Bill Zito Hopeful Florida Panthers Can Sign Ekblad and Marchand

FORT LAUDERDALE — Florida Panthers general manager said Saturday he remains hopeful that pending free agents Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand will remain with the team moving forward.

A day after signing Sam Bennett to an eight-year deal worth $64 million and a $8 million annual cap hit, Zito refuted a thought that the center was Florida’s top free agent priority.

“It got done first, but I would say that we’ve been discussing all of them,” Zito said. “But everything is so intertwined. And when you when you spend to the cap, and you do it for as many years as we have, and commit to as many guys as we have,

“The wiggle room on little things is really, really difficult. So, sometimes you just have to keep at it, so that you can fit everybody in, and keep the team and the core of the team together.”

Still, Bennett getting signed was a big piece to Florida’s puzzle with free agency opening on Tuesday at noon.

With Bennett down for $8 million this coming season, Florida is $10 million under the salary cap once backup goalie Daniil Tarasov is signed.

The Panthers, aside from Ekblad and Marchand, also have to sign Mackie Samoskevich who is a restricted free agent, as well as find a fourth-line center (Tomas Nosek says he wants to return) and a defenseman or two.

There is not much room as things currently stand.

Right now, the focus is on trying to get Ekblad and Marchand back — or, more likely, one of the two.

“I have an idea,’’ Zito said Saturday afternoon when asked about his previous comments that he thought he could sign all three of Florida’s key free agents.

“If what I think isn’t accurate, and it might not be, OK. We have a Plan B and a Plan C.

“But my preference, and maybe I’m hoping, is that there’s enough for guys to want to stay and be part of this, be treated fairly, and be happy. And that’s the most important thing.”

The Panthers front office is not known for leaks, and negotiations with players have been kept under wraps over the years.

Bennett’s new contract came without as much as a peep before the Panthers released it on social media.

Both Ekblad and Marchand have said they want to come back to the Panthers in an attempt to win the Stanley Cup for a third straight year, but there is only so much to go around.

Zito said he is not as much negotiating contracts as “mediating” what wealth the Panthers have to as many as possible.

The Panthers are not trying to hold anything back.

“We’re going to spend it all,’’ Zito said of the NHL’s $95.5 million salary cap for the 2025-26 season.

There is, again, only so much to go around.

“We’re trying to get everybody happy,’’ Zito said, “and then, if you guys want to be here, we want to treat you as fairly as we can, so that we can stay, and we can keep the team together. Because teams win, period.’’

2024 STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS 2025

FLORIDA PANTHERS

UP NEXT

• Start of NHL Free Agency: Tuesday, noon
• Panthers Development Camp, Fort Lauderdale IcePlex: Monday-Thursday, Times TBA
• 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)