Tim Stutzle, 24 - $6.75/4 years

Isac Lundestrom, 26 - $5.0/3 years

Dylan Guenther, 23 - $6.6/5 years

Kaiden Guhle, 24 - $6.5/4 years

Conor Timmins, 27 - $5.75/3 years

Antti Raanta, 33 - $5.5/5 years

These players represent some of the core for this team that is now poised to build into a contender. Their entire top six and all six defensemen are locked in for next season. Five of six defensemen are signed for the next two seasons.

"We're really building something special, I believe," says the Panthers GM. "We have a great group of young players that we've drafted, and they want to stay here long term."

One player who was not drafted here, but will now become part of the Panthers' legacy, is netminder Antti Raanta. The Panthers traded for him before the season started, and he is the latest to sign an extension. At $5.5 million per season, he opted for a team-friendly deal with his new club.

"Antti has been great. Both on and off the ice. We presented an extension to him, along with our long term plans. He understood that we have one of the best cores of young defensemen in the league here right now. They're under contract too. Over the next several seasons, he knows who's going to be playing in front of him. With the numbers he's having this year, he agreed that his best option is to stay with this group and help us win a Stanley Cup. We can't wait to see where he takes this club."