Florida Panthers Have Lost Aaron Ekblad for Remainder of Season
The Florida Panthers have placed defenseman Aaron Ekblad on long-term injured reserve, Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff.com reports.
I'm told Aaron Ekblad will be placed on LTIR and will not return during the regular season, but sometime during the first round. So cap space is no issue for #FlaPanthers.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 20, 2022
Expect them to be active – and maybe use that space (after Hagg deal) to attempt to recoup some picks.
Ekblad was hurt early in the game versus the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. He suffered what appeared to be an injury to his left leg. This is the same leg that Ekblad fractured last season and cost him the playoffs. While the Panthers don’t believe the injury to be as serious this year, Ekblad is not expected to return to the team until the first round of the playoffs at the earliest.
The Panthers acquired Claude Giroux from the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday and were going to have to make a corresponding move to get him on the roster. Well, Ekblad being placed on LTIR solves that problem.
The Panthers were already one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup this season and the Giroux trade only helped. They are +500 to win the Cup. You can find the odds for every team to bring home Lord Stanley’s Cup at the FanDuel Sportsbook.
