Panthers extend another member of core, give Niko Mikkola eight-year deal
The Florida Panthers have signed yet another player of their core that has won back-to-back Stanley Cups to a long-term deal.
The Panthers and defenseman Niko Mikkola agreed to an eight-year contract extension, the club announced Thursday. The deal is reportedly for a $5 million average annual value and begins with the 2026-27 season, keeping Mikkola under contract through the 2033-24 season.
“Niko has proven himself to be a dependable defenseman who uses his speed and physicality to impact both ends of the ice,” Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito said in a press release. “He was an indispensable piece of our past two championship campaigns, and we are thrilled that Niko will be continuing his career with the Florida Panthers.”
The Panthers now have 11 players — just shy of half of the maximum 23 allowed on an active roster — signed through at least the 2029-30 season. That includes all four of their top defensemen in Aaron Ekblad ($6.1 million average annual value through 2032-33), Gustav Forsling ($5.75 million AAV through 2031-32), Seth Jones ($7 million AAV through 2029-30) and Mikkola. A fifth defenseman in Dmitry Kulikov is under contract through the 2027-28 season.
The seven forwards signed to long-term deals are Aleksander Barkov ($10 million AAV through 2029-30), Matthew Tkachuk ($9.5 million AAV through 2029-30), Sam Bennett ($8.63 million AAV through 2031-32), Sam Reinhart ($8 million AAV through 2032-33), Carter Verhaeghe ($7 million AAV through 2032-33), Brad Marchand ($5.25 million AAV through 2030-31) and Anton Lundell ($5 million AAV through 2029-30).
Mikkola, like so many other players during the past few years, has had a career renaissance since joining the Panthers. Florida signed him to a three-year, $7.5 million deal ahead of the 2023-24 season as part of a wave of defenseman signings to offset the anticipated early season losses of Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour, both of whom were recovering from offseason shoulder surgery.
He’s a big-bodied defenseman at 6-6 and 204 pounds, which has brought out a new nickname: The Condor.”
“Bird of prey,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said during last season’s Stanley Cup championship run. “More of a scavenger.”
Mikkola was known more for his defensive prowess than offensive skill up to that point in his career, having just 23 points (five goals, 18 assists) in 170 career games with the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers while being on the ice for an average of 16:41 average per game.
But once he got to Florida, the offensive numbers have seen an uptick while his defense has remained steady.
He logged 39 points (nine goals, 30 assists) the past two regular seasons with the Panthers and added another 10 points (five goals, five assists) during the two championship playoff runs. He did this while playing heavier minutes, too, averaging close to 20 minutes per game while being part of Florida’s second defense pairing.
“It’s the agility,” Maurice said. “[His previous teams] played completely different games than we played. Then he gets here, and he’s up the ice all the time. ... His straight-line speed is incredible.”
So, too, is his relationship with his teammates. While Mikkola comes off as quiet in public settings, he’s constantly chatting on the bench. Sometimes it’s going over the previous shift. Other times, it’s just joking around.
“Sometimes I don’t even know what he’s saying,” fellow defenseman Gustav Forsling said, “but he’s always coming back to the bench saying something, and it’s hilarious.”
Added defenseman Aaron Ekblad: “I always find myself chuckling when he comes back to the bench and he’s yelling about something.”
And they marvel at his skill set as well.
“He’s such a complete defenseman,” forward Carter Verhaeghe said. “If I was on the other team, I definitely wouldn’t like playing against him. He has such a long reach, good stick and he’s a good skater.”
Now, he’s sticking around a little bit longer.
This story will be updated.
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