The Florida Panthers and Bill Zito continued their offseason signing frenzy on Thursday by signing defenceman Niko Mikkola to an eight-year extension, worth $40 million, that kicks in next season.
The 29-year-old joins a plethora of Panthers players who are signed through the 2029-30 NHL season and becomes the fourth player on the team to be signed through the 2032-33 season, joining Aaron Ekblad, Carter Verharghe and Sam Bennett. As for Mikkola, he will be 38 when his new contract expires.
Mikkola was a fifth-round pick, 127th overall, in 2015 by the St. Louis Blues. He made his NHL debut in 2019-20, but didn’t become an NHL regular until the 2021-22 season.
After a stop in New York with the Rangers, as part of the Vladimir Tarasenko trade, Mikkola signed with the Panthers as a free agent on July 1, 2023 – suiting up for the team the past two seasons. As such, Mikkola is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Panthers having it won it in back-to-back seasons the past two years.
The defenceman has also seen his most productive seasons come the past two seasons with the Panthers, playing in 82 games and 76 games respectively, and recording 17 points and 22 points.
“Niko has proven himself to be a dependable defenceman who uses his speed and physicality to impact both ends of the ice,” said Panthers’ general manager Zito. “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.”
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Mikkola has averaged over 18 minutes per game over his career in 328 games played during the regular season. He has 62 points and 263 penalty minutes over that span.
The new contract will put the Panthers at just over $85 million for the 2026-27 season when it kicks in with the majority of their core players signed to long-term deals. As for this season, the Panthers enter the year with just under $20 million set to hit long-term injury reserve (LTIR) with Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov expected to both be out long-term.
