Florida Panthers 15 Best Contracts (2005-2022)

This was originally published in my 2020 book Hunting Bargains in a Salary Cap World, and has now been updated with new contracts. I will continue to update each team’s list every summer going forward. The rule is that only active contracts can move up or down. Expired deals cannot pass each other. Next summer it may even be expanded to top 20. The book is still available on Amazon, though some of the stats on active contracts are now out of date. You may yet find it interesting because there were detailed stat graphics that you won't find here. One thing you won't find here are entry level contracts because they all come from the same cookie cutter and require less skill at the negotiating table.

My latest book The Hockey Economist’s Betting Prospectus is now available. It's a comprehensive commentary on the last 3 years of hockey betting, broken down by team, by category, by strategy, by season. There is plenty of useful information for bettors of all skill levels. It covers pre-pandemic, peak-pandemic, post-pandemic. What worked, what failed. Lessons learned, market trends, team-by-team analysis. What impact did the pandemic have on hockey betting? The market differences between these 3 seasons are discussed at length, and there's a lot to talk about. To read more, visit the Amazon store.
 
Enjoy! Please note: The formatting on the graphics got scrambled being copied from Excel into Google Blogger. It's among the reasons my blog is looking for a new home.

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In the first 15 years of the salary cap era, the Florida Panthers only made the playoffs twice, and did not win a playoff series until 2022. Current GM Bill Zito is responsible for 4 of the team’s best 15 contracts since 2005, one more than Mike Keenan.
 
Tom Rowe may have only been General Manager for less than one year, but over that span managed to ink 4 of the Panthers best bargains of the entire era. Whatever you want to say about Tom Rowe, his signature appears far more often on the team’s best list than their worst mistakes. If you’d like to read more about the Dale Tallon administration, you’ll have to wait to read the Panthers worst contracts list.
 
 
1. Aleksander Barkov

Signed By:	Dale Tallon		Position:	F
Date:	2016-01-25		Age July 1st:	20
Term:	6 years		Playoff GP:	16
Total Money:	$35.4M		Playoff PTS:	14
Cap Hit:	$5.9M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	37.2	405	434	1166
Per 82 GP	6.2	82	88	236	21.0

“He is a highly-skilled, intelligent and dynamic young center that plays an exceptional game at both ends of the ice. Sasha is an important part of the foundation of our future and a cornerstone player who is continuing to develop into one of the league’s elite centers.”

– Dale Tallon

Aleksander Barkov scored 36 PTS in 71 GP during his sophomore season, and had already started to show rapid improvement when he signed this extension in January 2016. It was very similar to the Ryan Nugent-Hopkins deal 2 years earlier, but less salary and term. Nathan MacKinnon, Mark Scheifele, and Sean Monahan signed similar contracts in the months that followed Barkov (but for marginally more money and term).
 
It’s very likely that they all used each other as benchmarks, then all became glorious bargains. Aleks suffered injury problems in year one, but officially broke out by year two, morphing into better than a point per game center and one of the best defensive pivots in the league. He won the Selke trophy in 2021.
 
 
2. Jonathan Huberdeau
 

Signed By:	Tom Rowe		Position:	F
Date:	2016-09-06		Age July 1st:	24
Term:	6 years		Playoff GP:	16
Total Money:	$35.4M		Playoff PTS:	15
Cap Hit:	$5.9M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	36.4	368	415	926
Per 82 GP	6.1	82	92	206	19.0

“Jonathan is a highly talented and dynamic player who is another important piece of our team’s young core”

– Dale Tallon

Speaking of contracts heavily influenced by the Barkov deal, teammate Jonathan Huberdeau signed for the exact same term and money nine months later. The winger had recently completed a 59-point season, the exact same total as Barkov (though Jon played 10 more games). This fits the mold of Perry-Getzlaf or Toews-Kane, albeit without the championship pedigree.
 
As it turned out, Huberdeau (like Barkov) had not even begun to scratch the surface of his potential. In year one at age 24, he scored 69 PTS. Year three he scored 92 PTS. This offensive explosion coincided with a similar boom in Barkov’s numbers as the two played on the same line. But when the pair was split, both continued producing at a very high rate.
 
It’s hard to say that Jonathan left money on the table when he got paid $35M, but he sold 4 years of unrestricted free agency for an obscene discount. He could have been UFA after the 2019 season before his 27th birthday (having played 7 years in the NHL). Granted, he was traded to Calgary who signed him to an $80M extension, so any money that was left on the table got paid back.
 
 
3. Jonathan Marchessault
 

Signed By:	Tom Rowe		Position:	F
Date:	2016-07-01		Age July 1st:	25
Term:	2 years		Playoff GP:	20
Total Money:	$1.5M		Playoff PTS:	21
Cap Hit:	$750K		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	1.7	152	126	461
Per 82 GP	0.8	82	68	249	17.2

"I knew I was on a team that was hard to break into the lineup. They have such a good team and have been playing three years together. That was a big part of changing teams so I have a better opportunity.''

– Jonathan Marchessault

Jonathan Marchessault had become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st 2016 at age 25 and decided to move down the highway. The Lightning had offered a similar contract and wanted to keep him, but Jon chose the Panthers because it gave him a better opportunity to play. Florida took a low risk gamble on a player who scored 18 PTS in 45 GP at a rock bottom price and were rewarded with 30 goals and 51 PTS.
 
Marchessault was left unprotected in the expansion draft despite those 30 tucks, getting scooped up by Vegas. George McPhee hit the jackpot, as the diminutive forward scored 96 PTS (including playoffs) during the Knights outstanding first season, earning himself a $30M pay day.
 
 
4. Aaron Ekblad
 

Signed By:	Tom Rowe		Position:	D
Date:	2016-07-01		Age July 1st:	21
Term:	8 years		Playoff GP:	10
Total Money:	$50M		Playoff PTS:	5
Cap Hit:	$7.5M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	61.3	327	195	797
Per 82 GP	7.7	82	49	200	23.8

"An exceptionally skilled, intelligent and mature young player that is a difference maker for our team both on and off the ice"

– Tom Rowe

Aaron Ekblad inked this extension after scoring at close to a 40-point pace over 2 seasons as a teenager. The former 1st overall draft pick may have lacked arbitration rights, but this was not someone the Panthers wanted to let become a restricted free agent as he almost certainly would have attracted offer sheets.
 
In the salary cap era, Ekblad ranks 3rd on the list of points scored by a defenseman at age 18 and 19 (behind Drew Doughty and Rasmus Dahlin). Tom Rowe signed him to an 8-year extension at a very similar adjusted cap hit to what Alex Pietrangelo and Erik Karlsson had signed a few years earlier (despite Ekblad’s injury shortened stat line being worth half that much money).
 
Aaron had suffered a concussion in January 2016, endured another in September 2016 at the World Cup, then was diagnosed with a 3rd concussion in March 2017; all contributing to a disappointing 21 PTS in 68 GP in the final year of his ELC before this contract even started. This had the potential to be a disaster and the Panthers had to be concerned. Fortunately Ekblad’s health did quasi-stabilize and he developed into the franchise defenseman he was drafted to be.
 
 
5. Aleksander Barkov
 

Signed By:	Bill Zito		Position:	F
Date:	2021-10-08		Age July 1st:	26
Term:	8 years		Playoff GP:	0
Total Money:	$80M		Playoff PTS:	0
Cap Hit:	$10M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	80.0	0	0	0
Per 82 GP	10.0	0	0	0	0.0

"Sasha has demonstrated his leadership, character and elite playmaking ability, cementing himself as one of the best all-around players in hockey"

– Bill Zito

My decision to debut Barkov’s new deal at #5 on Florida’s best contracts list was made prior to the Huberdeau trade and I returned to this list post-trade to write the summary, a moment of reflection was needed about whether this is too high. I’m concerned about Florida’s offense being less proficient without Huberdeau and Weegar. Yes, Barkov played on a different line than Huberdeau and still scored at a 100-point pace in 2021/22. I’m more concerned about the power play, where Barkov collected 26 PTS.
 
In most of the last 5 seasons (with a brief hiccup in 2019/20) Barkov performed close to a $10M level offensively, which doesn’t even properly account for his prowess on the defensive side of the puck. He’s the complete package, and as long as he doesn’t fall back to sub-point per game, he’ll be worth every penny of this treaty.
 
 
6. MacKenzie Weegar
 

Signed By:	Bill Zito		Position:	D
Date:	2020-11-06		Age July 1st:	26
Term:	3 years		Playoff GP:	16
Total Money:	$9.75M		Playoff PTS:	4
Cap Hit:	$3.25M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	9.8	134	80	304
Per 82 GP	3.3	82	49	186	22.9

"He has developed into a key member of the Panthers both on and off the ice and we look forward to him taking the next step in his career."

– Bill Zito

My expected free agent value algorithm priced MacKenzie Weegar’s 2019/20 stat line at almost the exact same price he signed for on this bridge to unrestricted free agency. If the Panthers had the foresight to offer him something like 7 years and $5M aav, a number surely much higher than he was expecting to get, it still would have been a bargain. It might even have been higher on that list. In year 1 and 2, his stat line elevated to a $7M level, jumping from 18 PTS in 45 GP up to 36 PTS in 54 GP (a 55-point pace). He was getting paid half of what he was worth.
 
The problem here is that they only got 3 years. He performed so remarkably well that he priced himself out of Florida. They felt the need to trade him to Calgary with Huberdeau with one year remaining because they would not be able to resign either to long-term extensions. They might have had an incredible bargain, but don’t have anything to show for it except a President’s Trophy and 1 playoff series win. Calgary would be the one to reap the benefits of this bargain in the final year.
 
 
7. Evgeny Dadonov
 

Signed By:	Dale Tallon		Position:	F
Date:	2017-07-01		Age July 1st:	28
Term:	3 years		Playoff GP:	0
Total Money:	$12M		Playoff PTS:	0
Cap Hit:	$4M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	12.6	225	182	550
Per 82 GP	4.2	82	66	200	18.1

"He's a totally different player than when he first came over. He's got high speed, a great work ethic, gets on pucks, makes plays, and our fans are really going to like him. He plays a hard, 200-foot game. He's very creative and very fast."

– Dale Tallon

Evgeny Dadonov originally arrived in North America in 2009/10 to play his entry level contract as a Florida Panthers draft pick. Over those 3 years he played 55 NHL games, scoring at a 29-point pace, spending the majority of his time in the AHL. When he was due for a 2nd contract, no deal was able to be reached and so Dadonov returned to the KHL.
 
Five years later they finally came to an agreement on a 3-year ticket, very similar to one Cam Atkinson had signed 2 years earlier. Dadonov was placed on the top line with Barkov and Huberdeau, where he thrived. Okay, maybe a lot of players could conceivably thrive if given those linemates, but you’ve got to be good to sustain that prime deployment.
 
By the third year Evgeny did start to slip, getting bumped off the first line in year three, which hurt his production (and my fantasy team). Still, the entire investment still needs to be scored as a big success for the price they paid. He only managed to bank $15M from Ottawa when this expired.
 
 
8. Jay Bouwmeester
 

Signed By:	Mike Keenan		Position:	D
Date:	2006-07-28		Age July 1st:	22
Term:	2 years		Playoff GP:	0
Total Money:	$4.4M		Playoff PTS:	0
Cap Hit:	$2.2M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	7.6	164	79	356
Per 82 GP	3.8	82	40	178	26.8

"First thing is that you have to make the playoffs. That's something that hasn't happened here for a number of years."

– Jay Bouwmeester

Mike Keenan and Jay Bouwmeester were unable to reach an agreement on a new treaty following the smooth-skating defenseman’s breakout 46-point season in 2006. The impasse went to an arbitrator, who anointed him with this 2-year pact. In retrospect, the price was under what that level of output should have been worth, but it was the exact same salary that Frantisek Kaberle agreed to one month earlier after scoring 44 PTS and winning the Stanley Cup with Carolina (which you can read about on the Hurricanes worst contracts list).
 
While Kaberle was much older and about to get much worse, J-Bo was just hitting his apex, scoring at a 40-point pace over these 3 years. The Panthers got a bargain, but also never played a playoff game under his tenure. They never could agree on a long-term deal, as he followed this up with a 1-year pact that walked him directly to unrestricted free agency, so his bargaining rights were traded to Calgary, where inked a long-term ticket.
 
 
9. Jason Garrison
 

Signed By:	Dale Tallon		Position:	D
Date:	2010-07-07		Age July 1st:	25
Term:	2 years		Playoff GP:	4
Total Money:	$1.35M		Playoff PTS:	3
Cap Hit:	$675K		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	1.8	150	51	284
Per 82 GP	0.9	82	28	155	23.0

"Over the last two years, Jason has taken great strides in his development and through his hard work and determination, he earned a spot on our roster. We look forward to his continued growth and contributions to our team."

– Dale Tallon

Over the course of his entry level contract, Jason Garrison only played 40 games in the NHL, but was starting to show his offensive upside in the AHL. He was not in any position to make demands, agreeing to a 2-year deal at a salary of $700K.
 
Afterwards, Jason finally earned a permanent roster spot and started logging heavy minutes. As his time on the power play began to rise, so did the points. In year two he posted a remarkable 16 goals for 10 cents on the dollar for what goals should cost from the blueline. Garrison banked a massive UFA pay day when this expired, which you can read about on the Canucks worst contracts list. Jay never again came close to 16 goals in a season.
 
 
10. Carter Verhaeghe
 

Signed By:	Bill Zito		Position:	F
Date:	2020-10-09		Age July 1st:	24
Term:	2 years		Playoff GP:	16
Total Money:	$2M		Playoff PTS:	15
Cap Hit:	$1M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	2.0	121	91	274
Per 82 GP	1.0	82	62	186	16.6

"Our scouts worked very hard and spent a lot of hours together looking for sort of younger talent that have upside and might be buried, might be behind opportunities in the clubs that they were on. He's a guy we're really excited about to see exactly what he can do providing some opportunities here.”

- Bill Zito

Florida took a gamble on a cast-away from their cross-state rival Tampa who had just scored 13 PTS in 52 GP (which my algorithm priced at $750K), getting Verhaeghe on a 2-year deal for $1M AAV. He had just contributed (albeit in a minor role) to Tampa’s Stanley Cup championship, so he was bringing some valuable playoff experience to Florida’s roster that was lacking in that category.
 
Upon arrival in Florida, his play elevated to a $5M level, scoring at a 69-point pace in year one. The Panthers were able to extend Carter on a 3 year deal for $4.2M AAV, which might also be a future contender for this list, but there’s no way it can be a bigger bargain than the pact that preceded it.
 
 
11. Vincent Trocheck
 

Signed By:	Tom Rowe		Position:	F
Date:	2016-07-02		Age July 1st:	22
Term:	6 years		Playoff GP:	28
Total Money:	$28.5M		Playoff PTS:	15
Cap Hit:	$4.75M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	29.9	409	295	1107
Per 82 GP	5.0	82	59	222	19.3

"We've been signing all of our core guys to long-term deals. It just helps us feel a lot more comfortable.”

- Vincent Trocheck

Vincent Trocheck had a breakout 25 goal, 53-point campaign right before his ELC expired, and the young center followed the lead of Barkov, who autographed a similar extension a few months earlier (for more money). Vinny would push his production to even higher heights, scoring 31 goals and 75 PTS in year two.
 
Year three was off to another strong start when a visually horrifying ankle injury knocked him out of action. He would return sooner than expected, but was not the same player, and that lower output would carry over into year four, prompting a trade to Carolina for Erik Haula and a package of lesser players. 
 
 
12. Gustav Forsling
 

Signed By:	Bill Zito		Position:	D
Date:	2021-07-15		Age July 1st:	25
Term:	3 years		Playoff GP:	10
Total Money:	$8.1M		Playoff PTS:	3
Cap Hit:	$2.7M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	8.1	71	37	145
Per 82 GP	2.7	82	43	167	21.2

"After joining the Panthers in January, Gustav had a career season setting personal records and establishing his defensive game to bolster our blueline.”

-Bill Zito

Gustav Forsling signed this contract after scoring 17 PTS in 43 GP (32-point pace) averaging 20 minutes per game of ice time, which my algorithm valued at about $800K above the price obtained. Even if he remained a 32-point 20-minute defenseman for all 3 years, it would still have been a bargain. 

In year one, he ascended to a higher level, scoring at a 43-point pace, which should be worth north of $5M. Getting a 40-point D-man at half price is a good deal. Perhaps the best part of the Forsling acquisition is that he was a waiver claim from Chicago, and he was instantly a better player upon arrival in Florida.
 
 
13. Stephen Weiss
 

Signed By:	Jacques Martin		Position:	F
Date:	2007-08-23		Age July 1st:	24
Term:	6 years		Playoff GP:	7
Total Money:	$18.6M		Playoff PTS:	5
Cap Hit:	$3.1M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	26.4	405	273	806
Per 82 GP	4.4	82	55	163	19.2

"Stephen has taken significant steps in his growth process over the last two years and we believe that he possesses the tools to be one of our club’s top offensive threats"

- Jacques Martin

Former 4th overall draft pick Stephen Weiss had just completed his first successful season with 20 goals and 48 PTS at age 23 when it came time to forge a new treaty. The two sides settled for a fair price, which was higher than what some of the center’s contemporaries were signing at the time. There was a premium paid to buy UFA seasons on a term that wouldn’t expire until Weiss was 30-years-old. 
 
If you forgot what “peak Weiss” looked like, it was all contained in years 2-5 of this pact when he maintained close to a 60-point pace. Then in year five, he missed most of the schedule after major wrist surgery, and Ken Holland would hand him $24M at age 30, which you can read all about on the Red Wings worst contracts list.
 
 
14. Jay Bouwmeester
 

Signed By:	Mike Keenan		Position:	D
Date:	2005-09-12		Age July 1st:	21
Term:	1 year		Playoff GP:	0
Total Money:	$940K		Playoff PTS:	0
Cap Hit:	$940K		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	2.0	82	46	189
Per 82 GP	2.0	82	46	189	25.5

"While we recognize that arbitration was an option, we were always confident we would reach a mutually acceptable contract with Jay"

- Jacques Martin

Jay Bouwmeester was the 3rd overall draft pick in 2002 and went directly to the NHL where he played 143 games before the lockout, scoring 36 PTS. He had not yet established himself as a point producer, but the belief in his high ceiling was widespread among prognosticators due to his draft pedigree.
 
There were limits to what he could negotiate when the lockout ended, settling on a short 1-year deal at a very team friendly price. Every team was struggling to become cap compliant, so there were several discounts compromised on short-term deals leaguewide. Jay-Bo quickly did establish himself as an offensive catalyst, scoring 46 PTS and setting up a date with arbitration.
 
 
15. Olli Jokinen
 

Signed By:	Mike Keenan		Position:	F
Date:	2005-09-12		Age July 1st:	26
Term:	1 year		Playoff GP:	0
Total Money:	$2.5M		Playoff PTS:	0
Cap Hit:	$2.5M		Stanley Cups:	0

 

	Adj Cap Hit	GP	PTS	SOG	ATOI
Total	5.3	82	89	351
Per 82 GP	5.3	82	89	351	20.5

“It’s a one-year deal and everybody’s happy.”

– Agent Mark Gandler

Olli Jokinen had previously peaked at 65 PTS at age 23 and had been named team captain prior to the 2005 lockout. When play resumed, the Finnish center would get paid a modest salary on a 1-year term that would walk him directly to unrestricted free agency (spoiler alert, he eventually re-signed).
 
There was never a better year to bet on yourself than the 2005/06 obstruction crackdown, where Olli flourished, scoring 38 goals and 89 PTS (he averaged nearly 5 minutes per game on the power play, where he collected 37 of his PTS). Jokinen successfully parlayed all that extra power play time into a big pay day, banking $21M on his next contract.