Aaron Ekblad Linked To Major Contender In West

There is a chance that Aaron Ekblad hits free agency this summer after the Florida Panthers either win or lose in the Stanley Cup Final. If the Panthers do decide to go a different direction and don't want to have so much cap tied down in just a few defenders, then Ekblad will have a number of teams interested in signing him long-term.

Ekblad has had a good season and a very good postseason. He is now 29 years old and has played in the NHL for 11 years. The Panthers' d-man scored three goals and 33 points in 56 games during the regular season, which was a major bounce-back, and has three goals and 11 points in 14 playoff games, much more than each of the past two deep postseason runs in much fewer games.

Chris Johnston linked Ekblad to a major contender in the West, the Dallas Stars as he said that the team could look to target the defenseman in free agency.

The Stars have been getting talked about when it comes to freeing up cap this offseason. A big name player like Jason Robertson has even been brought up, but Dallas has Matt Dumba and Ilya Lyubushkin who are much more expendable and at the same position as Ekblad.

Dallas is also a tax free state, so Ekblad won't be worse off contract-wise if he were to sign there. He would also be a big piece of a team that is looking to get over the hump and back to the Stanley Cup Final after three consecutive conference final losses. With Miro Heiskanen and Thomas Harley both natural lefties, Ekblad could be the top right defenseman the team has desperately needed. Cody Ceci wasn't the answer for them this year.

Even with the Panthers acquiring Seth Jones this season, I'm not convinced that Ekblad would leave. He has expressed he wants to stay, so it is up to the Panthers. Maybe contract talks don't go great. There won't be much time for the two sides to work something out after the playoffs end too. Even though Dallas appears set to lose a lot in free agency this offseason, they could get creative and stay a top contender for many years, as they should with the players on their roster.