Florida Panthers Star Suspended 20 Games for Breaking Serious NHL Rule
Aaron Ekblad is a key piece of the Florida Panthers blue line, but now they'll be without him for a massive violation of a big time NHL rule as he risks missing time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for this shocking violation.
After a massive trade deadline, the Florida Panthers are shaping up to be the favourite in the Eastern Conference once again in 2025, as long as this team can get healthy ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Now however, they've suffered a major blow as veteran blue liner Aaron Ekblad has been suspended for 20 games after violating the NHLPA's Performance Enhancing Substances program.
While few details were given in the official media release from the NHL, there was one main thing to pay attention too, and that is that Ekblad will now face the mandatory referral to the NHL/NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health for evaluation and possible treatment.
The 20 game suspension will come without pay (meaning that Ekblad will surrender just under $2 million of salary), and if it's just the 20 games that he must serve, that will mean some Stanley Cup Playoffs time missed for the former No. 1 overall pick, who was a key piece of the teams run to their first ever Cup a season ago.
We will likely hear many more details around this situation as time goes on, but for now it has been confirmed that Ekblad will miss significant time for these Panthers, who just acquired Seth Jones at the deadline, and without Ekblad, they'll need the veteran to step into a role and help this team stay afloat as they battle injuries and now the suspension just before the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
