Source: Florida Panthers lock up franchise center Aleksander Barkov with 8-year, $80 million deal

The Florida Panthers have secured their franchise center with a highly successful contract.
Aleksander Barkov signed an eight-year, $ 80 million deal with the Panthers, a source told ESPN on Friday. Most of the contract involves signing bonus funds.
It is the largest dollar contract ever awarded by the Panthers. His $ 10 million salary-cap hits would be the 10th highest in the league this season.
The 26-year-old Finn would become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Previously, he had signed a six-year contract for $ 35.4 million.

Barkov is entering his ninth NHL season. He has 465 points in 529 games. Barkov is considered one of the best two-way centers in the NHL and won the Selke Trophy as the league’s best defensive forward last season. He also won the Lady Byng Trophy as an NHL19 gentleman player in 2018.
The contract gives the Panthers two players who earn at least $ 10 million against the NHL salary cap, along with goalkeeper Sergei Bobrovsky, who signed a seven-year, $ 70 million free-agent contract in 2019. The Panthers join the Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, and Chicago Blackhawks as the only multiplayer teams with a salary cap of $10 million or more.