Two days ago, NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun said that Aaron Ekblad was a pending UFA and could go to the market. In the case of Brad Marchand, a hazy contract situation had also been settling in the city of Florida. But Aaron Ekblad shut down every rumor of him going outside Florida with a massive 8-year extension. And now it looks like Brad Marchand is going to stick around, too. Three strong insiders just dropped updates on Brad’s future with the Panthers.

Elliotte Friedman dropped a big update regarding Brad Marchand on X on June 30. He wrote, “Hearing Brad Marchand is closing in on a six-year extension in Florida…just under $32M is the total.” And added, “The Panthers pulled it off. Verrrrrrrrrrry impressive.” According to many sources, Marchand is done with the new deal, but only the paperwork is on the wait. 

According to Pierre LeBrun, “Brad Marchand is staying in Florida. He hasn’t quite signed the deal just yet, but he’s agreed to a six-year deal.” He also pictured an insider image of how Brad Marchand’s possible 6-year contract extension would look. Pierre said, “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.” Well, it looks like the official announcement is right around the corner following Aaron Ekblad’s extension update. 

And finally, even before Pierre LeBrun and Elliotte Friedman shared the update on X, Matthew Tkachuk had already hinted at Brad’s future. He posted a photo of the two of them enjoying time in the pool during the Stanley Cup victory celebrations. Matthew Tkachuk didn’t caption anything, but only posted a happy picture with Brad. 

Brad had indirectly sent a message to the Panthers, saying, “Give me a contract,” when he was asked about the future after winning the Cup. And today, the 37-year-old is on the verge of getting a six-year contract. He also shut down Bleacher Report’s earlier claim of a four-year, $32,000,000 contract. Brad Marchand had ended his contract with the Panthers and his previous team at the end of the season and was about to hit free agency. But the Panthers are showing no sign of signing off on the star. Meanwhile, Aaron Ekblad shocked everyone after signing a massive eight-year contract.

Aaron Ekblad is going nowhere

Just imagine a young guy signing with the Panthers in 2014 and religiously playing for the city through 2030. It would be an amazing picture to imagine, right? But it’s actually the real story of Aaron Ekblad. After the Panthers won the Stanley Cup for the second time, he 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 out of the blue, Panthers GM Bill Zito turned his words into reality when people were not sure about Ekblad’s future. After winning the Cup, Zito had said that he was confident he could sign all three star free agents—Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad.

Before Ekblad got his deal, the Panthers re-signed Bennett. He also had that confidence and said, “I ain’t going anywhere,” when all the Panthers were celebrating the back-to-back victory. 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.