Bill Zito Putting His Chips in the Middle to Keep the Cats' Core Intact
Charlie Webber
Thursday morning, the Florida Panthers continued their offseason trend of locking up the core of their championship roster, signing Niko Mikkola to an eight-year, $40 million contract to keep the key defenseman on their backend through his age 38 season in 2033-34. Mikkola has been with the Panthers for the last two seasons during their Cup runs.
(Matt Slocum/AP)
Last regular season, Mikkola recorded a career high in goals (6), assists (16), points (22), as well as leading Florida defensemen in hits with 137. When asked about the recently signed deal, Panthers GM Bill Zito had this to say to Sportsnet, “Niko has proven himself to be a dependable defenceman who uses his speed and physicality to impact both ends of the ice... He was an indispensable piece of our past two championship campaigns, and we are thrilled that Niko will be continuing his career with the Florida Panthers.”
AP Photo/Marta Lavandier
The AAV of the contract at $5 million a year may be less than he could have garnered on the open market, but his choice to stay in Florida is tied to continuing winning and continuity. Remaining in Florida with the same core that has already won back-to-back Stanley Cups was certainly more appealing than potentially making up to a million dollars more with another franchise. The extra year of term available before 8 year deals are off the table definitely was appealing to Mikkola and also helped keep the cap hit down.
After this deal, the Panthers now have their top 4 defenseman in Gustav Forsling, Seth Jones, Aaron Ekblad, and Mikkola all under contract through at least the 2029-30 season. Zito has been aggressive in extending his forward core as well, with Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, and Anton Lundell also under contract through the 2029-30 season. Brad Marchand is locked up through 2030-31, Sam Reinhart has a deal through 2031-32, and Sam Bennet and Carter Verhaeghe are signed through 2032-33.
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These long-term deals definitely have the potential to age poorly, particularly the Marchand deal. However, these signings are not about the success of the 2030-31 Panthers; they are all about retaining a core that has been so impressive over the last three seasons and getting back to the Finals for the next few years. As a Blackhawks fan, it draws comparisons with Chicago's 2010s dynasty and Stan Bowman’s aggressive approach to signing players such as Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith to lengthy, high AAV contracts. While they enjoyed short-term success in the first few years of their deals, the latter years were wasted on mediocre seasons. Only time will tell how the Panthers' aggression will pan out, but for now, they remain the poster child of modern NHL success.
