Ekblad is not happy with Panthers management

It's been quite an offseason for the Florida Panthers' front office. 

Not only did GM Bill Zito pull off the blockbuster trade of the summer, he also handed out one of the biggest contracts of the offseason. I'm talking, of course, about the world shifting Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar for Matthew Tkachuk contract and the ensuing $76 million deal for Tkachuk.

But, despite winning the Tkachuk sweepstakes, there are fans out there who feel like Zito paid too high a price. After all, Huberdeau and MacKenzie are both certified studs and the Flames may have actually improved by virtue of acquiring both players. And fans aren't alone in their assessment of the deal, veteran Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad isn't a big fan of these deals either.

When asked about the trade Ekblad called it "sad". After all, Huberdeau has been his teammate since he was selected 1st overall by the team back in 2014 and Weegar has been his defensive partner for a couple seasons now. When asked for his opinion on the deal, he didn't hold back.

“There is a correct way to answer that question, and that would be, ‘It’s a business and I’m sad to see (them) go but happy with the return. Realistically, yes, I’m very happy with Matthew as a player. I think he’s going to be great for us. But sad doesn’t even cover it when it comes to the two guys that we lost. They’re great friends of mine. I played with them for a really long time. It’s all part of the business, but at the end of the day it was a shock to see them go and to lose them as teammates. I’m going to try and stay as close as I can to those guys. They’re great friends and good people and I’m going to miss them a ton.”

Ekblad admits that he's working through his thoughts on the deal and that he is in fact happy that Tkachuk is on the team, of course.

“There are times when I’m not the most professional or the most perfect with my attitude about it. There are times where I’m like, ‘Fuck this.’ But at the end of the day, it’s what you love, and you power through, and good things come of it."