Who Won NHL Free Agency this Year? The Florida Panthers Did

The Florida Panthers did not do much when the NHL Free Agency market opened up on Tuesday, but what they did in the days leading up to it made them the clear winners.

Sure, the Vegas Golden Knights got better with the addition of top scorer Mitch Marner in a sign-and-trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Other teams did some nice work either keeping their own guys, or supplementing their team with new signings.

But no team got better by keeping the status quo better than the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions.

Bill Zito, when asked about keeping his team — aside from Nate Schmidt — together, credited the players for making everything work.

Sam Bennett could have gotten more money on the open market, but Florida’s eight-year, $64 million deal was more than fair, so he signed on.

Aaron Ekblad left money on the table to return to the Panthers, but Zito gave him the eight year contract to make sure the total ($49 million) worked out.

Same for Brad Marchand, who comes in on a $5.2 annual cap hit, but the total money ($31 million) worked out for him.

“At the end of the day, it’s a negotiation,’’ Ekblad said. “Things can go one way or the other pretty quickly. I’m really happy and proud that things got done, but it was an extremely stressful few days.

“Both sides are playing hard ball at different times, and sometimes you feel like you’re getting further apart or closer together, but ultimately we came to a deal and it was the right deal and a good deal for both sides. I feel it’s fair, and I feel respected, and really happy that we were able to get it done. A huge weight lifted off my shoulders that I was carrying all year.”

Florida even brought Tomas Nosek back insuring all 12 forwards from Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final return for the Panthers.

Five of the six defensemen from Game 6, Schmidt got almost $11 million from Utah, are also back as is Sergei Bobrovsky.

No one on the open market would have helped the Panthers more than just keeping the team together.

When you have won the Stanley Cup for a second straight year and you are able to keep it all together, run that back.

“I think players want to come here,’’ Zito said before free agency officially started. “We’re going to get a lot of phone calls. ‘Hey, so-and-so wants to come’ and in the casual discussions you have through the years, a lot of people are interested.

“I think they see the players having fun and enjoying hockey, and they know how hard they work, and so, they want to be a part of that.”

2024 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS 2025

FLORIDA PANTHERS

UP NEXT

• NHL Free Agency: Opened Tuesday
• Panthers Development Camp, Fort Lauderdale IcePlex: Scrimmage Today, 11 a.m.
• Panthers Rookie Camp, Fort Lauderdale IcePlex: Early September
• Prospect Showcase @ Tampa Bay Lightning: Early September, Wesley Chapel
• Training Camp: Mid-September
• Exhibition Games: Starts Sept. 21 @ Nashville (doubleheader)
• Opening Night: Oct 7-9 (opponent, time, date TBA)