20-year-old forward Aleksander Barkov just earned himself a six-year contract extension from the Florida Panthers. Barkov took to Twitter to announce the extension to Kevin Spacey himself Monday night.
Yes. Barkov announced his extension by tweeting to Kevin Spacey. 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. It was revealed to fans in a picture posted to social media with Barkov wearing the sweatshirt back in December.
The deal is reported to carry a $35.4 million value for a $5.9 million AAV, according to George Richards of the Miami Herald. The contract buys into two years of his UFA status.
@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
Richards reports that the team was hoping to put Barkov to an eight-year deal, the league maximum, but Barkov’s agent wouldn’t take that much term.
Taking a six-year deal now allows the Panthers to lock up a young star at a reasonable hit, buying up some of his prime for what is sure to be a good deal when Barkov is at the tail end of this deal. It also helps them avoid dealing with a UFA negotiation.
Through 38 games this season Barkov has posted 12 goals and 30 points.