf
The trio of recently extended Cats: Marchand, Ekblad, and Bennett will also join forces during Team Canada’s National Team Olympic Orientation Camp, which is set to take place in Calgary from August 26-28.
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The three Cats will also be joined by Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Reinhart. ‘Swaggy’ and Ekblad missed the cut for the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off, where Marchand and Bennett first played alongside each other. However, Marchand wasn’t a Panther then. Now, the five Cats representatives on the Canadian team will hope to make the roster cut and represent their home country during the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano.