“I’m so happy that I don’t have to play against these guys anymore,” Brad Marchand said as he pointed towards his Panthers teammates sitting behind him on the stage at the Panthers’ victory rally on June 22. “And I’m so happy I don’t have to worry about getting knocked out by Benny (Sam Bennett) anymore,” he added. He was, of course, referring to being sucker punched by Bennett during Game 3 of Round 2 last year. It seemed like a hint as good as any that he would be sticking around with the Miami outfit for a little longer. Yet, speculations loomed.

NHL insiders, including TSN’s Darren Dreger, couldn’t say for sure if Marchand would re-sign with the Panthers. In fact, Dreger went as far as to list as many as three teams where the 37-year-old could end up if he hit UFA. “If Brad Marchand hits the open market tomorrow, look for Utah, Boston and Toronto to among those with strong interest,” he wrote on X. But now, it seems like those teams will have to look for other options.

“Hearing Brad Marchand is closing in on a six-year extension in Florida…just under $32M is the total. The Panthers pulled it off. Verrrrrrrrrrry impressive,” wrote Sportsnet‘s Eliotte Friedman on X. The Athletic‘s Pierre LeBrun also reported that while Marchand hasn’t put pen to paper on anything yet, he has agreed to a six-year deal. In fact, he even gave a sneak peek inside Marchand’s possible contract. “On Marchand’s 6-year contract: Front-loaded with $1M in base salary each season and the rest in signing bonus. AAV is $5.25M. NMC clause first four seasons and then two seasons with partial no-trade,” LeBrun noted on X. It looks like the release of an official update is only a matter of time.

What’s more? Around the same time as Friedman and LeBrun’s posts went out, Matthew Tkachuk also posted a photo of Brad Marchand and himself enjoying some pool time on X. The post did not have a caption. But then again, it also probably didn’t need any. Meanwhile, Aaron Ekblad has officially put all the speculation surrounding him to rest by signing a massive eight-year contract.

Aaron Ekblad is going nowhere

After the Panthers won the Stanley Cup for the second time, Aaron Ekblad recalled the moment he was drafted in 2014. He said, “That’s a lifelong dream, right? It’s everything you’ve worked for forever. So, how does that feel? It’s incredible. To be a part of it is surreal, and I’m so grateful and so lucky. Happy I got drafted by the Florida Panthers.” And Panthers GM Bill Zito turned his words into reality when people were not sure about Ekblad’s future. After all, Zito had said that he was confident he could sign all three pending UFAs—Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad.

Before Ekblad got his deal, the Panthers re-signed Bennett. He also had the confidence to declare “I ain’t f—ing leaving” even before his contract was signed. The Conn Smythe Trophy winner of the 2024–25 season signed an eight-year, $64 million deal. Now, Ekblad and Bennett are in company with Sam Reinhart through the 2030 season and beyond. Ekblad is also the second-longest-tenured player on the team after Aleksander Barkov.

But this should not come as a surprise to Aaron, who has given his all to the Panthers. He believed in the process he went through before landing this massive deal. A few days ago, during an interview with the Miami Herald, he said this when asked about his future with the team: “Everyone knows where I stand. Listen, this team … I live and breathe for the Florida Panthers. I bleed for the Florida Panthers. Have given my body and everything to this team. I want to keep doing it forever.” And the organization knows this very well—they didn’t take any extreme business steps and chose to keep Aaron Ekblad for the next eight years.