Panthers fans, you can exhale now. The team announced this afternoon the signing of the franchise cornerstone through the 2030 NHL season. For the next decade, Aleksander Barkov will be a Florida Panther.
The deal comes in at an even 10 million dollars annually. That makes Barkov tied for the 11th highest paid player in the NHL, pricing him in a similar range to players such as Jack Eichel, Anze Kopitar, and Tyler Seguin.
Undeniably, this number pays him like the franchise player he is, but Barkov almost certainly would have earned more on the open market. Barkov made his intentions to stay in South Florida clear, and reiterated those statements as a press conference today.
“I really love every second here, my whole career.” Barkov said, “Never thought about anything else but being here and playing here and trying to win a Stanley Cup here.” He continued to say, “I feel like I have two homes now, South Florida and Finland,”
General Manager Bill Zito expressed similar enthusiasm about signing Barkov, calling today “an exciting day for the Panthers”
Indeed, Barkov is the type of talent to singlehandedly grow a sport. For many years, hockey and South Florida were thought to be incompatible. Barkov is a huge reason that has changed. “The whole hockey community in South Florida is growing. I see it every day.”
Barkov may not admit it, but he is the catalyst for that growth. The talent he possesses brought the Panthers out of the dregs of the league and has made them into a true cup contender. He means as much to this franchise as anybody.
Keeping Aleksander Barkov in a Panthers uniform had to have been priority number one for Zito and his team. As the season rapidly approaches, both sides must feel a huge weight lifted off their shoulders. Overall, this extension is a true win-win: the Panthers keep their superstar, and Barkov gets paid like one.
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