The Florida Panthers have had what can only be described as a sensational and pitch perfect offseason, managing to sign their big three, Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad, and Sam Bennett to long term deals in a feat that just didn't seem possible in the slightest. But, with nifty deals made by general manager Bill Zito, the Panthers offseason successes may be down to a certain point during last season, and most may not recognise that the Chicago Blackhawks may have played a massive part in allowing Florida to continue their dynasty. But here’s why.
Florida made some massive trades and acquisitions during last season in order to strengthen their roster even more, but one in particular which definitely made things harder in the offseason was the trade which saw Seth Jones head to South Florida alongside his $9.5 million cap hit, but not exactly all of it. The trade which saw Spencer Knight and a first round pick head to Chicago in return for Jones also came with a $2.5 million salary retention by the Blackhawks, and in the long run, that $2.5 million extra in the Panthers salary cap may have been vital to signing one of the big three.
It was more than likely that two of the the three would re-sign in Florida, but with the financial not adding up, and one looking like they will make a move, an $8 million deal for Bennett, followed by a $6.1 million deal for Ekblad looked like a great offseason already for the Panthers, but it didn't end there. A day later Brad Marchand penned a deal worth $5.25 million AAV, a massive discount for a player like him, but what has to be remembered is the $2.5 million they saved on the Seth Jones deal.
It may seem like a long shot, but the difference between paying Marchand $2.75 AAV and $5.25 million AAV is massive, and could've been the deciding factor for his exit. It can be thought of many ways, but the spread of the extra $2.5 million in cap space means it was easy for the Panthers to get deals done, and Chicago’s generous retention may have been a lucky break for Florida being able to spread the cash around a little bit more.
The Seth Jones trade could have already been seen as one of the trades of the season after he has clearly become one of the Panthers best d-men, but now, it seems even better. They got their elite, shutdown defenseman, and managed to get Chicago to eat some cap in order to have some more leeway come the offseason. $2.5 million isn't massive, but the spread may have been just enough to allow Marchand, Bennett, and Ekblad to continue in Florida, and the Blackhawks may have just facilitated one of the most dangerous teams for the next decade or so. Crazy.
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