Insider Says 'No Slam Dunk' On Panthers Re-Signing All 3 of Their UFAs

Florida Panthers team poses with Stanley Cup

Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad. Three crucial parts of the Florida Panthers' Stanley Cup title. But also, three pending unrestricted free agents. The recent talk has been that it's close to a sure thing that the two-time defending champs will be re-signing at least two of their unrestricted free agents, right? Not so fast.

Plugged-in insider Andy Strickland has dropped an ominous post for Panthers fans, saying he doesn't think it's a slam dunk that "any of the three" return to Florida.

I don’t thinks it’s a slam dunk any of the three return to Florida. Not saying they won’t be able to keep at least one, but I don’t think it’s as close as people want to believe. #TimetoHunt
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) June 27, 2025

Strickland adds that he's not suggesting they won't be able to keep "at least one" of them, but... "I don’t think it’s as close as people want to believe."

And although the Cats announced late Friday afternoon that they have, indeed, re-signed forward Sam Bennett to an eight-year, $8M AAV extension, Strickland's suggestion at least gives some hope to many of the teams that are desperate to bring in one of those other two proven playoff performers. Ekblad has seemingly been the only one that could be on the outs, and there has been quite a gap in contract talks over the past couple of weeks.

The Marchand rumors have wildly fluctuated. One day this week he was pegged as almost a sure thing to sign with the Maple Leafs in free agency, then the next day he himself hinted that he wants to re-sign with the Panthers.

We'll see how this plays out over the next few days.