Would you take Ekblad back at a "hometown" discount (4-5 million AAV)

[KW]

Ha. Ek isn’t easily intimidated.

 

[IceManCat]

I think at that price you HAVE to take him back. Just because there isnt a worthwhile replacement to be had. Not many RD are available for free agency. Not signing a capable top pairing partner for Forsling would be a huge mistake going forward, also his advanced metrics are phenomenal he really is one of the best defensive players in the league. It would be crushing to not replace that especially at a fair price.

You guys are deranged if you wouldn't take a top pair RHD at $4.5m AAV.

Exactly, a whole lot of uneducated, idiotic takes in this one.

 

[Marco 85]

I voted no.
Time to move on but if we were going to sign him.
No more than 2 years.
His body doesn’t merit more then 2 years.

I find it crazy that players are getting 8 year deals.
Great for the player but handcuffs the team.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

You guys are deranged if you wouldn't take a top pair RHD at $4.5m AAV.

Here is the thing, this contract is not about how Aaron Ekblad is playing now, it is about how Aaron Ekblad is going to be playing in the future. Right now, I think he is struggling to keep up with top pair duties. In three years, how do you think it's going to look?

 

[wampa13jku]

Voted yes but im 50/50.

If Zito finds anything better in free agency I would be down to go with that, time to go with a better skater, healthier guy, we already got our #1 D and thats Gus. Ek has been a workhorse for us and he is homegrown talent but Im scared of how his health is gonna hold moving forward, dont want the team to be tied up to that @ 4-5 mil for a guy that cant play a whole season. We know he's gonna miss a couple of games every season, it is a matter of when.

If he stays I recommend the Panthers hire @Gentle Man to help put Ekblad back together everytime he breaks like a Lego set

 

[kerrabria]

Here is the thing, this contract is not about how Aaron Ekblad is playing now, it is about how Aaron Ekblad is going to be playing in the future. Right now, I think he is struggling to keep up with top pair duties. In three years, how do you think it's going to look?

I disagree that he's struggling as a top pair guy, but even if you're right, that reasoning shows how spoiled this fanbase has gotten. You don't want to sign a 2/3D to $4.5m AAV because you're worried that three years from now, when the cap is $100m, the you might be stuck spending $4.5m on a 4/5D.

Again, even if you're hesitant about 2030 Ekblad, who are you replacing him with in 2025-26? Zito is not going to wake up one day and shit out a 22 minute per night defenseman who makes $3m.

 

[Panthers Propaganda]

At a discount sure. At a raise, no.

 

[Panthersfan1989]

3.5 x2 that's my final offer.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

I disagree that he's struggling as a top pair guy, but even if you're right, that reasoning shows how spoiled this fanbase has gotten. You don't want to sign a 2/3D to $4.5m AAV because you're worried that three years from now, when the cap is $100m, the you might be stuck spending $4.5m on a 4/5D.

Again, even if you're hesitant about 2030 Ekblad, who are you replacing him with in 2025-26? Zito is not going to wake up one day and shit out a 22 minute per night defenseman who makes $3m.

What I'm saying is, I don't think Aaron Ekblad is going to be a 22 minute per night defenseman for very long. I think the Panthers need to start looking -- immediately -- to find a replacement or at least a stopgap for those minutes. I would wager that the team is already doing so.

I am in favor of re-signing Ekblad to play a lesser role -- fewer and easier minutes -- at a contract appropriate for that role. I think signing him to be a heavy lifter for another 6(?) years will be utterly disastrous.

I don't want the Panthers to have a three year window of competition and then fall into the abyss. I want the team to manage these contracts effectively so that even if the last year or two of a given contract hurts a bit, the team doesn't go back to 2010.

 

[tmorton]

I think the consensus on Ekblad on this board is overblown. Yes he's taken a step back and isn't worth 7-7.5 on an 8 year deal anymore, but he is still a very valuable defensive defenseman who can add some offence.

 

[Chessarmy]

I would bring him back for a pay cut but I HIGHLY doubt he's taking less money. He's going to want more money.

 

[TotalHomer]

I would bring him back for a pay cut but I HIGHLY doubt he's taking less money. He's going to want more money.

If that's the case then it sayonara. Anyway don't see anyone giving more than what Montour got, even that seems a stretch. His production is down and he has had so many injuries, he's still a solid player but there are some obvious holes and red flags in his game.

The more I think about it, I'm not sure why a guy like Orlov on a two year deal would be any worse than Ekblad in the short run.

 

[Little Bobby Boo]

I think it will take losing ekblad for a lot of folks here to realize he has a really decent game.

He is slow as piss, but Forsling always looks worse when Ek goes down. Weegar was terrible without Ek.

Somewhere between 4-6M and it's a no-brainer. Term is the scary part, tho. And you need to give term to keep AAV down.

 

[RogerRogerr]

I voted Yes, but I'll trust Zito.

 

[TotalHomer]

I think it will take losing ekblad for a lot of folks here to realize he has a really decent game.

He is slow as piss, but Forsling always looks worse when Ek goes down. Weegar was terrible without Ek.

Somewhere between 4-6M and it's a no-brainer. Term is the scary part, tho. And you need to give term to keep AAV down.

I don't think anyone is disputing that he's still a good player. I just wonder since we continuously bring in guys like Mikkola, OEL or Schmid etc. who also look decent, how big would the drop off really be with someone else? Some veteran lets say. And we wouldn't have to only look at guys for league minimum if Ek's salary is off the books, we could sign guys in the 5-6 million range. I'm really on the fence with this one I guess.

 

[pantherbot]

If he signs for league minimum at 1-yr contracts that can be reset every year and promises not to eat all the pre-game food, maybe we should consider re-signing him. But if not, then see ya later. We've got lots of guys ready to step up into the 2-4D spot next year like Hovorka and Benning, or just go find some cheap replacement guy in free agency.

 

[Jean Luc Discard]

I wouldn't be surprised if Zito trades for a guy like Ristolainen in the off-season. iirc he has improved his defensive metrics significantly under Torts. Trade our 2026 2nd round pick + Sourdif, take on his whole salary and kick the can down the road by couple of years. Sign Chychrun or some other offensive to cover up the missing point production from defense.

Forsling - Ristolainen
Mikkola - Chychrun
Balinskis - Hovorka/Token Veteran Presence(tm)

That's a lot better d-core than what we're witnessing right now. And I say that with the same confidence I had when I mentioned that Tkachuk is a vastly better player than Huby when that particular trade went down.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

I've learned better than to argue with Frank Lopez.

 

[ProjectPanthers]

My dog has better maneuverability on skates than Ekblad. This remodeling you refer to is the consequence of him not being able to skate fast enough from his own end to the o-zone to support the forwards on attack. Therefore Ekky's fans have to rely on spin doctoring the narrative by stating that "ekky's not a offensive dman anymore. he's now a defensive dman!!"

He's 28yo dman who plays like 38yo. I'd rather have Brent Burns who's 39yo. Yeah, the situation is pretty grim for Ekblad in order for him to stay with the Panthers while Zito is at the helm.

If Ekblad has made enough money in his career then what's stopping him signing a $2.5milx6 (4milx3+1milx3) deal with the Panthers? If I was Ekky I'd take that guaranteed money with my bow legs. It's because he's not done taking the biggest paycheck available to him.

I understand your hyperbole but there's been many successful defensemen that were never strong skaters so that point is moot. You don't become a #1 overall pick these days without a strong hockey sense (typically speaking). Making these adjustments and not only saving his NHL career but flourishing in his new role deserves a lot more respect and adulation than you're giving it. Most players would be long gone by now. It's a true testament to his work ethic and love for the game.

Say whatever you'd like but the fact of the matter is that Ekblad played 22:30 on a Stanley Cup winning team and is still playing 24 minutes a night right now. Do I want an upgrade to play with Forsling? Sure, who wouldn't? But I think you're focusing far too much on specific 1-on-1 battles and not looking at the game as a whole. He still does so many little things so well.

Besides, the thread is not about Ekblad playing top-line minutes at $8 Million for the next 5 years. He'll be the first person to tell you he's lost a step on the ice. The thread is about whether or not you'd re-sign him for $4-5 Million, and I maintain that we'd be stupid not to. That puts him in the 3-4 d-man spot in terms of money and that's just about where he should be playing over the next few years, facing team's 2nd and 3rd lines entering his 30s.

With all that said, if he wants $7 Million or north of that, I'd let him walk. His injury history cannot be ignored.

 

[whitefang]

Watching 32 year old Ekblad try and keep up when he already can't skate won't be fun

 

[Jean Luc Discard]

I understand your hyperbole but there's been many successful defensemen that were never strong skaters so that point is moot. You don't become a #1 overall pick these days without a strong hockey sense (typically speaking). Making these adjustments and not only saving his NHL career but flourishing in his new role deserves a lot more respect and adulation than you're giving it. Most players would be long gone by now. It's a true testament to his work ethic and love for the game.

Say whatever you'd like but the fact of the matter is that Ekblad played 22:30 on a Stanley Cup winning team and is still playing 24 minutes a night right now. Do I want an upgrade to play with Forsling? Sure, who wouldn't? But I think you're focusing far too much on specific 1-on-1 battles and not looking at the game as a whole. He still does so many little things so well.

Besides, the thread is not about Ekblad playing top-line minutes at $8 Million for the next 5 years. He'll be the first person to tell you he's lost a step on the ice. The thread is about whether or not you'd re-sign him for $4-5 Million, and I maintain that we'd be stupid not to. That puts him in the 3-4 d-man spot in terms of money and that's just about where he should be playing over the next few years, facing team's 2nd and 3rd lines entering his 30s.

With all that said, if he wants $7 Million or north of that, I'd let him walk. His injury history cannot be ignored.

Ekblad isn't a strong skater, not a good one. He's not even an average skater. He's a below average skater which is something you don't want to see from your highest earning dman. His skating ability, or lack thereof, makes me question his hockey IQ department because if he acknowledges his limitations in this regard then why does he have to e.g. make these desperate pinch attempts where he loses the race to the puck (even when he has the advantage in distance to the puck) and he ends up allowing breakaway attempts to go the other way.

Sure, Ekblad plays ~20mins on a regular basis but MStaal did that too but I don't see anyone lamenting about his absence on the team. It all boils down to the quality of effort that he provides.

I'm not sure why you'd want to remind me about the title of the thread when I already said what Zito should offer: 2.5milx6. That's not going to happen because Ekblad and his agent want both money and term. He's not going to accept a 2 year deal where the mgmt could mitigate the risk and see where Ekblad is at both health and stats wise because he might be another Yandle in a year or two. At 2.5mil he could be bought out at a reasonable cap penalty but Zito strikes me as a fellow who wants to maintain a nice and tidy cap sheet where all the money spent is on active Panther players.

 

[batting1k]

but MStaal did that too but I don't see anyone lamenting about his absence on the team

Excuse me?

 

[Jean Luc Discard]

Excuse me?

RIP MStall's career