NHL Rumors: 3 Florida Panthers Not Expected Back Next Season

The Florida Panthers are one win away from back-to-back Stanley Cups, however, GM Bill Zito will be very busy as soon as the celebration is over. The Panthers have major decisions to make with their roster for next season, which could include walking away from several free agents.

Here's three Panthers who are not expected back next season:

Aaron Ekblad

The Panthers enter the summer with just $19 million in cap space to work with, so Ekblad will be in tough to land the kind of contract he's looking to cash in on at this point in his career. As a right-handed defenceman that is mobile, plays both sides of special teams, and can log major minutes, teams are going to be lining up with a bag of money for his services. Adding Seth Jones at $7 million per year for the foreseeable future put a huge dent in Ekblad's chances of sticking around Sunrise.

Vitek Vanecek

Look for the Panthers to try and find a more capable backup for next season who can take some of the load off Sergei Bobrovsky, who is currently 36 years old. Spencer Knight is no longer an option, and there's a few veterans on the free-agent market who would be an upgrade to Vanecek, including Jake Allen.

Brad Marchand

It took a little bit to get used to Marchand in a Panthers jersey, but he's been nothing short of sensational for Florida throughout their Cup run. At 37 years old, and taking way less than market value to stick around Boston for so long, look for Marchand to try and cash in on a three-year contract this summer, which means he's very likely enjoying his last days as a Panther.

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