EKBLAD ON THE BLOCK AS PANTHERS SHOP BLUELINER

LAS VEGAS, NV — The newly crowned 2024 Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers have plenty of work to do this off-season and some of it will come in a short period of time.

With 11 pending unrestricted free agents on the roster, the Panthers will have a tight turnaround from celebrating their victory to trying to run if back in 2025. While many insist there is a pathway to a contract for some of their eligible UFAs, including star sniper Sam Reinhart, the team is also believed to be exploring the trade market for one of its prominent players.

According to multiple well-placed sources, the Panthers are shopping 2014 first-overall pick Aaron Ekblad, who is entering the final year of his contract, and have already had discussions with some teams about his availability.

Ekblad, 28, will see his full no-movement clause shift to a 12-team no-trade list July 1, when he is also due a $3 million signing bonus.

It is unclear what the Panthers are looking for in exchange for Ekblad, who recently switched agents and is also no longer represented by Dave Gagner at Wasserman Hockey – his new agent is Craig Oster at Newport Sports.

It is my understanding his preference is to stay in South Florida and that he would be willing to take a “hometown discount” on an extension, but that hasn’t prevented Panthers GM Bill Zito from exploring the trade market.

Several teams are looking to acquire a top-pair defenceman, especially one with a right shot, most prominent being the Utah Hockey Club, Toronto Maple Leafs and Nashville Predators.

If the Panthers move Ekblad, that could improve the odds of retaining Brandon Montour, as the stud defenceman was originally expected to hit the open market July 1 as a UFA and could result in a new deal Florida is the cap space opens up.

In addition to their 11 UFAs, the other piece of business the Panthers need to address is the future of forwards Sam Bennett ($4.425M cap hit) and Carter Verhaeghe ($4.167M cap hit), both of whom are also entering the final year of their respective contracts.

Verhaeghe, 28, is expected to command a new long-term deal worth north of $8 million per season, while Bennett, 28, will also be due for a raise.

HERE AND THERE

• The Calgary Flames were actively trying to trade Andrew Mangiapane and – as the final touches were being put on this column – pulled the trigger on a deal that sent him to Washington for a 2025 second-round pick. There were several other teams interested in his services, but the Capitals won out.

• Chatter over the Boston Bruins and their interest in signing soon-to-be unrestricted free agent centre Elias Lindholm is getting louder and louder.

• After starting the buyout process with veteran Ryan Suter, the Dallas Stars are making a strong case to re-sign defenceman Chris Tanev to a multi-year deal. They’ll will save just over $1.4 million in cap space with the buyout.

• The Anaheim Ducks continue to be engaged in trade talks involving goalie John Gibson, as we’ve reported this week. Gibson’s name comes up every summer, but sources suggest the Ducks are being aggressive in their attempts to make a move this week.

• Teams interested in Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers prefer to have a contract extension in place if they are paying the asking price, believed to be a young NHL forward and a first-round pick. The New York Islanders are among the teams interested.

• Toronto hasn’t closed the door on trying to sign either Tyler Bertuzzi or Max Domi, but sources from both camps tell me the Maple Leafs will need to “step it up” if they want to sign either or both before July 1.

• A few clubs expect the Carolina Hurricanes to trade Martin Necas on Draft Day. We’ve heard these kinds of stories before, so we’ll see how this develops.

• As TFP’s Anthony Di Marco reported on Thursday, the Minnesota Wild continue to have goalie Filip Gustavsson and centre Marco Rossi available for trade, but as of this afternoon, a deal involving either player was not close.

• Colton Parayko’s name is starting to make the rounds again, though he has a full no-trade clause and will have a big say if the St. Louis Blues try to trade him.

• Some teams have poked around on Ottawa Senators forward Ridley Greig. The Sens will listen, but aren’t actively trying to trade him.

• Matt Roy and the Los Angeles Kings are not close to a new deal and he is expected to hit the market on July 1. His homestate team, the Detroit Red Wings, could be a good fit.