Florida Panthers
Aaron Ekblad Rejoins Florida Panthers During Suspension
FORT LAUDERDALE — The Florida Panthers had a familiar face on the ice Thursday morning with Aaron Ekblad rejoining the team.
Ekblad was suspended 20 games last month, without pay, for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.
He will be eligible to return for Game 3 of Florida’s first-round series.
On Wednesday, coach Paul Maurice said he did not know when Ekblad would be cleared by the NHL and NHLPA to rejoin team activities, but the news came down that he could.
According to Maurice, Ekblad is now eligible to join the Panthers for all events — save for games — until the suspension ends.
He can now return to skates, workouts, team meetings, practices, even travel with the team.
“He and Kulikov ran as a group and there was a lot of chirping at them,” Maurice said. “It brought a little bit of fun back to the group. You forget how big [Ekblad] is, and then he steps on the ice and you’re like ‘Oh man, we’re big now’ because Jones is on the ice.
“We have this big back end. It’s kind of like [Tkachuk]; we’re putting our lines together, and you forget about him because he hasn’t been in the lineup so long. It’ll be pretty good when he’s back out there. It’s just a reminder of how good a player he is, and how good it is to have him back.’’
ON DECK: GAME No. 79
DETROIT RED WINGS at FLORIDA PANTHERS
- When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
- Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
- Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
- Streaming: Panthers+; ESPN+
- Radio: WPOW 96.5 FM-2; WBZT 1230-AM (West Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); WCZR 101.7-FM (Treasure Coast); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL/Panthers App
- Betting Odds — Panthers Favored: Money Line (-220); Puck line (-1.5, +115); Over/Under 5.5 (-110/-110)
- Last Season: Florida won 3-1
- This Season (Red Wings Lead 2-0)— At Detroit: Red Wings 2, Panthers 1 (April 6). At Florida: Red Wings 5, Panthers 2 (Jan. 16); Thursday.
- All-time Regular Season Series: Florida leads 39-21-7, 5 ties
- Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday vs. Buffalo Sabres, 6 p.m.
It’s gonna be interesting to see how this plays into his contract talks and renegotiations.
I hear what you’re saying, it’s kind of a double-edged sword. on the one hand you have a suspension, which is nothing but negative for the player, lucky for the club, on the other hand, it showed the club (and some fans) his importance. He is not the player he was 5 years ago, but he’s still pretty damn good and is actually more suited than most to do what he’s been asked to do with this team. We don’t need 20 goals out of him, of course any offense from a blue liner is always welcomed, but that’s not… Read more »