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The Florida Panthers are fresh off their first Stanley Cup win in franchise history. While players continue to celebrate, the front office has already begun their offseason work ahead of the start of free agency on July 1 and the draft. According to widespread reports from around the league, the Florida Panthers are shopping Aaron Ekblad.
The veteran defenseman has spent the entirety of his career with the Panthers ever since they drafted him first overall in 2014. Despite that, according to reports, with just one year remaining on his eight-year, $60M deal, the team is shopping around for trade offers.
Currently, Ekblad has a no-trade clause in place through the start of free agency on July 1. After that, the NTC will convert to a 12-team no-trade list. With the clock winding down on his no-trade clause, the Panthers are doing their due diligence after Ekblad saw a drop in performance metrics this season.
This week, on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman weighed in on the latest reports regarding the Florida Panthers looking to trade Ekblad:
"Dave Pagnotta wrote about Aaron Ekblad potentially being available. I don't know that to be true, but I'm not saying he's wrong because that rumor has been going around for a while now.
"During the Stanley Cup Final, it's impossible to deal with that. Ekblad is going from a no-move clause to a partial no-move clause, and there has definitely been some talk that this could happen."
Looking at potential landing spots for Aaron Ekblad if the Florida Panthers decide to trade him
It is currently unclear whether or not the Florida Panthers will in fact part ways with Aaron Ekblad this summer. While he is on an expiring deal, and did see his production numbers drop last season, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period recently reported that Ekblad would prefer to stay with the Panthers.
According to the longtime NHL insider, Ekblad is even willing to potentially re-sign at a discounted rate in order to remain with the Panthers. Despite that, with the team's front office currently shopping around on the trade market, Pagnotta has reported that there are several teams who could fit the bill.
Teams like the Utah Hockey Club, Toronto Maple Leafs and Nashville Predators all need defensemen, and as a result, could work with the Florida Panthers on a deal. In the case of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the biggest concern regarding a potential trade is the fact that the Leafs and the Panthers are divisional rivals.
The Panthers may not be too keen on shipping Ekblad to a competitor. In the case of the Predators, it's no secret that the team is looking to compete, however given their recent acquisition of Andrew Gibson, it's unclear if they will remain in the market for another defenseman.
This brings us to the Utah Hockey Club, who recently re-signed Vladislav Kolyachonok, and has defenseman Zayne Parekh on its radar ahead of the draft. Given that, the team could look to pass up on trading for Ekblad.
With the July 1 NTC deadline approaching, it will be interesting to see how things play out for Ekblad and the Florida Panthers..
