The Florida Panthers and defenceman Niko Mikkola have come to terms on an 8 year, $40M extension which will tie him to the club through 2034.
The new deal will feature an average annual value of $5M per season, and represents a sizeable upgrade from his 3 year, $7.5M pact signed back in 2023.
“Niko has proven himself to be a dependable defenseman who uses his speed and physicality to impact both ends of the ice,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. “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 29 year old set career highs in virtually every category last season, including goals (6), assists (16), points (22), PIM (70), +/- (+12), shots on goal (116) and ice time per game (20:12). He also led the club in hits (137) and was second in blocked shots (88) on the year.
Originally selected in the 5th round, 127th overall, by the St. Louis Blues back in 2015, the Finnish defender joined the Panthers as a free agent on July 1st 2023 following a year split between the Blues and New York Rangers.
Mikkola brings a steady presence to the Panthers back end, while adding some size and grit to the defence corps as well. Standing 6’6″ tall, Mikkola is now the 4th Panthers defenceman to ink a long term deal with the club, locking up the team’s top 4 pairing through at least 2030.
The left shot blue liner represented Finland at the Four Nations Faceoff earlier this year, and figures to be a member of his country’s 2026 Olympic roster as well.
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