Aaron Ekblad - NHL News & Rumors

No, the Panthers didn't want a long offseason. But they want to make the best of it as well

Paul Maurice was hired as coach of the Florida Panthers nearly four full years ago, all the way back in June 2022

APRIL 16 • Associated Press

There will be a new Cup champion. Florida's injury-plagued season won't include the playoffs

The Florida Panthers have been officially eliminated from playoff contention, after back-to-back Stanley Cup titles

APRIL 4 • Associated Press

Likely gone for season Ekblad suffered a broken finger Tuesday versus Ottawa and could be gone for the remainder of the season, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports Thursday.

Impact Head coach Paul Maurice said that Ekblad would be out "weeks" and with only two weeks remaining in the regular season and the Panthers all but eliminated from playoff contention, it is likely the end of the campaign for the 30-year-old blueliner. Ekblad will end the season with four goals, 22 assists, 84 hits and 103 blocked shots across 72 regular-season games in 2025-26.

APRIL 2 • ROTOWIRE

Set to sit out Thursday Ekblad (hand) is not expected to play Thursday versus the Bruins, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports.

Impact Ekblad hurt his hand blocking a shot and will miss at least one more game. Given how late in the season it is, he may ultimately be shut down early if he has sustained even a moderate injury. Tobias Bjornfot and Mikulas Hovorka were called up from AHL Charlotte on Wednesday to provide reinforcements on the blue line.

APRIL 1 • ROTOWIRE

Status not looking good Ekblad's hand injury sustained Tuesday versus the Senators "doesn't look good" according to head coach Paul Maurice, George Richards of Florida Hockey Now reports.

Impact Ekblad blocked a shot off his hand in the third period Tuesday, and it looks like he'll be the next Panther to potentially have his season end early. The defenseman still needs to be evaluated further, but the Panthers have no motivation to push him to return at this stage. The team will need to make a call-up on the blue line if additional tests reveal the expected bad news.

APRIL 1 • ROTOWIRE

FLA at NYR: Aaron Ekblad - Postgame | Florida Panthers Aaron Ekblad talks to the media following Sunday's loss in the Big Apple.

MARCH 29 • NHL.COM

Ties game late in loss Ekblad scored a goal on five shots in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Wild.

Impact Ekblad had gone 28 games without a goal, picking up a modest nine assists in that span. He also snapped an eight-game point drought with the third-period tally, which briefly tied the game at 2-2. The defenseman has four goals, 26 points, 94 shots on net, 83 hits, 101 blocked shots, 55 PIM and a minus-6 rating across 69 appearances this season, down from 33 points in 56 regular-season outings a year ago.

MARCH 27 • ROTOWIRE

FLA vs. MIN: Ekblad ties it late | Florida Panthers With the goaltender pulled, Aaron Ekblad makes it 2-2 late in regulation.

MARCH 27 • NHL.COM

Wild beat Panthers 3-2 on Joel Eriksson Ek's goal with 4.4 seconds left

Joel Eriksson Ek scored the winning goal with 4.4 seconds left to lift the Minnesota Wild past the Florida Panthers 3-2

MARCH 27 • Associated Press

Morning Skate: Ekblad 3/24/26 | Florida Panthers Aaron Ekblad speaks ahead of his 800th game on Tuesday against the Kraken.

MARCH 24 • NHL.COM

Florida Panthers keep Sergei Bobrovsky at the trade deadline, pivot to a new deal

Sergei Bobrovsky is staying with the Florida Panthers, and the team will work on a new deal instead of trading him

MARCH 6 • Associated Press

Two helpers in Columbus Ekblad picked up two assists, one on the power play, in Thursday's 4-2 loss to the Blue Jackets.

Impact Both helpers came in the third period as the Panthers tried to mount a rally from a 3-0 deficit. Ekblad has two multi-point performances in the last three games, but those are his only points since Jan. 25, and his goal drought stands at 20 games. On the season, the veteran blueliner has three goals and 25 points in 60 contests.

MARCH 6 • ROTOWIRE

Panthers vs. Blue Jackets | NHL Highlights | March 05, 2026

MARCH 6 • YOUTUBE

Two helpers in Sunday's loss Ekblad notched two assists and two hits in Sunday's 5-4 loss to the Islanders.

Impact Ekblad snapped an eight-game point drought with this effort, his first multi-point outing since Jan. 10 versus the Senators. He had a hand in Sam Bennett's power-play goal in the first period and Sam Reinhart's tally in the third. Ekblad is up to 23 points, 79 shots on net, 75 hits, 90 blocked shots, 49 PIM and a minus-8 rating through 58 appearances this season while seeing steady top-four minutes.

MARCH 2 • ROTOWIRE

Brooks Koepka says he still believes in Florida's chances at a Stanley Cup playoff run

Brooks Koepka says he still believes the Florida Panthers can make a playoff run, even with long odds

MARCH 1 • Associated Press

Set to return Thursday Ekblad (undisclosed) is expected to play against Toronto on Thursday, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports Saturday.

Impact Ekblad sat out a 6-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Feb. 5 before the Olympic break, but he has been a regular at practices ahead of the NHL's return. He has accounted for three goals, 21 points, 74 shots on net, 88 blocked shots and 67 hits through 55 appearances this season.

FEBRUARY 21 • ROTOWIRE

Vasilevskiy stops 33 shots, Lightning beat Panthers 6-1 in final game before break

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 33 shots to improve to 16-0-1 in his past 17 games, helping the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Florida Panthers 6-1 on Thursday night in the final game for...

FEBRUARY 6 • Associated Press

Ruled out for Thursday's game Ekblad has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Lightning for an undisclosed reason, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.

Impact While the reason for Ekblad's absence isn't yet known, he's one of several players who will miss the Panthers' final game before the Olympic break. The 29-year-old has recorded a goal, five assists, 24 hits, 24 blocked shots and 17 PIM while averaging 22:45 of ice time over 17 appearances since the start of the calendar year. Mikulas Hovorka will draw into the lineup to make his NHL debut Thursday, while head coach Paul Maurice indicated that he isn't concerned about Ekblad's status following the Olympic break.

FEBRUARY 5 • ROTOWIRE

Morning Skate: Ekblad 2/2/26 | Florida Panthers Aaron Ekblad speaks ahead of Monday's game against the Sabres.

FEBRUARY 2 • NHL.COM

Practice: Ekblad 1/14/26 | Florida Panthers Aaron Ekblad speaks after Wednesday's practice at Baptist Health IcePlex.

JANUARY 14 • NHL.COM

Plates pair of helpers Ekblad supplied two assists and put two shots on net in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Senators.

Impact Ekblad slid the lone helper on Evan Rodrigues' power-play goal in the first period before picking up a second assist on Gustav Forsling's game-winning goal early in the third. With the pair of apples, Ekblad now has 15 assists, 18 points, 62 shots on net, 53 hits and 70 blocks through 43 appearances this season. Since Dec. 15, he has four multi-point performances and has started to hit his stride offensively. The 29-year-old blueliner should continue to see more opportunities to create on offense with Seth Jones (upper body) on injured reserve for the time being. Ekblad is a strong waiver-wire pickup across most fantasy formats.

JANUARY 11 • ROTOWIRE

Buries goal Sunday Ekblad scored a goal on two shots and added three hits in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Avalanche.

Impact Ekblad has picked up the pace with two goals and three assists over his last six outings. He could be set for a larger role while Seth Jones (upper body) is on the mend. Ekblad's first half of 2025-26 hasn't been anything special -- he's now at three goals and 16 points, as well as 60 shots on net, 51 hits, 68 blocked shots and a minus-8 rating over 40 appearances this season. That puts him on pace to miss the 40-point mark for the fourth year in a row, though he's close enough that a hot second half could reverse his fortunes.

JANUARY 5 • ROTOWIRE

Avalanche vs. Panthers | NHL Highlights | January 04, 2026

JANUARY 5 • YOUTUBE

Florida holds off Colorado 2-1, hands Avs just 3rd regulation loss of season

The Florida Panthers snap Colorado's second 10-game winning streak of the season by defeating the Avalanche on Sunday night

JANUARY 5 • Associated Press

Rangers beat Panthers 5-1 in first outdoor hockey game in Miami. Mika Zibanejad has hat trick

The New York Rangers have continued their dominance in outdoor games

JANUARY 3 • Associated Press

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