Surprising Update May Take 3 More Players Off the Board for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Photo credit: Walter Tychnowicz Imagn Images
Moments after the Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup, GM Bill Zito provided an update on 3 major Panthers free agents, including Sam Bennett, who has been linked to the Maple Leafs in various rumours.
Throughout the Stanley Cup Finals, the talk amongst the media has been about their pending free agents in Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad and how the Panthers would be able to keep all of them, given their cap constraints.
With just $19M in cap space and 16 players signed for next season, many believed the chances to retain even two of them were slim.
Ahead of Game 6, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman revealed where things are at with each of the Panthers' free agents, noting that Brad Marchand's early reported market price of around $8M may have just gone up.
"One of the issues with [Aaron] Ekblad is term... Sam Bennett wants to stay There was a 3x8 for [Brad] Marchand out there. I've heard it's going to be bigger than that."
Bill Zito Believes He Can Bring Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad Back
Despite previous reports indicating the Leafs as a front-runner for Marchand, and Marchand himself being open to signing anywhere, Panthers GM Bill Zito shocked many moments after the Panthers' Cup win with his remarks on the trio.
"I think we can bring them all back," said Zito when asked about their free agents by TSN's James Duthie.
There would have to be some fair-sized discounts from each to keep the trio with the Panthers, as well as some creative cap maneuvering from Zito himself, but he sounds confident that the majority of the Panthers' roster will be back next season as they look for a three-peat.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 18 | 5349 ANSWERS Surprising Update May Take 3 More Players Off the Board for the Toronto Maple Leafs Which of the 3 Panthers would you like the Leafs to sign? | ||
| Marchand | 1348 | 25.2 % |
| Ekblad | 762 | 14.2 % |
| Bennett | 1020 | 19.1 % |
| They're not leaving Florida | 2219 | 41.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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