While running things back with Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Matthew Tkachuk was already intriguing, Aaron Ekblad mentioned another teammate as a "driving factor" in his decision to stay with the Florida Panthers.

Defenseman Aaron Ekblad signs an eight-year deal with a $6.1 million AAV with the Florida Panthers. Harman Dayal: Ekblad’s passionate rant about what it meant to him to be a Florida Panther during the Stanley Cup Final foreshadowed his willingness to take a sweetheart discount.