Bill Zito looked exhausted Tuesday. The Florida Panthers' hockey operations president and general manager was trying to schedule a fishing trip. He was trying to figure out how the next few weeks will work. He needed a nap, desperately.
The good news: He can finally get a bit of a break.
The Panthers are running - skating? - it back next season, with all 12 of the forwards that they used in the clinching game of the Stanley Cup Final under contract for 2025-26 and in many cases long beyond.
The final moves came Tuesday, when the signings of Brad Marchand and Tomas Nosek became officially official as Florida prepares to try and win a third consecutive title next season.
And with that, Zito and the Panthers pulled off a stunning haul: They went into free agency trying to figure out who among the trio of Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Marchand could fit under the salary cap for next season - and kept them all.