Matthew Tkachuk’s First Post After Brad Marchand’s $32 Million Extension
Fresh off their second straight Stanley Cup championship, the Florida Panthers gave their fans reason to celebrate on Monday.
Three days after locking up Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett to an eight-year, $64 million contract, the Panthers pulled off a coup by getting star defenseman Aaron Ekblad to take a major hometown discount with his new eight-year, $48.8 million deal.
Most analysts believe Ekblad could’ve received closer to $8M or $9M per year on the open market as opposed to the $6.1 million average annual value he’s getting from Florida.
Hours later, general manager Bill Zito worked more magic, getting star forward Brad Marchand, who was acquired at the trade deadline in March, to stick around with a six-year, $32 million extension.
Multiple reports indicated Marchand was seriously considering returning to the Boston Bruins. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Utah Mammoth were thought to be potential suitors as well.
One of the Panthers’ most recognizable faces made it known how he felt about Marchand, who was once one of Florida’s biggest nemeses, re-upping for six more years.
Tkachuk’s no-word post, which shows the two enjoying drinks in a pool, drew pretty strong reactions from Panthers fans on social media.
“The bromance no one saw coming 🥂,” one fan wrote.
“Going for the hat trick. The boys are back baby 💪💪💪💪💪💪💪,” another added.
“As a long suffering fan, these past two years have been a dream come true. We’re only getting started. Thank you guys!” a third fan exclaimed.
“Everyone thought it was just a vacation. It was a vacation/dynasty business trip,” one user pointed out.
“3 PEAT” remarked another user.
“I want my girl to look at me like Matthew looks at Brad,” one fan quipped.
Following their signing spree, the Panthers are returning most of their core from this season’s Cup-winning team.
Forwards Tomas Nosek, Nico Sturm and Mackie Samoskevich, defensemen Jaycob Megna and Nate Schmidt, and goaltender Vitek Vanecek are Florida’s remaining free agents. None played an integral role in the team’s Stanley Cup run.
