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Defenseman Aaron Ekblad and the Florida Panthers have agreed to an eight-year, $60 million extension. The news was first reported by the Miami Herald and confirmed by ESPN's Craig Custance. The final details are still being worked out and the deal likely won't be official until next week, the source told Custance. "I don't think it's any secret,'' Panthers general manager Tom Rowe said. "He's a guy we want in the fold for a long time to come.'' Ekblad was an All-Star in each of his first two years with Florida, and now clearly becomes a face of a franchise that believes it is getting closer to finally hoisting the Stanley Cup. "Couldn't be happier,'' Ekblad wrote on Instagram as he posed in a Florida jersey. He was the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft and already is Florida's franchise leader with eight career game-winning goals.  "An exceptionally skilled, intelligent and mature young player that is a difference maker for our team both on and off the ice,'' Rowe said. The Panthers won the Atlantic Division last year, reaching the playoffs for just the second time in 15 seasons. The ownership group led by Vincent Viola has made no secret that it is driven by winning a championship, and Florida is starting to look like a real potential contender. "He bought the team to win a Stanley Cup and the players that we've got here all want to win a Stanley Cup,'' Rowe said. "We felt what we did today gives us a better chance of doing that.'' There were other moves, including the signing of goaltender James Reimer to a five-year, $17 million deal to share the workload with starter Roberto Luongo. Reimer has spent six seasons in the NHL, mostly with Toronto. He also appeared in nine games --eight regular-season, one playoff --with Stanley Cup finalist San Jose this past season. Reimer came to South Florida to see the Panthers' facilities Friday and was quickly convinced he was making the right decision. "We've got a great team and great management and ownership, they're passionate about winning,'' Reimer said. "As a player, that's the organization you want to be a part of.'' Luongo is still one of the best in the NHL, but the Panthers have been mindful of not overusing their 37-year-old goalie. He's sat out roughly one of every four Florida regular-season games in each of the last two years and had offseason hip surgery. The Panthers made a trade for former Colorado backup Reto Berra late last month. If Luongo isn't ready for opening night, Berra would begin as Reimer's backup. Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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