“I said it at the beginning of the year, it was such an incredible life-changing moment, and we just want to do it again,” Matthew Tkachuk reminded everyone at the Stanley Cup Final Media Day in Edmonton. Needless to say, everyone on the Panthers roster feels the same. Yet, as the Cats head into their third consecutive Stanley Cup final, a question lingers around a crucial member of the Cats’ defense, Aaron Ekblad.

Ekblad’s current 8-year, $60 million contract with the Panthers will reach its conclusion on July 1, putting the 29-year-old on the verge of unrestricted free agency (UFA). The right-handed defenseman has only ever played with the Florida Panthers since his NHL career began in 2014. So, when the question of unrestricted free agency inevitably came up during the presser, Ekblad affirmed his loyalty to the Cats.

“I live and breathe for the Florida Panthers; I bleed for the Florida Panthers,” the Stanley Cup-winning defenseman told the press. “I’ve given my body and everything to this team. I want to keep doing it forever, for as long as they’ll let me keep coming to the rink,” added the star defenseman, and it’s true. Aaron Ekblad had stuck with the Panthers even during the era when they struggled to make the playoffs.

In fact, before 2022, the Florida Panthers hadn’t made it past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in over two decades. However, the Panthers had always believed in the talented defenseman. “Usually it’s offensive, and they’re not good defensively, or they’re good defensively and they don’t have any offense. But when you get the whole package, it really helps your franchise,” former GM Dale Tallon had said back in 2015, explaining why Ekblad was the first pick overall.

Fast-forward a decade, and that statement couldn’t be more true. Aaron Ekblad has already scored 3 goals and 8 assists in 13 games during the 2025 playoffs, and has a rating of +6. He’s achieved all that after coming off a 20-game suspension. That being said, the Panthers are yet to work out a contract extension with the 29-year-old as they head for the Stanley Cup final.

Will the contract pressure affect Aaron Ekblad?

You’d think the uncertainty surrounding his contract extension would affect Aaron Ekblad’s mindset going into the Stanley Cup Finals. Ekblad, however, does not seem bothered.

“I mean, it’s one of those things. It’s always going to linger around,” Aaron Ekblad said during the presser. “But at the end of the day, I’m well taken care of. I’m able to go out and play pretty free on a nightly basis and not have to worry about something like that,” said the defenseman, assuring that his focus is on beating the Edmonton Oilers for the second time in two years.

“It’s going to come when it comes. And if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. And life goes on,” Ekblad explained, indicating he won’t leave in bad faith if he has to. If you’re wondering how the Florida Panthers player remains so unbothered, then Matthew Tkachuk may have the answer. “He’s built a great culture in there for us just to come in… He’s done a great job, and hopefully we can reward him with a win…” Tkachuk spoke for everyone (as per Sportsnet’s Eric Engels), including Aaron Ekblad, after making it to the final series. So, no matter what the future holds for Ekblad, the defenseman’s only goal is to give the Florida Panthers another Stanley Cup.