Florida Panthers’ Defenseman Aaron Ekblad to Miss 12 Weeks to Lower Extremity Fracture:
On Monday it was announced that the Panthers’ top-pairing defenseman, and Norris Trophy candidate, would be missing 12 weeks after successful surgery was performed to repair a fracture in his lower left leg. Ekblad sustained the injury in the second period of the Panthers’ 4–1 win over the Dallas Stars on Sunday evening. The news comes with a slight sigh of relief for Panthers fans everywhere, as it looked like the injury could have been far more severe when it initially happened. Panthers fans, much like myself, were concerned that along with a fracture there could have been some severe tissue damage or perhaps some ligament damage in Ekblad’s ankle or knee. 12 weeks is still a significant amount of time to miss, and is season-ending since there is only about 6 weeks left in the 2020–21 NHL season. Fortunately it appears that this injury will not hinder Ekblad’s ability to be ready for the start of next season.
Aaron Ekblad at the time of the injury was tied for the league lead for goals amongst Defensemen. He is still currently first amongst Defensemen when it comes to Power Play Goals.
Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito has about two weeks until the trade deadline to decide on what the best course of action will be to replace Ekblad on the blue line. There won’t be anyone obtainable that will 100% replace Ekblad, but it’s clear that a move needs to be made somewhere. Some possible options throughout the league includes Nashville’s Mattias Ekholm, Arizona’s Alex Goligoski, Buffalo’s Rasmus Ristolainen, Columbus’s David Savard, among a few others. Given my preference, I would be satisfied if Zito was able to bring in Ekholm, however with Nashville currently in contention for the 4th playoff spot in the Central Division it will be very tough for them to part with him.
Florida head coach Joel Quenneville will have some decisions to make on who to pair with Ekblad’s current D partner Mackenzie Weegar. I think an interesting option is Gustav Forsling, as he has the speed and the willingness to take shots that resembles Ekblad pretty well. The other challenge becomes who replaces Ekblad on the top Power Play Unit. If I had my choice my vote would be for Owen Tippett, as he was initially drafted for his incredible shooting ability and could blossom with more Power Play time.
One thing is for certain though. Ekblad will be sorely missed not only on the ice, but in the locker room as well because he is one of the most well-respected players on the team in general.
Florida is still without the services of their captain Aleksander Barkov, and their savvy veteran forward Patric Hornqvist due to injuries. Barkov and Hornqvist are hopefully able to rejoin the team by the end of this weekend.
The Panthers will host the Detroit Red Wings at the BB&T Center Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET. It will be the first full game the Panthers will play without Ekblad, so there will be a ton of “feeling out” to come for this team. Our thoughts go out to Ekblad in the hopes of a swift and full recovery.
