The New York Rangers in recent years have shown willingness to go all out at the trade deadline to help their chances to win a Stanley Cup. The 2022-23 season was perhaps their most active, as they made brought in former franchise cornerstones like Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko. But part of the latter trade for Tarasenko was Niko Mikkola, a 6-foot-6 defenseman. Mikkola was an underrated addition for the Rangers, as his size and toughness helped them after the trade deadline.
However, the Rangers let Mikkola walk in free agency after a short, disappointing playoff run. Instead, he signed a contract with the Florida Panthers, and won two Stanley Cup titles in his first two seasons with the team. Now, he's set to be a cornerstone of the franchise for the foreseeable future.
On Thursday, multiple reports indicated that Mikkola and the Panthers agreed to terms on an eight-year, $40 million contract extension.
8 years x $5M AAV for Niko Mikkola, value extension for the two-time defending champs https://t.co/eiiyltwuzC
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 2, 2025
Former Ranger Niko Mikkola gets massive contract extension from Panthers
The Panthers did everything in their power to ensure their core remained together to continue their chances at a dynasty. They managed to retain their three top free agents in Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Aaron Ekblad, which seemed like an impossible task. Yet, general manager Bill Zito found a way. Now, he did so to keep Mikkola around long-term.
Mikkola joining the Panthers came back to haunt the Rangers in a huge way. The Rangers and Panthers met in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024. While he did only notch one assist in the playoff series, Mikkola made an impact by running into Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin in Game 5, causing a huge fight.
Mikkola is a big-bodied defenseman who isn't afraid to get chippy with the opposition or throw down big hits. That is the specialty of the Panthers, they can get nasty and irritate their opponents. But also, Mikkola is good at shutting down players who enter Florida's defensive zone.
In each of his two seasons with the Panthers, Mikkola had career-best years. In 2023-24, Mikkola recorded three goals and 14 assists, while blocking 124 shots and dishing out 198 hit. Last season, he put up six goals and 16 assists, while recording 137 hits and 88 blocked shots. Mikkola made a huge impact in last year's Stanley Cup run. In the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes, he scored two goals and dished out two assists in the five-game series.
The decision against trying to retain Mikkola has come back to haunt the Rangers. Now, he is part of a team that the Rangers will likely have to get through to make the Stanley Cup Final. That's not going to be an easy feat. They are really banking on new head coach Mike Sullivan building them back up and into high-value contenders.