Breaking down Panthers’ free agent deals: plenty of defensemen and short-term contracts
As Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito walked up to the podium Saturday at FLA Live Arena, he apologized to reporters for being late.
“I don’t even know what time it is,” he said.
It was just before 5 p.m., 90 minutes after he was scheduled to speak and five hours after NHL free agency opened.
This, in a sense, was a time for him to catch his breath after the previous five-plus hours had truly been that crazy. Zito even had a cheat sheet in his hand to make sure he touched on every single player who signed that afternoon with the Panthers.
It was a long list. Eight players to be exact.
It included defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Mike Reilly, Dimitri Kulikov, Niko Mikkola, Lucas Carlsson, forwards Kevin Stenlund and Grigori Denisinko, and goaltender Anthony Stolarz.
It didn’t include Steven Lorentz — who was acquired in a trade that sent Anthony Duclair to the San Jose Sharks — nor forward Evan Rodrigues, who was signed to a four-year deal on Sunday.
“We think we’ve added some significant veteran leadership, different types of players,” Zito said.
The two glaring avenues from the Panthers’ additions are the abundance of defensemen and the short-term contracts.
Four new defensemen were brought in while another (Carlsson) was re-signed. That brings the Panthers to eight defensemen currently on the roster.
But with the injuries to Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour — Zito had no new update to share on their statuses Saturday — it had to be done. It’s likely both of them won’t be ready for the start of the season, bringing the available defensemen to seven if you include Carlsson, who is on a two-way deal.
They will all be jockeying for playing time, and it will be especially tight once Ekblad and Montour recover from their injuries.
Ekblad, Montour, Gustav Forsling, Ekman-Larsson and Mikkola will likely take the first five spots, leaving four players — Carlsson, Kulikov, Reilly and Josh Mahura — to battle for one spot. Carlsson is a wild card too. He had 54 points in 61 games last year with the Charlotte Checkers and is not waivers-exempt.
“There’s going to be attrition, but competition is good,” Zito said. “We think we’re gonna have opportunities for everybody — which is the most important part — that are real, and so that people feel fulfilled.”
With limited cap space to work with, Zito has wiggled his way through to sign mostly low-cost players.
Mikkola and Rodrigues are the only two players who signed for at least three seasons. Denisenko signed for two years, while everyone else all signed for just one season. As it stands right now, 14 Panthers are slated to become free agents next summer.
Lots of it ties into next summer, when the salary cap is expected to take a big leap.
“It’s a very, very difficult equation now,” Zito said. “Committing to players long-term, or conversely wanting to commit long term, because the markets are going up. And you see some of the salaries, there was a lot of long-term deals today that I think raised eyebrows around the league.”
But all of the Panthers’ additions this weekend are a sign of desirability. Once considered a dysfunctional franchise and longtime bottom-feeder in the league, Florida finally has some stability that appeals to players.
Take Ekman-Larsson, for example.
Year-round sunshine and miles of beaches just steps away are usually a selling point. That may not need to be the case anymore.
“It was a wonderful interaction when I spoke to him because I was sort of selling him on the Las Olas, Fort Lauderdale, and all this,” Zito said. “He said, ‘I don’t care, I want to win. It’s great. I’ve been there. What about the hockey?’ ”
Here’s what Zito had to say Saturday about the Panthers’ new players:
Ekman-Larsson — “He made it very, very clear that he wanted to come to a place that had the opportunity for him to do his thing, and at the same time, be around a group of people that want to win and they care.”
Stenlund — “A pretty dynamic guy. He’s got a big shot, but he also sort of cut his teeth in Winnipeg now as a penalty killer and as a fourth-line guy and we want to add some size to our lineup. This is a really unique guy. He has skills; he can shoot it. We had him in Columbus before, so I know him. Good guy, good teammate and I think everyone will enjoy seeing him because that package of size, skating and skill, it’s rare.”
Kulikov — “It just seems if you look at his game everywhere he goes, he can play with different types of players. He can play with the different situations. He’s a fit man. He skates good. There’s so many elements to what he does.”
Mikkola — “(He’s) a great big defenseman who can really skate. He doesn’t have that offensive dynamic that Ekman-Larsson and Reilly do, but he’s a go back, get the puck, make the exit pass, play against top lines, crunch minutes and he’s a guy who we think has room to grow and continue to improve and get better in his game.”
Reilly — “He can move a puck. He can skate and so he’s a dynamic kind of two-way guy.”
Stolarz — “Probably you guys can speak to Roberto (Luongo) about it. I’d be lying to you if I tried to take any credit. The goalie department is pretty good. But, he’s a known commodity. He’s an NHL guy and we’re happy to have him on board.”