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New contract: Aaron Ekblad to earn less than Alexander Romanov

Originally posted on Dose.ca | Last updated Jun 30, 2025 5:52 PM ET

The NHL free-agent market opens tomorrow. We’ll be keeping an eye on a number of players who are about to hit the market… but in the meantime, we’re keeping an eye on the Panthers.

We know that the club, which has just won the Stanley Cup twice, had three big names about to hit the market. Sam Bennett signed an eight-year contract on Friday, but Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad were still without an agreement.

And in Ekblad’s case, he seemed like the player most likely to leave Florida… but in the end, the defenseman is clearly in Sunrise to stay.

Bob McKenzie reported this afternoon that the defenseman and his team were making progress in discussions for a long-term deal.

And we understand he’s left money on the table to stay in Florida (where the tax reality is more advantageous for those who leave money on the table).

All signs point to Aaron Ekblad and FLA making progress on a long-term deal that, assuming it’s finalized, would take the veteran defenseman out of free agency.

– Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 30, 2025

And what we understand is that the defenseman will sign a very advantageous contract for the Panthers. Many saw him signing a contract worth at least $9 million a year on the open market… but that’s (really) not going to be the case in Florida.

In fact, we’re talking about an eight-year contract for… $6.1 million a year. That’s less money than Alexander Romanov, who signed a big contract earlier today.

Sounds like this is going to be around 8 x $6.1M-ish https://t.co/js2BlZ0OHh

– Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 30, 2025

Ekblad, the very first overall pick in the 2014 draft, has been a member of the Panthers since the start of his career. He is fully established as one of the NHL’s best right-handed defensemen, and in the last playoffs, he amassed 13 points in 19 games.

At 29, therefore, the defenseman will remain with the only team he’s ever known… and above all, he’ll continue to pair with Gustav Forsling, a duo that works extremely well in Florida. And when you consider that the club is also banking on Seth Jones, you realize that Florida’s defensive brigade will be good for a long time to come.

The Panthers are therefore sure to retain the services of their defenseman, but above all, they are taking advantage of the fact that Ekblad really didn’t want to leave. After all, accepting so little money shows that he wanted to stay where he has been since 2014.

Extension

Now that Bennett and Ekblad are under contract, the Panthers will have to try and sign Brad Marchand. And with Ekblad only signed for $6.1M, there’s good reason to believe that the Panthers will be able to make Marchand a very competitive offer.

No, the (two-time) defending champions aren’t going anywhere.

This article first appeared on Dose.ca and was syndicated with permission.

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