Ekblad vs Bennett vs Marchand

[I am not exposed]

Marchand going to get at least $7m per year for three years. Maybe even more as he goes for that big final pay cheque. I would be stunned if he stays with the Panthers. He's the least likely stay. He's been underpaid quite a bit in his career so he's going to get a crazy last contract. This playoff performance is certainly helping him increase the amount. And I'm cool with that.

Bennett might be pricing himself out as well, but he's got more incentive to stay.

Ekblad is an interesting one. The Jones acquisition means we won't be in a desperate place to re-sign him and meet his demands. I've seen $6m per year being touted around from Florida. $7.5m to $8m per year for Bennett.

These seem like fair amounts for both of these players even with the cap rising. But if they want more than that fair enough and best of luck on their new teams.

 

[Desert Panther]

OEL wasn't 40 he was 32 And coming off serious injury. Burns has 20+ seasons under his belt if he doesn't play in Carolina I think he retires.

I would tend to agree there.

 

[zeroG]

just one person's opinion, not based on anything but a Bs fan thinks marchy will stay.

at about 1:50, he says what i said a week or two ago - this is the best marchand Bs fan have ever seen.

 

[pantherbot]

Maaaaaaaaybe March and management can agree on ongoing 1-yr bonus-laden deals? Not sure Marchand would go for something like that as could always get screwed. I wonder what the rules are (if there are any) on paying a player after they retire. Sign for $3M/yr, then hire as a consultant for $5M/yr after retirement. I dunno....get creative.

 

[Gentle Man]

Assuming the rumors are true

8 million Benny
6 million Ekblad

That's 14....and we have 19 available without any trades or LTIR

5 isnt enough for Marchand let alone Marchand and Schmidt's spot, Nosek's spot, and Samoskevich's RFA deal, AND backup goalie.


The only way Marchand would fit is through a low salary then the rest via bonuses (games played etc) since bonuses affect the cap the season after.

 

[Great8Cam]

Marchy will be offered 6.5 for 3 years.

Benny gets 8x8.

Fatty will be offered a Forsy deal and he will take it or off to the fat farm for him.

 

[Two4Fighting]

Although, I picked Benny and Ekblad, when you look at it from afar, it is difficult discussion to have of who is the sacrificial lamb here.

Bennet does not need any description, he is just terrific, but I have a feeling he has priced himself out of the Panthers, no one that I know is going to leave millions on the table, just to be nice, that just does not happen.

On the other hand, Marchand is the one that I get apprehensive about , Him alone made the third line one of the best one in the NHL today, an absolute weapon, given the opposite teams a lot to worry about it, like, which line do we put on the ice to defend against it? it is an absolute nightmare for the other teams.

Wouldn't be awesome to get another run with him on the third line again?

Very hard decision to make, Do we put Tkachuk into a cryogenic stasis until the playoffs?

There are multiple scenarios how this might workout, The Panthers may have 2-3 years of elite hockey on them, before they become what Tampa is right now, upper middle of the road team, even Evan Rodriguez might find himself traded just to make this work, Zito have done excellent magic tricks before, we need another one.

 

[KW]

They need to win tomorrow so Zito has more time to figure out the deals. We’re definitely keeping Benny, probably getting Marchy, and Ek can get in if he wants to take a discount but it’s not that critical.

 

[PSLguy]

As much as I believe Tkachuk needs to have his body heal and rest for the majority of the regular season , the Olympics f's that from happening.

He limped thru the 4Nations with no regard for what it could have done to the Panthers. Do you really think he would miss the Olympics?

 

[pantherbot]

As much as I believe Tkachuk needs to have his body heal and rest for the majority of the regular season , the Olympics f's that from happening.

He limped thru the 4Nations with no regard for what it could have done to the Panthers. Do you really think he would miss the Olympics?

unfortunately agree with this take...If it wasn't for the Olympics, I'd expect Tkachuk to be shut down for the season to fully heal. Hate that the Olympics are coming up because I could see a lot of players from our roster playing. Barkov, Reino, Bennett, Tkachuk, Lundel, Luoustar, Forsling...somebody is bound to get hurt.

 

[behemolari]

After last game I changed my mind, you just can't let Marchand go. Its Bennett > Marchand > Ekblad

I believe Marchand will score again in next game, he looks like 20yo there

 

[Two4Fighting]

Marchand like Bennet were built for the playoffs, how rare is to have both on the same team, I find it incredible.

We have 2-3 years of elite performance, which is the same window Marchand has as a terrific player in the playoffs, that is where his value is with the Panthers.

We could have had Bennett for half of what he wants, but this year's he decided to be the most awesome NHL player, how dare he?

Unless Bennett wants to stay in Florida and keep winning and not to a team where he will be forgotten, like Montour, then we have a chance., but I am pragmatic about this, I, like him, will take the money and run.

 

[I am not exposed]

They are most likely to stay in this order:

Bennett
Ekblad
Marchand

 

[Gentle Man]

Panthers wear red at home
Panthers are captained by Barkov
Paul Maurice is the coach of the Panthers


These are all groundbreaking information

 

[pantherbot]

Panthers wear red at home
Panthers are captained by Barkov
Paul Maurice is the coach of the Panthers


These are all groundbreaking information

Guys I'm an insider too.

Hearing we may know if Bennett signs with Panthers within the next two weeks.

Marchand asking for multi-million dollar contract, won't settle for less.

Ekblad demanding a multi-year deal, Panthers considering request.

 

[austropanther]

I would love to keep Marchand. But we have Mackie Samoskevich on the bench - who still has to prove that he can perform in the POs, he has the tools though and made a good impression in his 4 games. And we can get another Tarasenko/Marchand at the TDL. That's why Benny and Ek get the nod

 

[behemolari]

I would love to keep Marchand. But we have Mackie Samoskevich on the bench - who still has to prove that he can perform in the POs, he has the tools though and made a good impression in his 4 games. And we can get another Tarasenko/Marchand at the TDL. That's why Benny and Ek get the nod

there is no another Marchand he is an unicorn

 

[austropanther]

there is no another Marchand he is an unicorn

We won it without him last year

 

[Jean Luc Discard]

Ekblad demanding a multi-year deal, Panthers considering request.

The Panthers considering the request is only for the optics, Zito doesn't need fatties on the roster

 

[heksagon]

First of all, I love all 3 of these guys and would welcome them back with open arms.

However, here's my business-oriented take: Ekblad > Marchand > Bennett.

Say thanks and goodbye to Bennett, unless he is willing to take a large paycut to stay in Florida. With the Smythe and all he will get huge offers from other teams, ones that would be risky to match IMO. As awesome as he was this postseason, he is unlikely to ever repeat a season like this: a 20+ shooting percentage in the playoffs, and the first time he has ever broken 50 points in the regular season. He is soon 30 years old and plays a physical style of hockey.

Another major point of consideration here is Lundell; he is likely not a mere 3rd line center in the future. If we were to sign Bennett on a long, expensive contract, one of two things could happen: Either we would soon have an overpaid 3rd line center as Lundell overtakes Sam's position, or Lundell would be stuck at 3rd line position despite being capable of more. If both were happy and somehow on a good deal longterm, sure, but I don't know how realistic that is. (InB4 Zito says "f*** your realistic expetations" and signs both on a sweetheart deal). I would look at the possibility of going forward with Lundell at #2C, and looking for a cheaper serviceable #3C at the market (Nick Bjugstad, anyone? ).

The same goes for Marchand, only keep him if he is willing to take a cut. The rat king is already legendary, but he is going to be 38 and does he still have hunger for more? Instead of overpaying now, we could take it calmly and go for another hungry veteran addition at the trade deadline.

Lastly, keep Ekblad. He fits the system, has been with us from the start and wants to play here more than anywhere else. Most importantly, I don't think he'll cost too much for what he brings. Minute munching D-men who are solid defensively are not easy to replace, and I still have heebie jeebies thinking about Yandles or Weegars brainfarts or looking at Bouchard playing D this series. We know that we can win cups with Ek playing big minutes.

In the end what ever happens, I have much more faith in Zito than my own ramblings. But here they are anyways.

 

[matt trick]

As a fan of a team with no immediate shot at the playoffs, I'm hoping you keep all three. Go for the dynasty. I don't think it's crazy for Florida to win 4/6, especially if you keep all three.

Next year would be tight, but after that you're top 10 skaters would be locked up for $74M. Bennet for 8x8, Ekblad for 6.5x8, Marchand for something crazy like 5x5.

You'd need to get Samoskevich to do a Labanc-like $1M. Maybe put him on Bennett/Tkachuk's wing to bet on himself for the opportunity for a big raise. Then fill out the bottom of the roster with aging vets hungry for a cup at league minimum. Burns as a RD and formerly effectively RW brings positional flexibility, and he doesn't miss games.

If you moved Erod and Boqvist there is the slightest window. Of course, if Tkachuk starts the season on LTIR you could keep E Rod until the Olympics (or later if there are other injuries).

No matter what happens the Panthers have good days ahead. I'm jealous, enjoy!

 

[zeroG]

based on what he's said, we think that ek wants to stay. it's question of cost. i tend to agree that he's worth something in his current range but he may give us a big discount like gus did. could we survive with a cheaper RD option on the 2nd pair and elevating jones? maybe? maurice seems to think he's got our systems now so this is probably what we can expect. this seems a little risky but maybe it's a risk we need to take. i'd rather keep him but we'll see. would make no sense to let him walk and spend a ton on another top RD, unless we had a trade in mind and were getting younger.

did folks hear benny's presser last night? he said he loves it here, loves his teammates and seemed to get emotional talking about the organization top to bottom. sounds like he'd like to stay. he knows none of this happens anyplace else. he's in his prime and worth every penny of an 8M contract. might he get really greedy and fleece another team? could be but doesn't feel in character. could we continue at this level without him? lundell can certainly handle 2C duties but you then lose a main advantage we have which is the fact we've got borderline 1st line players on our 3rd line.

marchy's more of a wildcard. he obviously fits in in every sense and it'd be great to have him penciled in on the 3rd line for the next few years. it's such a great story. but he's been through the ringer and knows this is a business, has been playing on a below-value contract for most of his career and has the potential to name his price now. when he was asked last night after the game, he gave a nonchalent "we'll see what happens". i don't have any kind of a sense on him. could easily see him re-signing and taking advantage of the opportunity to chase another cup or two in a low-stress environment. could also see him taking the payday. i have faith that zito will be able to find someone this offseason or next TDL if none of our internal candidates turn out to be the right fit with lundell and lousty. it'll never be quite the same but this year wasn't the same as last year and we still won it all.

should be a fun couple of weeks!

 

[austropanther]

Zito is too much of a business man to throw a lot of term at a 37-year old. Nobody could have known that March as a rental player would have such a huge impact. I'd love to keep him for 1-2 more years. I believe Zito will keep some flexibility up until the TDL and see where the LTIRed players are at. Signing all 3 would cancel out any flexibility.

BUT: if there is a person in this world to pull it, it will be Bill Zito.

 

[pantherbot]

Well like I said previously. If March is willing to bet on good faith and sign a 1-yr bonus laden contract with promises for future signings, it can work.....

 

[KW]

I wouldn’t worry so much about Marchand not being a top level player for at least 2 more seasons. After those two more cups, who cares. Give the guy 4yrs at $6M.