Panthers re-sign Marchand, Bennett, Ekblad thanks to winning culture, GM

Bill Zito received a simple question when the Florida Panthers general manager met with the media Tuesday.

“How?” he was asked.

“Sorry?” he responded.

“How?”

“How?”

“How did you do this?”

Zito’s answer spoke volumes not only about himself but about the culture the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions have built -- a culture that led defenseman Aaron Ekblad and forwards Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand to stay instead of testing unrestricted free agency, a culture that could lead to a dynasty.

“I didn’t,” Zito said. “It was those guys. There’s no gray area whatsoever. This was 100 percent those guys wanting to be part of something that they created. We kind of wax poetic about the team and the community that they’ve become, and I think this is a great example of what it means to them.”

Zito has every reason to be proud. He played a key role in assembling this roster and keeping it together under the NHL salary cap. Look at the core Florida has locked up now that these three have agreed to terms -- Bennett on Friday, Ekblad on Monday and Marchand on Tuesday.

Up front, the Panthers have Bennett (eight more seasons), Marchand (six), Aleksander Barkov (five), Anton Lundell (five), Sam Reinhart (seven), Matthew Tkachuk (five) and Carter Verhaeghe (eight).

On defense, they have Ekblad (eight), Gustav Forsling (seven) and Seth Jones (five).

Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is signed for one more season, and the Panthers will have cap space to maneuver after next season.

The Panthers are the clear favorite to win the Stanley Cup next season, despite the fatigue factor after three straight trips to the Stanley Cup Final. They can become the first team to win the Cup three times in a row in the salary cap era (since 2005-06). No one has done it since the New York Islanders won four straight championships from 1980-83.

Even if the Panthers don’t win it next season, their window will remain open for the foreseeable future. They have a chance to join the Pittsburgh Penguins (2009, 2016 and 2017) and the Chicago Blackhawks (2010, 2013 and 2015) as the only teams to win the Cup three times in the cap era.

But for Zito to take credit would go against what has made the Panthers great. He sets an example, yes. He also fits in the same way Bennett, Ekblad and Marchand fit in.

“This is a special group of people,” Zito said. “It’s a special environment, and these three guys, in particular, understand and value and appreciate the opportunity. Even though they’re significant contributors to it on their own, I think that they’re aware that they make the group better and the group makes them better.”

That’s the key, not the sunshine or the lack of state taxes, as nice as those might be. The Panthers have reached the point where they have a collection of extraordinary parts, and whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

The beauty of it is this:

“The people who are in it appreciate it while they’re in it,” Zito said.

How often do you hear that, especially on the day the free agent market opens and so many dollars are out there to be grabbed?

Compromises had to be made, of course. The players left some money on the table, no doubt. The Panthers stretched contracts over the long term to reduce average annual values. Marchand is 37. He will be 43 when his new contract expires.

Yeah, you can say that the Panthers are going all in to win and that they’ll worry about it later, that this is the cost of doing business when you’re chasing greatness. But the truth is, they’re worrying about it now. They’ve worried about it already. They have gone through what-if scenarios and made at least preliminary contingency plans.

“Our core, they’re solid,” Zito said. “Are people going to get hurt? Yeah. Can we address that? Yeah. How do we get better, and how do we allow for some of the other players and the other assets if they’re ready to get in? I think almost any GM would tell you the same, that it’s a constant cycle of thoughts in your head -- in the middle of the night, when you’re driving, when you get distracted. What about this? What about that? What about this?”

The Panthers have thought a lot about the wear-and-tear issue too, especially with the roster getting older.

“How can we address it?” Zito said. “How can we get in front of it? Are there things we can do now? Should we start thinking about making some adaptations to the way we do things?”

Zito said he and coach Paul Maurice are always asking why they do things, and they don’t simply say, “Well, that’s how we do it.” He said they need to be creative and proactive, and they’re working with their sports science staff on everything from ice time to rest days to travel plans.

But first, the GM needs a break.

“I gotta get some sleep,” Zito said.

He’s earned it.