Panthers’ Aaron Eklbad gets $54.6 million contract update amid Bennett, Marchand rumors

The Florida Panthers seem likely to bring back both Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand to their forward unit.

In defense, though, Aaron Ekblad seems a heck of a lot less certain.

NHL insider Pierre LeBrun said Tuesday on TSN "that I don't think there's been a lot of negotiation throughout the year since last summer on Aaron Ekblad."

Ekblad has spoken publicly about wanting to stay in Florida, but multiple reports have questioned the likelihood of that happening.

The star defenseman's expiring contract had a cap hit of $7.5 million, but he's not a sure thing to get there on a new deal.

AFP Analytics does project $7.8 million per season for seven years, which would be about $55 million over the length of the contract.

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So yeah, depending on where you look, Ekblad is either more or less likely to stay with the Panthers, and the money seems to have a range of outcomes, too.

At 29 years old, Ekblad is already first in Panthers franchise history for a defenseman in games (732), goals (118), assists (262) and points (380).

He's a player the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions should want to keep around if money and contract length line up.

It just doesn't seem like it'll be as easy as some might be hoping.

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