Panthers announce 6-year extension with Aleksander Barkov

Center Aleksander Barkov and the Florida Panthers agreed to a 6-year extension, the organization reported Monday night.

According to ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun, the deal is for six years and carries an average annual value of $5.9 million.

And that sort of thinking is just one reason why the Panthers wasted no time in locking up the 20-year-old Barkov, who would have been a restricted free agent this summer.

Barkov, the second overall selection in the 2013 draft, is producing at a high rate for the Panthers this season. The link between this year’s Panthers and the House of Cards star remains a little vague, but the team has a sweatshirt with Spacey’s head floating in space that they give to the player of the game in the locker room after each game.

“Sasha is not only a great player, he’s one of the best players in the league in all three zones of the ice”, Panthers general manager Dale Tallon said. “I’m going to work even harder”.

SportsNet’s Mike Johnston compiled an interesting list of players with similar salaries.

Aleksander Barkov has a new contract with the Florida Panthers.

The Florida Panthers are now sitting in first place in the Atlantic Division and first place in the weird post-game team “hero” award category.

Neither Spacey nor Toronto Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov were present at Tuesday’s press conference.