Aaron Ekblad has his season derailed by another injury
The Florida Panthers lost their first game of the season to the Boston Bruins last night 5-3. Even more concerning was the Panthers losing star defenseman Aaron Ekblad. He left the game in the second period after getting tangled up with Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk and did not return. Florida was already only skating with five defenseman because Brandon Montour is listed as day-to-day with an injury.
Head coach Paul Maurice did not provide much detail of the injury stating that Ekblad would have to be evaluated when they return to Florida. This could be a devastating loss to Florida if Ekblad is out long-term. He logs valuable ice time for the Panthers and plays in all situations for them. Replacing his presence would be a difficult. Ekblad has been injured seriously each of the past two season. Once in Anaheim late last season where he missed several weeks of the regular season. He also injured himself in Dallas in 2021 and missed the remainder of the season.
Let's hope this is not a serious or long term injury both for NHL fans and for the Florida Panthers. They're already thin on the blue line already. Florida's home opener is Wednesday night against the Philadelphia Flyers.
| POLL | ||
Where will the Florida Panthers finish this year? | ||
| 1st in the Atlantic | 18 | 21.7 % |
| Top 3 in the Atlantic | 29 | 34.9 % |
| Wild Card Spot | 22 | 26.5 % |
| Miss the playoffs | 14 | 16.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
