The Florida Panthers and GM Bill Zito are at it again. Facing some potentially big losses this offseason, Zito got to work and re-signed some of the biggest free agents on the market, while a certain player took a big discount to stay with the team. With the busy offseason, does this mean the Panthers are at the top of the league again and aiming at a rare three-peat?
Panthers, Zito run it back one more time
Zito wanted to bring back the major pieces that were free agents and he did just that. He found a way to keep this championship team together while still adding depth. Zito re-signed forward Sam Bennett (eight years, $84 million), forward Brad Marchand (six years, $31.5 million), defenseman Aaron Eklbad (eight years, $48.8 million), and defenseman Tobais Bjornfot (one-year, two-way deal). Bennett, Marchand, and Ekblad were cricual in the Panthers' path to another Stanley Cup and all earned another big contract. Without those three, there may not have been another parade in Florida.
He was also busy in free agency signing other pieces. He signed defenseman Jeff Petry to a one-year deal as a depth piece and added left winger Tomas Nosek to add scoring to the bottom six. He added goaltender Daniil Tarasov via a sign-and-trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Zito had to find a backup to Sergei Bobrovsky after Vitek Vanecek left for the Utah Mammoth. Tarasov has been solid in his NHL play and could see important starts with the Panthers.
Is Zito the real MVP of the Panthers?
Zito once again goes above and beyond to make sure his team is loaded for the upcoming season. Since he accepted the GM position on September 9, 2020, he has consistently given his team every chance to win by going out and making necessary moves, whether it is by signings or trades.
Entering his sixth season at the helm of the Panthers organization, Zito has put this team in a position to win for the foreseeable future as they keep reloading and retooling. He has gone above and beyond to make sure this team is hard to play against and is a Stanley Cup contender year after year.
The team he has assembled has been quite fun to watch but it is a miracle that he keeps this team intact with how other teams like to spend money. It is shocking to see that Zito has not won the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year award. His contributions to this organization should be recognized for the work he has put in. His work has paid off so far.