Panthers GM makes bold claim on Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett & $60,000,000 star's future after claiming second straight Stanley Cup title

The Florida Panthers are celebrating back-to-back Stanley Cup titles after cruising past the Edmonton Oilers with a 5-1 win in Game 6 on Tuesday night. Panthers general manager Bill Zito joined the TSN Hockey panel postgame, where he made a bold proclamation about the futures of forwards Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett and defenseman Aaron Ekblad. All three of them are set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1st.

When asked if he could possibly bring back all three big-name free agents, Zito confidently said:

"I think we can bring them all back."

He doubled down on this claim when the reporter further pressed about sizable hometown discounts, simply saying:

"Let's just leave it at that."

Sam Bennett took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after leading all skaters with 15 goals during the Panthers' dominant postseason run.

Marchand also had an excellent postseason, tallying 10 goals and 20 points in 23 games. Meanwhile, Ekblad finished off his eight-year, $60 million contract on a high note. He recorded 13 points in 19 playoff contests.

It remains to be seen whether Zito can successfully retain this talented trio of players with new contracts this offseason.

Panthers GM Bill Zito on winning Stanley Cup 2nd consecutive time

The Panthers' Stanley Cup victory makes them just the third team this century to win back-to-back championships. Bill Zito was asked if the second Cup win felt sweeter than the first. Zito responded humbly, saying:

“I don’t know someone asked me that before. It’s not my brain doesn’t go there. I’m just appreciative. Humbled and thankful to be part of such a wonderful group of people.”

Zito was also asked about the mid-season additions of Brad Marchand and Seth Jones, whether he knew at the time that they would fit in so well. He said:

“I think I realized that they had the potential, but somebody had asked me earlier and I said, perhaps the best essay about them is if you had come into our locker room this morning, you wouldn’t have been able to tell who the new guys were. Right?

Zito added that it speaks volumes about the players and the overall character of the team that they were able to support each other well.

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Edited by Krutik Jain