Another Potential UFA Target Off the Board for the Maple Leafs Following the Player's Comments

The Florida Panthers are in a very interesting situation as they are only 2 wins away from claiming successive Stanley Cups while also having a lot of question marks surrounding key free agent players.

While all their focus is on winning the Cup, the Panthers will enter the off-season with $19 million in cap space but Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad, and Nate Schmidt all need new contracts. They have all proven to be very instrumental this year but unfortunately there comes a cost to going all-in.

For the Toronto Maple Leafs, it's well known that they carry interest in Bennett and Marchand but Ekblad would fill a need on the back-end. With the playoff run that Marchand has had, especially in the Finals, the Panthers might have to choose between extending him or keeping Ekblad in the fold.

Additionally, with funds being as tight as they are and the club bringing in Seth Jones ahead of the trade deadline with heavy term remaining on his deal, Ekblad seems to be on the way out, but he doesn't want that to be the case:

For the Leafs that's not exactly what you want to hear but at the very least there remains hope in Ekblad being available on July 1st should Florida feel that some combination of Bennett, Marchand, and Schmidt is more feasible for the future.

Factoring in the cost of what Bennett might generate, the Panthers will have to make a tough decision with their remaining cap dollars. Of course, everything changes should Bennett decide to walk but that's seems unlikely at the moment.

The Leafs will eagerly wait on the Panthers' decision and will look to pounce as soon as the July 1st free agent window opens. Ekblad would be the perfect addition on the back-end and help solidify a need in the top-4.