Aaron Ekblad has no intention of leaving Florida anytime soon. “I’ve spent 11 years here, and that’s more than I’ve spent in any home or city in my life. So it’s home,” he said during the Panthers’ exit day interaction on June 21. However, with unrestricted free agency looming, the 29-year-old’s future is under heavy speculation, and rumors about him staying back in Sunrise continue to go back and forth.

Winning the Stanley Cup twice in a row, Ekblad will surely go down as a Panthers legend. In fact, he also leads all Panthers defensemen in goals (118), assists (262), and points (380). Naturally, fans wouldn’t like anything else than seeing the Ontario, Canada native hang around the Florida locker room for a potential three-peat. However, with recent focus by the top brass on retaining the likes of Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett, the silence on Ekblad’s next chapter with the Panthers has become louder than ever. That being said, a concrete conclusion could soon arrive.

NHL Rumour Report took to X on June 26 to share hockey insider Jeff Marek’s thoughts on Aaron Ekblad finding his new home away from Florida. “Utah trading Kesselring opens up a right hand slot for someone, perhaps Aaron Ekblad,” Marek said on the Leafs Morning Take podcast. The Buffalo Sabres recently acquired Michael Kesselring and Josh Doan in a trade deal with the Utah Mammoth in exchange for JJ Peterka. With that, the Utah team now has a void in its blue line that needs immediate filling. And who better to do it than the back-to-back Stanley Cup-winning defenseman?

To be honest, everything seems to be on the table for Ekblad right now. “Conversations have been had, obviously nothing material yet. But they’ll be working on it. Things seem to come down to the last minute here,” said the defenseman on June 21, highlighting that the Panthers haven’t made a move yet to change his current UFA trajectory.

However, GM Zito might need to get the ball rolling, and fast. According to The Fourth Period, apart from Utah, the Detroit Red Wings, the Toronto Maple Leafs, the San Jose Sharks, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Nashville Predators, the New York Rangers, and the Ottawa Senators could all go after the Panthers’ star in case he hits the market. Any defenseman with 13 points and a +10 in 19 games in a postseason is bound to attract suitors. And yet, it seems like for the Florida authorities, the trade-off for retaining the defenseman looks to be too great to consider keeping him around.

Aaron Ekblad’s colleagues might be worth more to Bill Zito

Ekblad arrived in Miami in 2014 as the first overall pick and has since become a centerpiece to the Panthers’ blue line. However, right now, it seems like the 2x Stanley Cup winners are more interested in re-signing some of Aaron’s peers instead of re-investing in getting him to stay in Sunrise for longer. Among them, Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett are the primary names that have created the most noise.

Marchand was traded to Florida in March, after the forward and the Boston Bruins couldn’t reach a middle ground over his salary. However, within the short time that “The Rat” has donned the Panthers’ jersey, he’s been an instant hit. 20 points in 23 games, and the former Bruins captain has become a fan favorite in the sunny state, and GM Bill Zito can’t stop going ga-ga over how his newest signee has gelled with the rest of the roster, despite coming in just days before the playoffs.

Sam Bennett also made history this season. Scoring 15 goals in the postseason, the Canadian became the highest-ever goalscorer across the Cats’ playoff runs, making it a no-brainer for the team to come up with a deal to keep Bennett around for longer. “An important seven days now for Panthers GM Bill Zito in trying to re-sign some of his core pending UFAs. Number one on that list in terms of priority, I believe, is Sam Bennett,” said NHL insider Pierre LeBrun during an appearance on Insider Trading on June 24. And it seems like the fans have already made up their minds about seeing Bennett returning to Florida for another run with the scintillating NHL franchise.

But who do you think will be coming back, and who is likely to wave their final goodbyes? Tell us your prediction in a comment!