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Bill Zito has just succeeded what seemed to be improbable to say the least: put under contract Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand, three key players from their most recent conquest of the Stanley Cup.
Brad Marchand’s contract has been reported by informant Eliotte Friedman, Sportsnet.
All three were eligible for complete autonomy, and at the dawn of the opening of the market, the DG of the Panthers completed its tour de force by finding common ground with Ekblad and Marchand in the space of a few hours.
A few days after keeping the Bennett services, more recent conn-smythe winner, thanks to an eight-year and $ 64 million contract, Ekblad accepted an eight-year-old agreement at an average annual salary of $ 6.1 million.
The double reigning champions were not going to stop there: at the beginning of the evening, it was announced that Marchand had extended his association with the training of Sunrise for six years, for a total sum of the $ 32 million.
Ekblad, 29, had just sold the last year of a contract which brought him an annual average of $ 7.5 million.
As for Marchand, invigorated during the series despite his 37 years, his new pact will bring him until the end of the 2030-2031 season; He will be 43 years old at that time.
After these signatures, the Panthers will certainly have to be creative from a financial point of view, since they exceed the salary ceiling by around $ 500,000. They have 12 attackers, 6 defenders and a contract under contract for next year.
Ekblad raised 33 points in 56 games last season, in addition to helping the Panthers to win the Stanley Cup for a second year in a row.
In 732 NHL games, the former first choice in total in 2014 totals 118 goals and 380 points. He also added 33 points in 83 playoffs.
