The Florida Panthers acquired Brad Marchand at the trade deadline in March with the anticipation that he would only be a rental for the rest of the season, a final piece to a hopeful second Stanley Cup championship run.

Throughout the course of the NHL offseason thus far, one of the major storylines has surrounded the future of Florida Panthers' free agent center Brad Marchand. Marchand is fresh off of helping lead the Panthers to their second straight championship.

Marchand and the Panthers are nearing a six-year contract extension worth just less than $32 million, according to Sportsnet's Elliott Friedman. That comes after Friedman reported the Panthers reached an eight-year contract with Aaron Ekblad, a deal with a $6.1 million average annual value.