“I’m just appreciative, humbled, and thankful to be part of such a wonderful group of people,” Bill Zito told CBS after his team won back-to-back Stanley Cups. While the Edmonton Oilers tried their best to drag the Panthers back to Alberta for Game 7, Zito’s boys snuffed those plans out on home ice at Sunshine. Yet, Florida couldn’t have done it without Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett.

Bennett has a career-high regular season with 51 points. Now, that’s nothing to write home about, but the Panthers’ star turned into an absolute goal-scoring machine in the playoffs, winning the Conn Smythe. On the flip side, fans and experts are calling Marchand the greatest trade deadline accusation, perhaps ever. Unfortunately, for the back-to-back champs, these guys, alongside star defenseman Aaron Ekblad, are now free agents. So, Pat Smith had the obvious question for Zito when the Cats GM appeared on the show.

Amid rumors of teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs looking to pick up the fresh free agents, the question was: Can the Florida Panthers re-sign their biggest stars of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs? Well, Bill Zito sounded confident. “We’re going to spend to the cap. The Viola family ownership has empowered us to try to do everything we can to have the best team we can. So we’re going to spend it all,” said the Cats’ GM.

Zito’s confession about not holding back on the salary cap comes after TSN asked him a similar question after the Stanley Cup victory. James Duthie asked if the Florida Panthers’ general manager plans to bring all three of his now-free agents back into the fold. “I think we can bring them all back,” the 60-year-old told James Duthie. However, that might be easier said than done.

There’s little doubt that Marchand, Ekblad, and Bennett would be interested in staying with the team that’s turning into a dynasty. Unfortunately, the Cats don’t have unlimited resources in the era of salary caps. While Bill Zito and Co. would love to retain them, it’s safe to say the Stanley Cup-winning players expect a hike. Although $19,000,000 in cap space, as per Puck Pedia, sounds like a lot, retaining all three could be a challenge.

Bill Zito may find himself in a tough spot

While $19 million sounds like a lot, it’s surprisingly less considering the boost players like Marchand and Bennett got after winning the Stanley Cup. First, let’s take a look at Sam Bennett. As winning the Stanley Cup for a second time in a row wasn’t enough, the NHL star set an away goals record for the Cats, led the playoffs in goals, and won the Conn Smythe.

So, there’s no way the Cats can re-sign him with the $4,425,000 AAV contract he had before. Evolving Hockey projects that the 28-year-old sees his AAV nearly double to around $7.7 million. What’s more? Several teams are already reportedly looking to make their pitch. In fact, Bill Zito’s team’s star forward may have already started the shorting process.

“Hearing Toronto will not be on Sam Bennett’s list of free agent destinations, if unable to come to terms with Florida, and he becomes a UFA,” FanDuel’s Andy Strickland. Things are no different with Bra Marchand. The 37-year-old became the dark horse of the Stanley Cup playoffs, putting in a career-high performance, breaking multiple records, and winning the ultimate prize.

Marachnad already commanded a $6,125,000 AAN contract. So, how much is that projected to grow? Although age might be a factor in how much Marchand can ask, Paul Bissonette’s statement sheds some light on how much he wanted from the Bruins before they traded him. “I don’t know why Boston didn’t just give him the f***g 7 million per with the way he played,” he said.

Simply adding the projected AAVs of these two stars eats up most of the $19 million cap space. Now add Aaron Ekblad’s old $7,500,000 AAV into the mix, and it’s difficult to see how Bill Zito will find the budget. What’s more? Marchand is also being linked to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Thankfully, the Panther GM has Florida’s tax compensation and hometown discounts. But will that be enough? Only time will tell.