<p>The Florida Panthers are keeping the band together.</p>
<p></p>
<p>On the eve of Free Agent Frenzy, the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup Champs signed two key members of their core to contract extensions.</p>
<p>First, Bob MacKenzie reported that <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/florida-panthers-re-sign-aaron-ekblad-eight-year-contract-nhl">defenceman Aaron Ekblad</a> was nearing a contract with the team that selected him first overall in the 2014 NHL Draft. Pierre LeBrun followed that report with news that Ekblad&#8217;s deal was worth $6.1 million annually over eight years. Not long after that, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Panthers and <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/florida-panthers-brad-marchand-six-year-contract-extension-nhl-free-agency-2025">winger Brad Marchand</a> had agreed to a six-year contract worth $6 million annually.</p>
<p>With Conn Smythe Trophy winner <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/panthers-sam-bennett-wins-conn-smythe-trophy">Sam Bennett</a> inked to an eight-year, $64 million extension already, the Panthers have ten players from this year&#8217;s Stanley Cup team locked in for at least the next five seasons. This group certainly has the potential to become the most successful dynasty in the NHL&#8217;s salary cap era.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">THE FLORIDA PANTHERS BROUGHT THEM ALL BACK 🏆 </p>
<p>Brad Marchand ✅ <br />Aaron Ekblad ✅ <br />Sam Bennett ✅ <a href="https://t.co/zZoi1WTtAB">pic.twitter.com/zZoi1WTtAB</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Hard Rock Bet (@HardRockBet) <a href="https://twitter.com/HardRockBet/status/1939797041447600171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<h2>Golden Knights acquire Marner in sign-and-trade</h2>
<p>This summer&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/nhl-top-75-ufa-agent-rankings-2025-daily-faceoff">top unrestricted free agent</a> is off the market before July 1.</p>
<p>The Vegas Golden Knights acquired Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a sign-and-trade, with the forward inking an eight-year deal worth $12 million annually. The Toronto native was only eligible to sign a contract for eight years if his rights were traded by the Leafs.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Marner gets his bag — and a one-way ticket to Vegas. </p>
<p>✌️OUT </p>
<p>Welcome to Toronto, Nicolas Roy.<a href="https://twitter.com/thegoldenmuzzy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thegoldenmuzzy</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/Jay_D_Rosehill?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Jay_D_Rosehill</a> give their initial thoughts: <a href="https://t.co/XecusrO6vp">pic.twitter.com/XecusrO6vp</a></p>
<p>&mdash; TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) <a href="https://twitter.com/TLNdc/status/1939806935328411781?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Marner is coming off the most productive season of his career, scoring 27 goals and 75 assists for 102 points in 81 regular-season games along with 13 points in 13 playoff games. The fourth overall pick from the 2015 NHL Draft scored 741 points in 657 games for the Leafs, which ranks fifth on the team&#8217;s all-time scoring list.</p>
<p>Coming back to Toronto in the sign-and-trade is centre Nicolas Roy. Roy played in 71 games for the Golden Knights, where he had 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points. He also had two goals and two assists for four points in 11 playoff games. He has two years remaining on a five-year contract with a $3 million cap hit.</p>
<h2>Other news and notes from around the NHL&#8230;</h2>
<ul>
<li>The Columbus Blue Jackets got a pair of defencemen locked up to long-term contracts ahead of free agency. <a class="text-secondary underline underline-offset-2" href="https://x.com/Aportzline/status/1939798112299516023" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" hreflang="en">Aaron Portzline of <em>The Athletic</em></a> reported that the Blue Jackets and Ivan Provorov agreed to a seven-year deal worth $8.5 million annually, while the team announced that <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/columbus-blue-jackets-sign-dante-fabbro-four-year-contract-extension">Dante Fabbro</a> signed a four-year contract worth $4.125 million annually.</li>
<li>The Los Angeles Kings re-signed forward Andrei Kuzmenko to a one-year contract worth $4.3 million, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/los-angeles-kings-re-sign-andrei-kuzmenko-to-one-year-contract">the club announced Monday afternoon</a>. The winger spent the 2024-25 season with the Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers, and Kings, scoring 37 points in 66 games. Kuzmenko was one of the best players on the Kings in their first-round series loss to the Oilers, as he scored three goals and six points in six games.</li>
</ul>

The Florida Panthers are keeping the band together.



On the eve of Free Agent Frenzy, the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup Champs signed two key members of their core to contract extensions.

First, Bob MacKenzie reported that <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/florida-panthers-re-sign-aaron-ekblad-eight-year-contract-nhl">defenceman Aaron Ekblad</a> was nearing a contract with the team that selected him first overall in the 2014 NHL Draft. Pierre LeBrun followed that report with news that Ekblad's deal was worth $6.1 million annually over eight years. Not long after that, Elliotte Friedman reported that the Panthers and <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/florida-panthers-brad-marchand-six-year-contract-extension-nhl-free-agency-2025">winger Brad Marchand</a> had agreed to a six-year contract worth $6 million annually.

With Conn Smythe Trophy winner <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/panthers-sam-bennett-wins-conn-smythe-trophy">Sam Bennett</a> inked to an eight-year, $64 million extension already, the Panthers have ten players from this year's Stanley Cup team locked in for at least the next five seasons. This group certainly has the potential to become the most successful dynasty in the NHL's salary cap era.

https://twitter.com/HardRockBet/status/1939797041447600171
<h2>Golden Knights acquire Marner in sign-and-trade</h2>
This summer's <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/nhl-top-75-ufa-agent-rankings-2025-daily-faceoff">top unrestricted free agent</a> is off the market before July 1.

The Vegas Golden Knights acquired Mitch Marner from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a sign-and-trade, with the forward inking an eight-year deal worth $12 million annually. The Toronto native was only eligible to sign a contract for eight years if his rights were traded by the Leafs.

https://twitter.com/TLNdc/status/1939806935328411781

Marner is coming off the most productive season of his career, scoring 27 goals and 75 assists for 102 points in 81 regular-season games along with 13 points in 13 playoff games. The fourth overall pick from the 2015 NHL Draft scored 741 points in 657 games for the Leafs, which ranks fifth on the team's all-time scoring list.

Coming back to Toronto in the sign-and-trade is centre Nicolas Roy. Roy played in 71 games for the Golden Knights, where he had 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points. He also had two goals and two assists for four points in 11 playoff games. He has two years remaining on a five-year contract with a $3 million cap hit.
<h2>Other news and notes from around the NHL...</h2>
<ul>
 	<li>The Columbus Blue Jackets got a pair of defencemen locked up to long-term contracts ahead of free agency. <a class="text-secondary underline underline-offset-2" href="https://x.com/Aportzline/status/1939798112299516023" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" hreflang="en">Aaron Portzline of <em>The Athletic</em></a> reported that the Blue Jackets and Ivan Provorov agreed to a seven-year deal worth $8.5 million annually, while the team announced that <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/columbus-blue-jackets-sign-dante-fabbro-four-year-contract-extension">Dante Fabbro</a> signed a four-year contract worth $4.125 million annually.</li>
 	<li>The Los Angeles Kings re-signed forward Andrei Kuzmenko to a one-year contract worth $4.3 million, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/los-angeles-kings-re-sign-andrei-kuzmenko-to-one-year-contract">the club announced Monday afternoon</a>. The winger spent the 2024-25 season with the Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers, and Kings, scoring 37 points in 66 games. Kuzmenko was one of the best players on the Kings in their first-round series loss to the Oilers, as he scored three goals and six points in six games.</li>
</ul>

NHL Notebook: Panthers re-sign Ekblad and Marchand, Golden Knights acquire Marner, and more

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