FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Bill Zito looked exhausted Tuesday. The Florida Panthers' hockey operations president and general manager was trying to schedule a fishing trip. He was trying to figure out how the next few weeks will work. He needed a nap, desperately. The good news: He can finally get a bit of a break.

The Florida Panthers’ brilliant general manager has pulled off the improbable and re-signed all three of his marquee free agents: Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Aaron Ekblad. The money looked tight, and most believed the Panthers could only afford to keep two of the three, at best.

Zito finished second in voting for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award behind the Dallas Stars’ Jim Nill, who won the award for a third consecutive season.