Welcome back to NHL Notebook — the series here at CanucksArmy where we deliver you news and notes from Around the National Hockey League, oftentimes through a Vancouver Canucks-tinted lens.
On Monday afternoon, the NHL announced they have suspended Florida Panthers defenceman Aaron Ekblad for 20 games for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.
The defenceman later put out a statement regarding the situation:
“As the NHL announced, I have been suspended for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. The news that I 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 full 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.”
With just 18 games remaining in the Panthers’ season, Ekblad is set to miss the rest of the regular season as they battle the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Tampa Bay Lightning for the Atlantic Division title. The suspension will dip into the first two games of the opening round of the playoffs as well.
Florida currently holds the all-important top spot in the division, leading the Maple Leafs by four points with a game in hand and the Lightning by five points, also with a game in hand. The Panthers have one more meeting with the Lightning but will have to play the Maple Leafs three more times before season’s end.
While Ekblad’s absence is a massive blow to the Panthers’ blue line, the club made a big swing at the trade deadline to help fill the void.
A few days before the NHL Trade Deadline, the Panthers acquired Seth Jones from the Chicago Blackhawks. They traded away a conditional 2026 first-round pick and goaltender Spencer Knight. Jones has played three games with the Panthers. He has failed to find the scoresheet but has a plus-2 rating, eight shots on goal, three hits, and four blocks in 21:03 minutes of average ice time.
Jones wasn’t the only big splash the Panthers made. Nearing the final minutes of the deadline, Florida traded for one of the bigger fish left on the market, acquiring forward Brad Marchand from one of their biggest division rivals, the Boston Bruins.
Marchand has spent his entire 16-year NHL career with the Bruins, playing over 1,000 games and nearing the century mark for points, sitting at 976. This season, the former Bruins captain has 21 goals and 26 assists for 47 points through 61 games. He’s also played in over 150 playoff games, taking the Bruins to three Stanley Cup finals.
The Canadian winger is currently injured but is expected to make his Panthers debut sometime in the regular season. However, he’ll have to wait until the playoffs to play his first game with defenceman Aaron Ekblad after today’s news.
Ekblad is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, being in the final year of his eight-year, $60 million deal that paid him $7.5 million annually. The 2014 first-overall pick’s contract year comes to an end with three goals and 30 assists for 33 points through 56 games.
His future in Florida may be murky now, depending on how Jones steps up in Ekblad’s absence. The Canucks seem to have their defence corps locked up for the future, but he could be a solid top-pairing option for another NHL team if he does hit the free agent market on July 1.
