BOCA RATON, Fla. (CBS12) — Aaron Ekblad is set up to end his career with the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers’ second-longest tenured player — he was the first overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft — signed an eight-year deal worth $48.8 million ($6.1 million annually). Assuming Ekblad plays the entirety of the deal, he would be in South Florida until age 37. The 29-year-old has already played the second-most games in franchise history (732) behind Aleksander Barkov, who is Florida’s longest-tenured player.
Ekblad has witnessed the growth of the franchise, which went from an afterthought in a non-hockey market into an NHL powerhouse.
“The idea is that a lot of a lot of us went through tough times here with the Panthers,” says Ekblad of Panthers fans in a one-on-one interview. “I went through it with them, in a sense, and they stuck with us. I think that’s what makes them special, not just a bunch of bandwagon fans, now that we’ve won. It’s people that have been here for a long time that truly care about the the team and the community. It’s great to see.”
The former Calder Memorial Trophy winner celebrated the Panthers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup wins by meeting with fans at Huey Magoo’s in Boca Raton over the weekend. Ekblad signed autograph and took pictures with fans as he prepares to help lead the Panthers to a third consecutive Stanley Cup.
“It’s extremely important,” Ekblad says of meeting with fans and staying active in the community. “A lot of us are out in the community, whether it’s engagement opportunities like this or charitable experiences or anything that the Florida Panthers Foundation does in the community. We’re obviously proud to be a part of the community, and for myself, potentially 19 seasons with the Florida Panthers. Extremely proud to be a Panther and be able to do things like this.”