Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice has shared that top defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who was a game-time decision for Saturday afternoon, isn’t expected to play, per Colby Guy of the Associated Press. Ekblad is battling through an undisclosed injury that forced him to miss the final 26 minutes of Florida’s January 3rd win over Pittsburgh. He returned to the lineup for 24 minutes of ice time in Florida’s Wednesday win over Utah, but will now swing the other way and once again miss time with this undisclosed injury.
Ekblad has continued to serve as the beating heart of the Panthers’ blue-line. He leads the defense in scoring, with 20 points through 41 games putting him on pace to pass the 40-point mark for the first time since 2021-22. He’s been riddled with injuries since then, sitting out of a combined 42 games between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. Ekblad seemed to be back on the mend this year, so far only missing one of Florida’s games this season, but it seems his injury luck has run dry once again.
Guy shares that, with Ekblad expected to sit, Tobias Bjornfot will draw into the lineup. Bjornfot has only appeared in two games with Florida – split between last season and this season – since they claimed him off of waivers in March of 2024. Bjornfot has spent the bulk of this season in the minor leagues, where his 11 points in 27 games ranks third on the Charlotte Checkers defense. Bjornfot hasn’t scored a point at the NHL level since he managed one assist in 10 games of the 2022-23 campaign. He’s played in five NHL games, for three different clubs, since then. This spot start will be a chance to buck his trend of cold feet at the top level.