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Aaron Ekblad

Aaron Ekblad Hoping To Stay With Panthers

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While Aaron Ekblad and the Florida Panthers are in the midst of their second consecutive Stanley Cup run, the star defenseman isn’t shying away from thinking about his future with the franchise.

According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the pending unrestricted free agent has expressed strong interest in resigning with the Panthers.

“I live and breathe for the Florida Panthers. I bleed for the Florida Panthers. I’ve given my body and everything to this team, and I want to keep doing it… forever, for as long as they’ll let me come to the rink,” he said.

Ekblad has spent his entire 11-year career in Florida after being selected first overall by the team in the 2014 draft. As an 18-year-old, Ekblad burst onto the scene in his rookie season, posting 12 goals and 29 points on his way to the Calder Memorial Trophy. In the years since, he has established himself among the elite defenders in the league. Through 732 career games, Ekblad has posted 380 points, 793 blocked shots, and 839 hits.

He is second all-time in games played for the franchise (behind teammate Aleksander Barkov), 10th in goals, third in assists, fifth in points, third in plus/minus rating, third in shots on goal, and first in defensive point shares.

While Ekblad is coming off of an odd season that included injuries and a 20-game suspension for testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance (that he said he unknowingly took while recovering from his injuries), Ekblad still posted 33 points in 56 games.

With a projected $19 million in cap space (per PuckPedia), the Panthers should have the flexibility to bring their alternate captain back into the fold. However, they must also address the futures of several other key pending free agents, including Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, and Tomas Nosek. Ekblad’s expiring eight-year contract carried a $7.5 million AAV.

 

Panthers’ Aaron Ekblad Receives Two Game Suspension

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6:32 p.m.: Ekblad will miss Game 5 and Game 6 of Florida’s series against the Lightning or Game 5 against Tampa and Game 1 against their Round Two opponent. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced they have suspended Ekblad for two games for elbowing.

10:43 a.m.: Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad is facing another suspension after knocking Lightning winger Brandon Hagel out of last night’s Game 4 with a high hit, Nick Kypreos of Sportsnet was first to report. It’s a phone hearing with the Department of Player Safety, so he’s ineligible to be suspended for longer than five games.

Midway through the second period, Ekblad came down the halfwall to deliver a check to Hagel. Instead of making body-on-body contact, Ekblad raised his forearm to contact Hagel’s head, forcing the latter into concussion protocol. He did not return to the game, nor was Ekblad penalized on the play, in what many chastised as a missed call. Florida scored three goals in the final four minutes of the game to win 4-2 and take a 3-1 series lead, with Ekblad scoring the game-tying goal.

While the hit itself likely warrants a second look for supplemental discipline regardless of the context, the length of Ekblad’s likely pending suspension could be increased if DoPS determines it was a retaliatory hit. Hagel had just returned to the lineup after serving a one-game suspension for interference against Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.

Ekblad wasn’t the only Panthers defenseman to lay a controversial hit in Game 4. Niko Mikkola was ejected from the game early in the third period and given a major penalty for boarding Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons. He won’t face a suspension, though. DoPS announced Tuesday he’s been fined $5,000 for the play but won’t have a hearing.

The 29-year-old Ekblad had just returned from a 20-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances rules in Game 3 of the series. His goal was his first point since returning. He posted a minus-three rating across Games 3 and 4 while averaging 21:16 of ice time.

NHL Suspends Aaron Ekblad 20 Games For Performance Enhancing Substances

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Panthers star defenseman Aaron Ekblad will miss the remainder of the regular season and first two games of the postseason after being suspended 20 games for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program, the league announced today. The suspension is without pay is accompanied by “mandatory referral to the NHL/NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health for evaluation and possible treatment.”

Suspensions for PEDs are quite rare in the NHL, but based on previous precedent, the length is to be expected. Nate Schmidt, now Ekblad’s teammate in Florida, was the most recent player to be suspended under the program while he was with the Golden Knights in training camp in 2018. He was also handed out a 20-game ban to begin the regular season, during which time he inked a six-year extension with Vegas.

Ekblad is just the sixth player to be suspended for PEDs since the 2012 lockout. Unlike in Schmidt’s case, where he testified he “could not have received any performance enhancement benefit from the trace amount that inadvertently got into my system,” Ekblad will not appeal the suspension and released the following statement (via Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman):

The news that I had failed a random drug test was a shock. Ultimately, I made a mistake by taking something to help me recover from recent injuries without first checking with proper medical and team personnel. I have let my teammates, the Panthers organization and our great fans down. For that, I am truly sorry. I have accepted responsibility for my mistake and will be fully prepared to return to my team when my suspension is over. I have learned a hard lesson and cannot wait to be back with my teammates.

The 29-year-old will not carry a cap hit for the remainder of the regular season, PuckPedia confirms, although that’s somewhat moot with the trade deadline now in the rearview. He ends his regular season on a six-game point streak (seven assists, plus-three rating) and has 3-30–33 in 56 games on the year, a raucous return to form for the veteran. He’d seen his point totals drop steadily in the past few years as his power-play opportunities dwindled, bottoming out with a career-low 18 points in 51 games last year before Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup. He’s reclaimed top power-play minutes this year after Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Brandon Montour left in free agency, though, and his performance (and ice time) have benefitted as a result.

His top-pairing minutes alongside Gustav Forsling will now presumably go to fresh trade pickup Seth Jones down the stretch. The Cats still have plenty of meaningful games remaining as they try to battle out the Maple Leafs and Lightning for the Atlantic Division title and secure home ice through the first two rounds of the playoffs, simultaneously avoiding having to play both powerhouses in Tampa Bay in Toronto in back-to-back rounds as they attempt to gain a third consecutive Eastern Conference Final berth. Jones, who’s averaged 21 minutes per game since the trade while quarterbacking the Panthers’ second power-play unit, is still looking for his first point in a Florida uniform.

It’s worth noting Ekblad, the Panthers’ franchise leader in games played among defensemen, may have ended his regular-season tenure in South Florida on a sour note. He’s a pending unrestricted free agent and could head elsewhere on the open market in July.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Atlantic Notes: Ekblad, Ullmark, Jensen, Knies

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The Panthers will welcome back a key blueliner to their lineup tonight in San Jose.  Team reporter Jameson Olive mentions that Aaron Ekblad has been cleared to return from the upper-body injury that has kept him out for seven straight games and eight of the last nine.  While the 28-year-old isn’t quite the two-way defender he was earlier in his career, he still leads all Florida rearguards in assists with 18 in 41 games while logging 23:32 per night, a team-high which certainly won’t hurt his case heading into unrestricted free agency this summer.  With his return, Tobias Bjornfot is expected to be a healthy scratch.  Ekblad remained on the active roster while injured so no roster moves need to be made on Florida’s end to accommodate his return.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • While goaltender Linus Ullmark was a full participant in today’s game day skate, he won’t suit up tonight or tomorrow, notes Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link). The 31-year-old has been out for a little more than a month with a back injury and recently landed on LTIR to allow Ottawa to remain cap-compliant in the short term.  Ullmark has a 2.38 GAA and a .915 SV% in 23 games so far this season and his eventual return will certainly be welcomed with the Senators squarely in the battle for playoff positioning.
  • Still with the Senators, defenseman Nick Jensen won’t play in either game this weekend, relays TSN 1200 (Twitter link). He suffered an undisclosed injury on Thursday versus Boston, leaving the game late and not returning.  Jensen has been a nice addition to Ottawa after coming over in an early July trade from Washington, putting up 18 points in 48 games while logging a career-high 20:49 per game of ice time.  There’s no word on how much longer he might miss beyond these next two games.
  • Maple Leafs winger Matthew Knies briefly skated before practice on Friday with head coach Craig Berube telling reporters including Nick Barden of The Hockey News that Knies is listed as day-to-day. He sustained an upper-body injury on Wednesday against Columbus.  The 22-year-old has already set a new career best for goals this season with 18 in 47 games, positioning him well when it comes to contract discussions this summer when he’ll be a restricted free agent.

Atlantic Notes: Lyon, Motte, Cernak, Ekblad

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The Detroit Red Wings should get one player back this weekend while losing another for the foreseeable future. Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reported earlier that goaltender Alex Lyon will likely start tomorrow’s contest against the Dallas Stars. She later reported that forward Tyler Motte has been ruled out until next Thursday due to an upper-body injury.

Lyon, who’s had multiple injuries this season, hasn’t played since Detroit’s overtime win against the Ottawa Senators on January 7th due to an upper-body injury. He’s still managed a similarly solid season as last year with the Red Wings when healthy managing an 8-5-0 record in 14 starts with a .902 save percentage and 2.71 goals-against average.

Similarly sidelined with an upper-body injury, Motte is now guaranteed to fall short of tying his 69 games played from a season ago. He’s been much of what Detroit should have expected of him this year, scoring two goals and two assists in 28 games, managing a -10 rating, and being a core part of one of the worst penalty kills in NHL history.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without one of their best defensive defensemen tonight. Gabby Shirley of FanDuel Sports Network Florida reports that Erik Černák was made unavailable for tonight’s contest against the Red Wings but added the prognosis is better than expected so he shouldn’t be on the shelf for too long. Maxwell Crozier will replace Cernak tonight, joining Ryan McDonagh on the second defensive pairing. Crozier will play in his first game with Tampa Bay this season after tallying two assists in 13 contests last year.
  • A few hours southeast in Sunrise, FL, the Florida Panthers announced Aaron Ekblad would miss his fifth straight game this evening. However, it appears his return is on the horizon with head coach Paul Maurice saying, “I think we’re pretty confident he’ll be able to play on the road trip.“

Aaron Ekblad And Jonah Gadjovich Won’t Travel On Road Trip

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Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad and forward Jonah Gadjovich will miss at least the next two games as neither player is travelling with the team on their road trip this week (as per George Richards of Florida Hockey Now).

The Panthers have a back-to-back in Philadelphia and New Jersey and will have to make do without Ekblad who has been having a solid bounce-back season and is dealing with an undisclosed injury. He did not play yesterday in an overtime loss to the Boston Bruins, and although it hasn’t been confirmed when he was hurt, it seems likely that it occurred when he blocked a shot against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a shootout win on January 3rd. Ekblad played regularly for the remainder of the game, but missed their next game on January 6th, and then was back in the lineup a few days later to take on Utah.

The injury doesn’t appear to be a long-term concern for Ekblad, but it does seem like a lingering issue that the Panthers would like to allow Ekblad to heal from. The 2014 first-overall pick has two goals and 18 assists in 41 games this season and has seen his ice time increase dramatically from last year as he is averaging 23:32 per game.

Gadjovich has played sparingly in 18 games this season, averaging just 7:50 of ice time per game. The Whitby, Ontario native has already missed the Panthers’ last nine games and will be reevaluated when the team returns home on Thursday. The 26-year-old has a single goal this season and is a -1 plus/minus with 56 hits.

Panthers’ Aaron Ekblad Unlikely To Play, Tobias Bjornfot In

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Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice has shared that top defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who was a game-time decision for Saturday afternoon, isn’t expected to play, per Colby Guy of the Associated Press. Ekblad is battling through an undisclosed injury that forced him to miss the final 26 minutes of Florida’s January 3rd win over Pittsburgh. He returned to the lineup for 24 minutes of ice time in Florida’s Wednesday win over Utah, but will now swing the other way and once again miss time with this undisclosed injury.

Ekblad has continued to serve as the beating heart of the Panthers’ blue-line. He leads the defense in scoring, with 20 points through 41 games putting him on pace to pass the 40-point mark for the first time since 2021-22. He’s been riddled with injuries since then, sitting out of a combined 42 games between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Ekblad seemed to be back on the mend this year, so far only missing one of Florida’s games this season, but it seems his injury luck has run dry once again.

Guy shares that, with Ekblad expected to sit, Tobias Bjornfot will draw into the lineup. Bjornfot has only appeared in two games with Florida – split between last season and this season – since they claimed him off of waivers in March of 2024. Bjornfot has spent the bulk of this season in the minor leagues, where his 11 points in 27 games ranks third on the Charlotte Checkers defense. Bjornfot hasn’t scored a point at the NHL level since he managed one assist in 10 games of the 2022-23 campaign. He’s played in five NHL games, for three different clubs, since then. This spot start will be a chance to buck his trend of cold feet at the top level.

Atlantic Notes: Ekblad, Barkov, Pacioretty, Subban

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The Panthers have been busy on the extension front early on this season.  They signed Carter Verhaeghe on opening night, recently inked Paul Maurice to a new deal, and are in discussions on an extension with Sam Bennett.  However, according to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, it has been quiet when it comes to potential talks with their other prominent UFA, defenseman Aaron Ekblad.  The 28-year-old is in the final season of what was a record-setting contract at the time for a blueliner coming off an entry-level deal, paying him $7.5MM per season.  Despite being banged up with injuries the last few years, it stands to reason that a new pact should come in somewhat close to this one which Florida might not be able to afford if they keep Bennett.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Still with Florida, center Aleksander Barkov took part in a full practice for the first time since sustaining his lower-body injury, one that’s believed to be a high-ankle sprain, notes George Richards of Florida Hockey Now. While he has been ruled out for tonight’s game, the 29-year-old could be cleared to return on Monday against Buffalo.  Barkov has potted at least 68 points in the last three seasons and has an assist in two games so far in 2024-25.
  • Maple Leafs winger Max Pacioretty will return from his lower-body injury tonight versus Boston, relays TSN’s Mark Masters (Twitter link). The 35-year-old has played in five games so far this season, scoring twice.  Pacioretty is owed a bonus of just over $313K when he reaches the 10-game mark and even with Toronto not playing him full-time, he should be able to hit that over the next few weeks as long as he stays healthy.
  • The Grand Rapids Griffins, the AHL affiliate of the Red Wings, announced that they’ve released goaltender Malcolm Subban from his PTO deal. The 30-year-old played in 35 AHL games last season, posting a 3.12 GAA and a .901 SV%.  Subban also has played in parts of nine NHL seasons spanning 87 appearances where he has a 3.10 GAA and a .898 SV% and will now look to catch on elsewhere.

Panthers Likely To Keep Aaron Ekblad This Season

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Lyle Richardson of The Hockey News believes that Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad will remain with the team until the end of the season regardless of how his contract situation plays out. Ekblad’s name has appeared in trade rumors dating back to June before the Panthers won the Stanley Cup and the rumors have continued through the summer. Ekblad has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $7.5MM and can block trades to 12 teams thanks to a partial no-trade clause.

The former first-overall pick is entering his 11th season with the Panthers and has been a steady presence since joining the team. While on the surface it seems odd that Florida wouldn’t be discussing an extension with their top defenseman, they have several key free agents next summer and have to look at the long-term cap implications of signing everyone. Another concern for Florida will be Ekblad’s health as the 28-year-old hasn’t played a full slate of games since 2018-19 and has played 82 games just twice in his career. He is also coming off a season in which he played just 51 games and tallied just four goals and 14 assists and will be looking for top dollar.

Trading Ekblad would be a huge challenge for the Panthers as they would be moving out a heart and soul player and would need very specific roster players in return. Many of the trade rumors circulating this summer failed to consider how Panthers’ general manager Bill Zito built his championship club and the way he evaluates players. Any players Florida acquires in a hypothetical trade would need to fit in head coach Paul Maurice’s system as well as a locker room that has grown very close over two runs to the Stanley Cup Final.

Snapshots: Bobrovsky, Ekblad, Nugent-Hopkins, Smith

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Florida Panthers fans are breathing a big sigh of relief this morning, with both star defender Aaron Ekblad and Vezina-finalist goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky good to go after missing the team’s Sunday morning practice, per Colby Guy of Florida Hockey Now (Twitter link). Neither player were limited in the team’s Game 6 loss – with Bobrovsky facing 19 shots and Ekblad playing 21:37 in ice time – suggesting that their absences were merely for maintenance. Still, every update matters as the Panthers look to skid three straight losses in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Edmonton Oilers have outscored Florida 18-t0-5 over that stretch, with Bobrovsky posting a collective 0.793 save percentage. The Panthers will now return home for a winner-takes-all Game 7, seemingly still at full strength.

Other quick notes from around the league:

  • In the name of fairness, the Oilers are facing an injury scare of their own, with former-100 point forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins missing the team’s Sunday practice with illness, per Jim Matheson of NHL.com (Twitter link). Nugent-Hopkins has been one of Edmonton’s top contributors this postseason, recording 22 points in 24 playoff games. That includes two points in Edmonton’s three-game win-streak – so far his only scoring in the Stanley Cup Finals. Nugent-Hopkins would leave a major role vacant should he be unavailable for Game 7, though there’s been no indication that Edmonton is expecting him to sit.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins winger Reilly Smith has changed agencies ahead of the final year of his contract, now represented by CAA Hockey, per PuckPedia (Twitter link). CAA is the choice agency of many NHL stars, including Sidney Crosby, Matthew Beniers, Mathew Barzal, and Cole Caufield. It’s also the agency most akin to changing scenery – representing the recently-traded Pierre-Luc Dubois, rumored trade chip Rutger McGroarty, and hardened trade rumor veteran Jack Eichel. Smith takes on the new representation while looking to vindicate his final year at a $5MM price tag, though his 13 goals and 40 points last season fell short of expecations.

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