Florida Panthers front office earns top spot on The Athletic’s list of contract efficiency

It’s no secret around the NHL that the Florida Panthers have one of the best and well-run front offices in the league.

The shift in culture, from top to bottom, in the time since the Panthers hired General Manager Bill Zito has been apparent and profound.

Not only has Florida built a roster worthy of annual contention for the Stanley Cup, but one that should be able sustain that level of success for the foreseeable future.

Smart and savvy decisions when it comes to handing out contracts has been a key to that endeavor.

It certainly helps that Florida has become a place where players may be willing to take a little bit less in order to play for a team that offers a chance at competing for Lord Stanley every year.

This week, The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn put out his annual summer contract efficiency rankings.

Defending their title at the top of the list were the Panthers, and as Luszczyszyn wrote, “For the second year in a row, the Florida Panthers finished first in the cap efficiency rankings and that’s not something that should be up for debate. It’s not even close.”

The conversation begins with Florida’s core players, Sasha Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk and Gustav Forsling, all signed for extended periods of time for below market value.

Well below, if you ask Luszczyszyn.

Across the board – aside from the goaltenders – the Panthers are getting incredible value for what they’re paying.

Regarding the tendies: nobody is complaining about Sergei Bobrovsky’s $10 million AAV (average annual value) contract anymore, not after the past couple years he’s put up, and Spencer Knight getting things back on track this season will go a long way toward feeling better about the $4.5 million AAV he’s making for the next two years.

The question now will be how well Zito can do to maintain this level moving forward.

There are three key Panthers who are playing this season on expiring contracts: Aaron Ekblad, Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett.

It would not be surprising to see each earn a pay increase on their next deals, but as was the case with Sam Reinhart and Gus Forsling, its no secret that if they’re looking for maximum value, the open market is the place to go.

Zito and the Panthers will offer fair deals to the players they want to keep.

Time will tell.