Panthers lock up Aaron Ekblad with eight-year extension

Before there was Jaromir Jagr or Roberto Luongo or Aaron Ekblad, there was Dale Tallon: The architect who transformed Chicago into the dynasty it is today took that blueprint to South Florida.

The Florida Panthers have locked up star defenceman Aaron Ekblad to an eight-year extension.

The new contract will kick in at the start of the 2017-18 season. Ekblad has one more year to go on his current entry-level deal with a $925,000 cap hit.

A photo posted by Aaron Ekblad (@aaronekblad5) on

The extension has been in the works for a little while, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reporting that the two sides were preparing the terms of the team last week.

This is Part Two of the Panthers’ efforts to lock in their blue line, as they inked Keith Yandle to a seven-year deal on June 23.

Ekblad, 20, has been a solid presence in Florida since the team drafted him first overall in 2014. He won the Calder Trophy that season, then followed it up with an even better campaign in 2015-16 to help the Panthers to the post-season.

In 159 career NHL regular season games, Ekblad has registered 27 goals and 48 assists.

July 1, 2016

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Aaron Ekblad
SIGNED BY
Florida Panthers
LENGTH
8 yrs
CONTRACT TYPE
Contract Extension
SALARY CAP HIT
$7.5 million
TOTAL
$60 million

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