A name that has continued to come up in trade rumors and discussions during the offseason is Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad.
The former first overall draft selection is entering the final year of the eight-year, $60 million deal he signed all the way back in 2016.
He signed that massive contract before he was old enough to drink.
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Now 28 years old and in what should be the prime years of his career, Ekblad’s hockey journey could be coming to a crossroad.
Has the veteran blueliner priced himself out of a Florida team that must make tough decisions under the cap?
Are the Panthers considering moving Ekblad before his contract runs out and they potentially lose him for nothing?
Would Ekblad consider taking less than market value to continue his career with the team that drafted him No. 1 overall at the 2014 NHL Draft?
These are just some of the questions that will be asked and ultimately answered in the coming weeks and months, but for now, we’re just going to have to wait and see.
That hasn’t stopped some in the hockey writing world to putting some potential Ekblad trade ideas out into the universe to see what may stick.
One outlet posted a pair of possible trades, one with Ekblad going to Detroit and another with him heading to Toronto.
As is the case with many of the trade concepts I see floating around that include the Panthers, it’s rare when any take into account the way Florida General Manager Bill Zito has built his team.
A move has to make sense.
Players need to understand and fit in with the systems that Paul Maurice has his team running.
They also have to be character guys, ones who will be welcomed into Florida’s tightknit room because they’re both good people off the ice and hardworking on the ice.
Moves aren’t going to be made just for the sake of making moves.
There is a reason the Panthers became Stanley Cup Champions and much of it has to do with the kind of players Zito and his staff handpicked for that roster.
As we head into the dog days of the offseason, the fun, speculative rumors and stories will continue to pop up.
It can be fun to indulge, a guilty pleasure.
Hey, I get it.
Here’s to hoping the next one is a well-researched, realistic rumor to be properly pondered.
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