Sources: Panthers keeping Marchand, Ekblad

Hours aft re-signing Aaron Ekblad, the Florida Panthers kept different integral portion of their Stanley Cup squad by re-signing Brad Marchand to a six-year declaration extension, sources told ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

Coming to presumption with Ekblad connected an eight-year hold worthy $6.1 cardinal annually near the Panthers with what PuckPedia projected to beryllium $4.9 cardinal successful wage headdress space.

There was the anticipation that Marchand could person near the Panthers for a much lucrative connection elsewhere considering determination were teams that had what would person been much than capable headdress abstraction to motion him.

Instead? The 37-year-old Marchand, who arrived up of the NHL commercialized deadline from the Boston Bruins, appears arsenic if helium volition stay successful South Florida for the remainder of his career.

Acquiring defenseman Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks and past adding Marchand, who was a pending UFA entering the last time earlier escaped bureau begins Tuesday, were 2 decisions made by Panthers wide manager Bill Zito with the intent it could spot the Panthers triumph a consecutive Stanley Cup arsenic portion of a tally that would besides see 3 consecutive Cup finals appearances.

Marchand utilized the postseason to further cement wherefore the Panthers on with different teams passim the NHL would inactive question his services. He scored 10 goals and finished with 20 points successful 23 playoff games.

For each the contributions helium made, his top came during their consecutive Cup last bid against the Edmonton Oilers.

Marchand, who antecedently won a Cup with the Bruins backmost successful 2011, opened the bid with a extremity successful the archetypal 3 games. That includes the 2 goals helium scored successful the Panthers' 5-4 treble overtime triumph to necktie the bid with his 2nd being the game-winning salvo.

He scored 2 much goals successful 5-2 triumph successful Game 5 that allowed the Panthers to instrumentality a 3-1 bid pb earlier returning to Sunrise, Fla., wherever they closed retired the bid with an emphatic 5-1 win.

Capturing a consecutive rubric created questions astir if the Panthers could triumph a 3rd successful a row. But that besides came with the knowing that it mightiness beryllium hard fixed determination was lone truthful overmuch wage headdress abstraction to re-sign Conn Smythe victor Sam Bennett, Ekblad and Marchand.

Knowing determination was a accidental they could astatine slightest suffer 1 of them, Zito laid the instauration to clasp the trio. It began by signing Bennett to an eight-year declaration worthy $8 cardinal annually connected June 27 earlier utilizing Monday to motion Ekblad and Marchand.