Florida Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola agreed to an eight-year contract extension on Thursday.

Financial terms were not disclosed by the team, but TSN reported the deal was worth $40 million.

Mikkola would have become a free agent at the end of the season. He will play the final season of his three-year, $7.5 million contract with Florida in 2025-26 before the extension begins in the 2026-27 campaign.

The 6-foot-6 Mikkola joins fellow defensemen Gustav Forsling, Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones in being locked into extensions until at least 2030.

"Niko has proven himself to be a dependable defenseman who uses his speed and physicality to impact both ends of the ice," said Bill Zito, Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager.

"He was an indispensable piece of our past tw

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