The Florida Panthers reportedly ensured 20-year-old center Aleksander Barkov will be a part of the franchise's future, agreeing to a long-term extension with him on Monday.
According to ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun, the deal is for six years and carries an average annual value of $5.9 million. Barkov essentially let the cat out of the bag earlier in the day in a tweet directed at actor Kevin Spacey:
@KevinSpacey thanks 4 the good luck I'm in for 6 more years noon presser tomorrow @LKomarov your invited...Thanks @FlaPanthers @Dougielarge
— Aleksander Barkov (@Barkovsasha95) January 25, 2016
The Panthers selected Barkov second overall in the 2013 draft, and in 163 games for Florida, he has scored 36 goals and assisted on 54 more.