There was an equal amount of shock and awe to go around for those following the Florida Panthers free agency situation this offseason.
Somehow, Florida General Manager Bill Zito was able to retain all three of Florida’s big pending unrestricted free agents: Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand.
To his credit, Zito was quick to give all the props to the players themselves.
It was the players, after all, who decided against hitting the open market and taking a deal for (probably) much less money to stay with the Panthers.
Bennett signed an eight-year deal worth $64 million that carries an average annual value (AAV) of $8 million, Ekblad signed for $48.8 million over eight years, carrying a $6.1 million AAV, and Marchand inked six-year deal that will pay $31.5 million and carry a $5.25 million AAV.
The contract that some are pushing back against is Marchand’s.
While it’s not breaking any rules, the contract will expire when the veteran forward is 43 years old.
One of those voicing their opinion is THN Toronto’s David Alter. You can check out his thoughts in the social media post and video below:
6 YEARS FOR MARCHAND!? 😳@dalter breaks it all down & gives his thoughts on the deal! 👀 pic.twitter.com/8feGqqhTr6
— Bodog (@BodogCA) July 8, 2025
“We all expected that (Marchand) would get multiple years, into those years where he may or may not play, but to 43 years of age? No one has played in the NHL at 43 as a forward since Jaromir Jagr in 2017-2018,” Alter said.
He does have a point.
Is it impossible for a player to stay in the NHL until the age of 43? Of course not.
Is it common to see any player remain in the NHL around or past the age of 40? Of course not.
Hockey is an incredibly physically demanding sport that tests strength and endurance just as much as agility and grit.
It’s an all-around workout unlike any other sport.
Odds are, Marchand will hang up his skates before he reaches 43 years old.
If he does, and he’s healthy and simply retires, he wouldn’t receive whatever money was left on his contract. However, if he’s injured at some point, and that keeps him from playing, Florida could put Marchand on LTIR and he would continue getting paid without the money counting against the Panthers’ cap hit.
The way Marchand’s contract was constructed, he will earn $13.5 million over the first two years.
Every year of the deal has a base salary of $1 million, and the rest is paid out in the form of a signing bonus on every July 1.
This season came with a $6.5 million signing bonus and next season carries a $5 million signing bonus. The remaining four years each have a signing bonus of $3.5 million.
You can see how the contract dollars break down here, thanks to PuckPedia.
Ultimately, time will tell how much of Marchand’s contract he actually plays for, and gets paid for.
Until then, the debate will go on into whether deals like this should be permitted by the NHL.
It would be a difficult rule to set, as every player ages differently.
Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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Photo caption: Jun 3, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Florida Panthers centre Brad Marchand (62) is seen taking questions during media day in advance of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. (Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images)
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