Panthers Rumors: Florida Taking Trade Offers on Aaron Ekblad?

The Florida Panthers may have won the Stanley Cup this season but they are going to look very different come training camp in September. A hard salary cap world makes it very hard to retain all your talent year over year, and one of the Panthers cap causalities this summer could be defenseman Aaron Ekblad. 

Ekblad's name has surfaced as a potential trade chip as the NHL Draft weekend gets set from Vegas, with hockey insider Elliotte Friedman chiming in with the latest:

Cont'd: "Ekblad is going from a no-move clause to a partial and there's definitely been some talk that could happen"

— NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) June 28, 2024

Ekblad is entering the final season of his current contract in 2024-25, where he's set to earn $7.5 million against the cap. His deal includes a $3 million signing bonus that's to be paid July 1, and in his final season Ekblad owns a 12-team no-trade clause.

This past season the 28-year-old right-handed defensemen posted 18 points in 51 games and chipped in with six points in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games. The free-agent market is littered with RHD, however the trade market is not. This is where the Panthers could really use some leverage to move on from Ekblad to recoup some impact forwards.

Florida enters this summer with Brandon Montour and Sam Reinhart leading their list of pending unrestricted free agents and GM Bill Zito has his work cut out for him to ensure the Panthers don't take a step back next season.

Photo credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports