Winning the Stanley Cup in back-to-back years is a massive feat on its own. To do it as the alternate team captain? Certainly, a feeling we can barely comprehend. Quite justifiably, Aaron Ekblad felt like he was on Cloud 9 after leading the Panthers to their second straight Cup triumph in June. And it didn’t take the Cats long before chalking out a new contract to keep the Canadian hockey defenseman in Sunrise, Florida, for another tenure. But the middle ground wasn’t reached without walking over a tedious road.

Whispers of Ekblad possibly leaving Florida on July 1 kept doing the rounds within the country’s hockey community in the days before the star’s signing a new deal with the Panthers was made public. With the deafening silence surrounding the matter, NHL insider Jeff Marek even posited that Utah could be the next home for the blueline celebrity. As it turned out, that didn’t happen. Ekblad signed a jaw-dropping $48.8 million eight-year contract with the reigning champs just one day before his free agency kicked in. But even he wasn’t sure how things would unfold before they did. But now, the 29-year-old isn’t too shy to talk about the dilemma.

Florida Hockey Now shared an article on July 28 highlighting how Ekblad held his breath in the days before putting ink to paper. “At the end of the day, it’s negotiations and things can go one way or the other pretty quickly. I’m really happy and proud that things got done, but it was an extremely stressful few days,” Aaron was quoted as saying in the Monday article on why he felt relieved after confirming that he would stick around with the Miami team for another stint together.

“Both sides are playing hard ball at different times, and sometimes you feel like you’re getting further apart or closer together, but ultimately we came to a deal and it was the right deal and a good deal for both sides,” Ekblad went on, noting his happiness on how the deal made him feel respected. “A huge weight lifted off my shoulders that I was carrying all year,” the Panthers’ captain said with a whiff of repose.

But it seems like things weren’t all that bad to begin with. While hockey community members kept claiming that a new team would prompt the defenseman to look elsewhere other than Florida, Ekblad mentioned that in his mind, he knew what he wanted for sure. “It was always Florida. I don’t think you guys understand: Florida is home,” he didn’t beat around the bush about his feelings on the Cats’ home.

In the playoffs this year, Aaron Ekblad posted 13 points, leading the Cats’ blueliners. And yet, being the humble person he is, the D-Man was only concerned about how his future looked after the Stanley Cup win. “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, and I expect it to be home,” he said on June 22. After the deal was signed a week later, GM Bill Zito once again tipped his hat at Ekblad, saying, “Aaron is a pillar of our defense who has consistently excelled at both ends of the ice as one of the best defensemen in the NHL over the past decade. Aaron’s consummate leadership on and off the ice has been integral to our team’s success.”

But it wasn’t only Ekblad who prompted all hands on deck for the Panthers in a bid to hold on to them.

Aaron Ekblad will return to Miami along with many others

At the end of the 2024-25 season, some of the biggest Panthers stars were set to become unrestricted free agents (UFA). But the Cats were determined to hang on to the players who helped the team win the Stabley Cup for the second straight season. But speculations on whether that would be possible grew. The debates only got bigger after the champs signing Sam Bennett for a staggering $64 million deal. Thankfuly, things panned out to the Cats’ favor, despite the limited salary cap space.

Just days after Bennett, both Aaron Ekblad and the former Bruins captain Brad Marchand also extended their contacts with Paul Maurice’s team. A day later, Tomas Nosek also signed a new one-year contract, bringing more reasons for the Panthers fans to sigh a breath of relief. Earlier this month, the defending Stanley Cup winners whipped out another win as they roped in word from Daniil Tarasov, son of Vadim Tasarov, a legend in the Russian hockey scene, ad netminder Sergei Bobrovsky couldn’t be happier at the prospect of sharing locker room space with the son of his childhood hero.

As the hopes of a three-peat looms large, it looks like the Panthers will begin the 2025-26 season with a beefed-up squad. Do you think that will be enough to keep the Cup in South Florida? Or will Coach Maurice have to bring a special bunny out of his hat to make sure no one usurps the high throne? Share your thoughts in a comment.