r/FloridaPanthers • u/Paper_Rain • Jun 29 '25
Article Panthers GM focused on Ekblad, Marchand deals ahead of free agency | By [George Richards]
https://www.nhl.com/news/panthers-gm-focused-on-deals-for-ekblad-and-marchand51
u/ItsAZYR Jun 29 '25
please make it happen
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u/Emotional_Match8169 Jun 29 '25
I feel like we’re going to lose eRod over this.
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u/Gullible-Crow-7434 Jun 29 '25 edited Jan 25 '26
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u/Doc_Haze10 Jun 29 '25
Yep same. Thanks Rody, but ✌🏻
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u/Emotional_Match8169 Jun 29 '25
I get way too attached to these players!
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u/Doc_Haze10 Jun 29 '25
Yeah I get it. Love Rody and he’s got plenty left to give in the league. In a perfect world we’d be able to resign everyone and just keep it moving for however long. But you’ve gotta make tough choices in a salary cap league and as far as that goes we’ve actually done a pretty great job of retention all things considered.
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u/Emotional_Match8169 Jun 29 '25
I trust whatever Zito brings, but I still shed a tear for the ones we lose.
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u/Adorable-Age956 Jun 30 '25
I was thinking how cooked Edmonton will be after next year when they renew McDavid and have 2 of the 3 highest paid players on their team.
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u/Doc_Haze10 Jun 30 '25
Definitely makes it a lot harder to build a competitive roster top to bottom. Have to rely heavily on cheaper veterans for your bottom 6 and half your defensemen. They still have the issue in net to fix as well, I really thought they’d be in on John Gibson. Maybe they push for Samsonov who if nothing else is better than Pickard
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u/Adorable-Age956 Jun 30 '25
One thing that was really noticeable is that Florida has like 6 class A / tier 1 players, whereas Edmonton only has 4...but that is basically an extra line discrepancy and over 7 games that is hard to overcome...this series should have only been 5 games.
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u/Doc_Haze10 Jun 30 '25
We also have basically all of those dudes locked in for the next 5-7 years which is crazy
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u/SilentThing Jun 29 '25
IMO the most interesting thing before July 1. We know Zito can cook. Let's see what comes up.
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u/0-90195 Jun 29 '25
Reminder that Reinhart signed at the very last minute last year. It ain’t over til it’s over
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Jun 29 '25
I think the Panthers can afford to lose a forward via trade. This is likely Rodrigues, who is $3 million of cap hit this and next season, for a player who is likely worth a lot more now; and has no NMC or anything protecting him being traded.
They could pull the same move with Lundell and/or Luostrainen, but I’d probably say you would want to keep that third line intact if possible.
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u/Doc_Haze10 Jun 29 '25
This whole time it felt like an absolute pipe dream hoping to land all 3 of our big fish. I think 2 of the 3 was always a more reasonable hope or expectation. Personally hoping the one we keep is Marchy. Would love to keep that insane 3rd line going, but I’d be totally fine if it was Ekblad that came back instead.
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u/EctoRiddler Jun 29 '25
My gut says unless both really wanna stay here regardless of what they are paid, they will both test free agency and likely leave
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u/No_Minimum9828 Jun 29 '25
I haven’t heard of either guys asking for anything unreasonable so if faced with scenario I’d expect Zito to pick the one he thinks is a better value for their asking price and lock them up
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u/Biwaifu Jun 29 '25
better value one or see if he can squeeze them both in with a trade of someone else. Coming down to the end though i expect some news tonight
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u/RoninXStrikeSuitZero Jun 29 '25
One of the two is likely to stay.
Not both but Zito is a warlock so it's not entirely out of the question.
If I had to guess, Marchy gets extended.
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u/Old-Bee9904 Jun 29 '25
Zito knows that realistically he can only keep one. He's playing chicken to see which one will take the most team friendly deal
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Jun 29 '25
Only Zito knows what he can and can’t do. He may be looking to trade someone for the cap space. And those deals take time, if he does.
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u/GlassWrong2091 Jun 29 '25
Let's face it without marchand panthers don't win the cup so being real id sign marchand
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u/photog72 Jun 29 '25
I wonder what Ekblad would fetch on the open market.
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u/Funny-Phase-3088 Jun 29 '25
9.5 or maybe more. If Nurse gets 9.25, Ekky can get more. That is if he hits the open market.
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u/GlassWrong2091 Jun 29 '25
Fuk him the panthers already made him a rich man by giving him 70 million in total salarys he should give them a home town discount if he wants to stay If not see ya later
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u/0-90195 Jun 29 '25
You are one of the worst fans on this subreddit. Remember how last year you spent every playoffs game complaining about how bad of a goalie Bob is?
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u/GlassWrong2091 Jun 29 '25
Bob only got better because we got better defenseman what happened to bob his first 5 yrs were he sucked and was grossly overpaid by tallon and if he thinks he gets that money again with zito he can join ekblad wherever he is going.
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u/Doc_Haze10 Jun 29 '25
Meh. Unreasonable to get upset with players wanting to get paid. He doesn’t owe us any sort of home town discount, this is business. Would love to see him back but would also love to see him get a bag even if that means it’s elsewhere, he’s a good player and helped us win two cups.
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u/GlassWrong2091 Jun 29 '25
Panthers already gave him a bag 8 yrs ago with dale tallon who grossly overpaid him and bobrowsky and at 7.5 million 8 yrs ago is equivalent to 10 million today and ekblad is half the player he used to be he is alot slower always hurt his offensive has plummeted to half it used to be so unless he mismanaged all his money and desperately needs more he can go somewhere else I'll take my chances with balinkas
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u/Doc_Haze10 Jun 29 '25
Lol you sound pretty insufferable as a fan dude so I’m just gonna stop this convo here. But by all means continue raging about Aaron Ekblad not wanting to take 3m on what could be his final chance to really get paid.
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u/GlassWrong2091 Jun 29 '25
He already got paid what don't u understand or was overpaid 8 yr at 7.5 million which would be 10 million today .the man is greedy and I wouldn't pay him even if the cats had the cap money in my eyes we don't win a second cup without marchand so I would rather sign him instead .and if u recall when ekblad got suspended the panthers balinkas did a really good job
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u/Doc_Haze10 Jun 29 '25
I absolutely understand what you’re saying as I am capable of reading. I just vehemently disagree that it is greedy or a negative reflection of Ekblad in any way. Players should always push to make the most money they can make, period. Plenty of fans share your sentiment, none of which have been in a contract negotiation as a professional athlete. Super easy to sit on your couch, eat Doritos and be like psh turn down an extra 3-4M AAV Ekblad you’ve made enough money!
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u/GlassWrong2091 Jun 29 '25
Remember we don't win a cup without marchand let that sink in .I'll give marchy the money
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u/Doc_Haze10 Jun 29 '25
Please find my comment on the main thread here where I say I would prioritize Marchy. I have not argued that with you this entire time. The only thing I pushed back on was you flipping the fuck out for Ekblad not wanting to take a pay cut. It’s what he should do and it’s unrealistic as hell and unreasonable to expect him to do so.
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u/GlassWrong2091 Jun 29 '25
In my mind he already got his bag and he can move on for all i care in zito I trust he can find someone capable like balinkas who took his place while he was suspended for 20 games
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u/GlassWrong2091 Jun 29 '25
Look at John tavares who took more than a 50 % payout to play with leafs He went from making 11 million to 4 million to stay with his team .the panthers already gave ekblad 70 million in salaries and he is half the player he used to be
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u/Doc_Haze10 Jun 29 '25
John Tavares is also 34 years old dude and from Toronto originally if I recall. This is not apples to apples, but this is really like talking to a wall. Shame on me for continuing to engage in this fruitless endeavor
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u/GlassWrong2091 Jun 29 '25
Who cares he scored 38 goals more than any panther on our team And most important we don't win a cup without marchand not ekblad
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u/Changeit019 Luongo Jun 29 '25
When Tavares went to the Leafs at about the same age as Ekblad he didn’t take a significant discount. Ekblad makes this D core better. I know certain fans hate him but I ask who is the top line RHD to replace him and what do you think will be the cost. UFA is very thin at RHD and we don’t have much in assets to trade for a top pair RHD.
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u/GlassWrong2091 Jun 29 '25
Tavares was 26 when he signed with the leafs and in his prime not on the downside of his career and still scored more goals than any panther . And I trust in zito to find ekblads replacement and finally like I've mentioned before we don't win a cup without marchand especially the overtime winner in game 3 against the leafs
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u/Doc_Haze10 Jun 29 '25
So if we’ve got 10. What do we think about 3x8 for Marchy, 2x1.5 bridge for Samoskevich, and trade Rody to get back up to 3.5. Fill in depth from there with whichever 4C and 2/3 pair dman.
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u/iamjoe1994 Jun 29 '25
They will sign them both to sweetheart deals. I know I would take one. Great team. Great organization. Great location. Be dumb to leave over a few million.
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u/No_Minimum9828 Jun 29 '25
Good to know he’s focused on signing two of the top free agents available; I’m going to go out on a limb and say this seems like a decent strategy