Overview

• The Panthers signed Sam Bennett to an eight-year, $64 million contract, Aaron Ekblad to an eight-year, $48.8 million deal at $6.1 million per season, and Brad Marchand to a six-year, $31.5 million agreement.
• NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said he was surprised that Florida managed to re-sign all three marquee unrestricted free agents and credited general manager Bill Zito’s strategy and the team’s unity for driving the deals.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs extended Mitch Marner for eight years at a $12 million average annual value before trading him to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for forward Nicolas Roy.
• Core players publicly expressed their intent to chase a third straight Stanley Cup after securing consecutive championships.
• The Edmonton Oilers retained Evan Bouchard with a four-year, $10.5 million AAV deal and the Columbus Blue Jackets signed Ivan Provorov to a seven-year, $8.5 million per year contract.