Aaron Ekblad to return to Florida Panthers lineup vs. Senators

The Florida Panthers have announced that defenseman Aaron Ekblad will be returning to the lineup on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators.

Ekblad, 28, had missed Saturday’s 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning due to a lower-body injury. While there was no specific timeline for return outside of his day-to-day status, it certainly wasn’t expected to be a long-term issue, so only missing the one game doesn’t come as too much of a surprise.

Ekblad will replace Josh Mahura in the lineup and move back onto the top pair alongside his usual defense partner in Gustav Forsling. The duo have outscored opponents 21-10 and have a 58.33% expected goal share in 504:30 of ice time together.

Ekblad has struggled a bit this season when healthy, as he has just 3 goals and 11 assists for 14 points in 37 games. Assuming he’s only kept out of Saturday’s game, he’s on pace for 24 points, which would be his lowest point total in a non-shortened season since 2016-17.

Despite Ekblad’s struggles offensively, he still remains one of the league’s best defenders on the penalty kill. Since 2022-23, his 3.5 shorthanded goals above replacement is tied for fifth in the league amongst defensemen.

Ekblad was the first-overall pick of the Panthers in the 2014 NHL Draft, making his NHL debut the following season and winning the Calder Trophy in 2015. He’s currently in his 10th season in the NHL, and has spent the entirety of his career with Florida.

Ekblad is currently in the seventh year of an eight-year contract with a $7.5 million cap hit, and will be eligible to sign a new contract extension with the Panthers after July 1st.

The Panthers currently sit in second in the Atlantic Division with a 36-15-4 record. They will look to extend their five-game winning streak when they host the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday at 7 p.m. EST.