Panthers’ Aaron Ekblad suspended 20 games for violating NHL/NHLPA’s PED program

The NHL has announced that Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended 20 games for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA’s Performance Enhancing Substances program.

#FlaPanthers Aaron Ekblad has been suspended 20 games for violating the Performance Enhancing Substances Program. pic.twitter.com/TRmgJL25ji

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 10, 2025

According to the NHL’s league statement, the suspension includes a “mandatory referral to the NHL/NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health for evaluation and possible treatment.”

The 29-year-old defenseman has scored three goals and 33 points in 56 games this year. The suspension will take Ekblad out for the remainder of the 2024-25 NHL regular season, with the Panthers having recently reached the 64-game mark.

Ekblad has never been suspended in his NHL career. In 2016, he was concussed from a hit by Matt Hendricks, who was later handed a three-game ban.

“As the NHL announced, I have been suspended for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program,” Ekblad said in a statement. “The news that I had failed a random drug test was a shock. Ultimately, I made a mistake by taking something to help me recover from recent injuries without first checking with proper medical and team personnel.

“I have let my teammates, the Panthers organization and our great fans down. For that, I am truly sorry. I have accepted responsibility for my mistake and will be fully prepared to return to my team when my suspension is over. I have learned a hard lesson and cannot wait to be back with my teammates.”

Ekblad’s $7.5 million cap hit will not count towards Florida’s cap hit. He is slated to become a unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

Ekblad has spent his entire 11-year career with the Panthers since getting selected first overall in 2014. The Windsor, Ontario native has 118 goals and 380 points in 732 career regular aseason games, and a further four goals and 20 points in 64 playoff outings. Most notably, Ekblad helped the Panthers to two staight Stanley Cup finals, winning the coveted trophy last summer.

The NHL has had very few suspensions for PEDs in its history. Nate Schmidt was the most recent example, serving a 20-game suspension during the 2018-19 season. In 2016, Shawn Horcoff was also handed a 20-game suspension, nine years after Sean Hill became the first to do so with a 20-game ban that started during the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs and continued into November of the 2007-08 season.

The Panthers recently acquired Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks in a move designed to help bolster Florida’s output from the point. Losing Ekblad until the playoffs will likely result in an increased role for Jones, who should move up to the top pairing.