2 Canadian Teams Linked to Aaron Ekblad in Free Agency

The Florida Panthers are just two wins away from their second straight Stanley Cup victory, but over the summer, they'll have plenty of big decisions to make whether they are triumphant over the Edmonton Oilers or not.

Forwards Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand are both set to be free agents, but they've also got a huge call to make on Aaron Ekblad, who has been with the team for over a decade after being drafted No. 1 overall back in the 2014 NHL Draft.

According to reports, the team want to keep him, but are looking for him to take a pay cut from his latest contract, with the belief around the league then being that he could find himself on the open market come July 1.

Now, David Pagnotta and EJ Hradek have linked him to several teams, including two Canadian teams in the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs, with both teams making sense for the Ontario native.

When healthy, the 29-year old is still capable of being one of the best producers on the blue line on any given team, with 3 goals and 33 points in 56 games played this past season, and given his experience combined with his two-way game, he'll draw much more interest than just three teams if he makes it to free agency.

Ekblad recently commented that he wanted to remain loyal to the Panthers, but if they ask him to take a pay cut, that loyalty may only last so long, so don't be surprised if he finds himself on a brand new team north of the border in 2025/26.