Scared money makes no money. There might not be an NHL executive that lives for that motto quite like Florida Panthers‘ Bill Zito. Business is booming in Sunrise for the Stanley Cup champions, but Zito can’t rest just yet. Instead, he faces an urgent task as Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad are all set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1. Regardless, Zito is not backing down from the contract fight.
The NHL is full of ironies. Yet, Bill Zito having no Jim Gregory GM of the Year awards to show for his work in Florida is perhaps one of the biggest. Him and the Panthers couldn’t care less, though. They rather keep their two Stanley Cups—in back-to-back fashion—instead.
Now, the focus shifts towards the contract negotiations surrounding stars Bennett, Marchand, and Ekblad. The top three players who will become UFAs on the first of July are all coming off great postseason runs. Florida would love to retain them all, but the salary cap stands on its way.
Zito isn’t afraid to roll the dice. The Panthers’ fearless executive has fans and players alike accustomed to his bold strategies. And why wouldn’t they trust the man behind the scenes of the dynasty-like run the Cats have been on lately? As crucial decisions approach Zito and the Panthers, Zito dropped a cold-blooded remark, putting the NHL on notice.
Brad Marchand #63 of the Florida Panthers arrives for the game against the Carolina Hurricanes in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Lenovo Center on May 28, 2025 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Zito’s statement
“Those guys know, we’re going to spend to the cap,” Bill Zito hinted at Florida’s offseason plans in dialogue with the Pat McAfee Show. “The Viola family ownership has empowered us to try and do everything that we can to have the best team we can.
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“We’re going to spend it all. It’s just trying to keep everybody together and have a meaningful team. If players sign up to come here, we want to be able to have other good players. Hopefully, they appreciate that.”
Just having fun
The Panthers’ rise in the NHL is one that could fill volumes. The franchise was turned upside down after hiring Zito in 2020 and never looked back, winning two Stanley Cups and being far from satisfied.
However, much credit should go to the players and everybody involved in the organization, as they have shown winning championships shouldn’t always be exhausting. Florida solved an ancient mystery on how to keep their routinary job fun.
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“That group has figured out a way to try and have as much fun as they can,” Zito said about the mindset inside the locker room. “The work is hard when they do it and it’s a lot of it. But when they aren’t working, it’s ‘enjoy you life, enjoy each other’. We’re blessed that these guys have bought in and right now they’re having a lot of fun,”
