Aaron Ekblad could return for Panthers in Game 1 of Stanley Cup playoffs vs. Capitals
Aaron Ekblad was a full participant in practice Sunday at the Florida Panthers IceDen and “there’s a chance” the star defenseman could be in the lineup Monday when the Panthers open the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Washington Capitals, Andrew Brunette said.
Ekblad missed the final six weeks of the regular season after injuring his right knee in March. Florida placed him on long-term injured reserve a few days later and Brunette said all along he hoped Ekblad would return at some point during the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
After practicing, Ekblad remains on track for Brunette’s projection and might even be ahead of schedule.
“We’ll see how he does after today, but he went full workload, so I’m hoping we’re ready here at least at some point in this series,” the interim coach said. “There’s a chance Game 1. We’ll see how he did. He seemed to be fine, but you never know with these things.”
Ekblad was a contender for the James Norris Memorial Trophy before a three-player collision in the opening minutes of a win against the Anaheim Ducks in March knocked Ekblad out for the remainder of the regular season. He finished the season with 15 goals and 42 assists in 61 games, which still was good to rank fifth among all NHL defensemen in goals, ninth in points and fifth in points per game.
This was the second straight regular season Ekblad had cut short by an injury while in the middle of a Norris Trophy-caliber campaign. Last year, Ekblad fractured his left leg with about six weeks left in the regular season and was never able to return as the eventual-champion Tampa Bay Lightning knocked out the Panthers in the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. Florida had hoped Ekblad would be able to return if it reached the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals.
This year is different. Even if Ekblad can’t go Tuesday when the Panthers begin the Cup playoffs at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida expects the 26-year-old Canadian to suit up at some point during the playoffs, no matter how long its run goes.
He spent most of practice Sunday paired with star defenseman MacKenzie Weegar — a reunion of the top defensive pairing the Panthers used before Ekblad’s injury.
“He’s a special, special player. It was so, so nice to see him back,” star center Aleksander Barkov said. “Now it feels normal.”
Florida will practice once more Monday in Coral Springs, which will give the Panthers another chance to evaluate Ekblad before they have to make a decision on his status for Game 1 of their first-round series. The two-time All-Star has been skating for about three weeks.
“It was great. He had some great line rushes, too, right away, so it was fun to see him back and feeling confident,” defenseman Radko Gudas said. “He plays the biggest role on our back end and he was tough the whole season, so we’re really looking forward to having him back.”
Huberdeau, Marchment miss practice
Florida was not quite whole Sunday, though. Jonathan Huberdeau and Mason Marchment both did not participate in practice, and fellow winger Carter Verhaeghe left halfway through.
Brunette said all three are out for “maintenance” and he’s hopeful all will be available Tuesday in Sunrise.
“They’ll kind of get reevaluated later today,” the coach said.
Huberdeau, Florida’s lone All-Star this season, hasn’t played since Tuesday after sitting out the final two games of the regular season with the top spot in the Eastern Conference already locked up and Marchment has been out since last Sunday. Verhaeghe played in the regular-season finale Friday, playing 17:21 in the Panthers’ meaningless 10-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.
Although he didn’t give too many specifics about the injuries, Brunette sounded most optimistic about Huberdeau and Verhaeghe, while Marchment’s injury is more of a day-to-day situation.
“I’m hoping for Game 1,” he said, “but I’m not sure.”
