Florida Panthers Pull Off What Many Thought They Couldn’t, And Now NHL Should Be Absolutely Terrified

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South Florida runs hockey … plain and simple.

The Florida Panthers … beloved Florida Panthers … have won two consecutive Stanley Cup championships and three straight Eastern Conference titles. But the new NHL dynasty isn’t just content with back-to-back championships, just look at where general manager Bill Zito has placed the Cats for the next five-plus years. (RELATED: Hockey Hall Of Fame Announces Class Of 2025 Inductees)

When the championship parties were over and it was time to get back to work for the offseason, Zito let it be known that he was confident that he could re-sign all three of the team’s high-profile free agents — center Sam Bennett, center Brad Marchand and defenseman Aaron Ekblad. This is something that many in the league thought wouldn’t happen … happen … and boy, oh, boy, how wrong everybody was. And the NHL should be absolutely terrified.

Bennett, who won the Playoff MVP, agreed on a contract first with the Cats by inking an eight-year, $64 million extension prior to the NHL Draft. After that, Florida locked up Ekblad, their No. 1 overall selection in the 2014 NHL Draft, on an eight-year deal as well, worth $6.1 million per year. That move came Monday, but that wasn’t the only one.

A big part of the Cats‘ offseason discussion was whether or not they would retain Canadian Brad Marchand. After all, he was just being viewed by many as a rental to win a ring after being traded to South Florida. And during the Stanley Cup run, Marchand put up 10 goals in the playoffs to make it loud and clear that he’s still a superstar. So would the league be right? Would he exit after getting a championship?

Nope! Breaking Canada’s heart yet again, Marchand also re-signed with the Panthers, doing so on a six-year contract that will see him get paid over $5 million per year.

Which finished this masterpiece for the Panthers:

The Core 10 … on the way to a ten-peat … Go Cats!