Panthers' Aaron Ekblad Left Tens of Millions on the Table by Staying in Florida Per New Report
Aaron Ekblad remained in Florida as a free agent this off-season, and now James Mirtle has revealed he left money on the table by turning down the Red Wings.
The Florida Panthers won the Stanley Cup for the second straight season in 2025, but with so many top names locked in for years to come, the expectation is that they'll be able to turn this success into a dynasty.
Those hopes were only helped this off-season as the team locked in the trio of Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad all to long-term deals, giving them reason to believe they can win at least another two Stanley Cups as a core.
Aaron Ekblad turns down massive offer from the Detroit Red Wings
In signing new deals, all three showed just how important winning is to them, but especially Ekblad, who had the chance to potentially get the biggest pay rise if he were to hit the open market.
Now, according to James Mirtle of The Athletic, the former No. 1 overall pick turned down a massive offer from the Detroit Red Wings, with the potential for him to earn tens of millions more if he had chosen to leave the Panthers.
I know Detroit was pushing for some of the top potential UFAs this summer. Aaron Ekblad, in particular, could have signed for a much thicker average annual value in Michigan than the $6.1 million he took with Florida.
Despite the suspension that saw him miss the latter stages of the regular season, Ekblad is one of the Panthers most important players, tallying 4 goals and 13 points in 19 post-season games, showing why he's so valuable.
Ultimately though, he chose to remain loyal to the team that drafted him No. 1 overall over a decade ago, and with the chance to win multiple Stanley Cups in the coming years, he made the decision to choose that over money.
