Aaron Ekblad officially hits the trade market

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Tom Banks
June 28, 2024 (0:04)

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After winning the Stanley Cup with the franchise that drafted him No. 1 overall, Aaron Ekblad may be on the way out in Florida this off-season.

Sports can often be a tough business, and now we may see that with the Florida Panthers, as the team now have some tough decisions to make just days after winning the first Stanley Cup in franchise history. According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, the team have now placed Aaron Ekblad on the trade market, actively shopping the former No. 1 overall pick that has been with Florida longer than anyone on this current roster.

Tough part of the biz... I'm told #TimeToHunt are shopping D Aaron Ekblad. He also switched agents this season.

While the team are still celebrating a historic run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, this is a move that makes sense for Florida, as Ekblad has been injury prone in the last few years, with the team getting production out of much cheaper players. The 28-year old has just one year left on an eight-year deal, carrying a cap hit of $7.5 million, and if the Panthers can clear that off the books, it opens them up to adding more depth to this already loaded team.

It's unclear at this point just what Ekblad's market will look like, but given his experience and his age, there's likely a team out there that could take a flier on him before he hits free agency in 2025, so keep a close eye on this situation moving forward.