Panthers Extend Forward Brad Marchand

Bill Zito did it. He completed the trifecta.

After re-signing both Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad to eight-year deals, the Panthers locked up forward Brad Marchand on Monday to a multi-year contract extension, according to multiple reports.

The reported deal comes in at six years, worth just under $32M, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.

After being acquired in-season at the trade deadline, Marchand, 37, played a pivotal role in the Panthers Stanley Cup win last month. In 23 playoff games, the 14-year veteran scored 10 goals and 20 points, with six of those goals coming in the Stanley Cup Final.

With Marchand’s reported deal coming in at $32M over a six-year span, his AAV should be just under $6M. Florida has $4.9M of cap space before the Marchand contract hits the books.

NHL Free Agency is set to begin at Noon ET on July 1