The Florida Panthers have extended yet another core piece of their championship team by locking up defenseman Niko Mikkola today. The contract will be a $5 million deal across 8 years.
This is a hefty pay raise for the 29 year old Finnish blueliner, which doubles his current $2.5 million contract. Mikkola has asserted himself as an important piece of the Panthers back end that ranks among the league's best since he joined the organization in the 23-24 season. He has enjoyed back to back Cup runs during that time.
Last season Mikkola had a career year, recording 6 goals and 16 assists in 76 games. In the postseason, he registered 3 goals and 3 assists for the Stanley Cup champion Panthers.
What does this move mean for Florida?
This move keeps the pattern going for Florida when it comes to keeping their core cup winning squad intact moving forward. Mikkola joins Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Aaron Ekblad and Even Rodrigues among those who have reached long term extensions with the club this summer.
By locking up Mikkola on the Florida D core, the Panthers preserve a strong defense. In addition to Mikkola: the Panthers defensive group of Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling, Seth Jones, Dmitri Kulikov and Jeff Petry is among the deepest units in the NHL.
Over the course of his 6 year career, Mikkola has amassed 14 goals and 48 assists in 328 regular season games. In the playoffs, he has totaled 5 goals and 9 assists in 69 games.