Panthers' Ekblad likely out until playoffs

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad will likely miss the remainder of the regular season, head coach Paul Maurice said Thursday, per Jameson Olive of the team's website.

However, Maurice said the club is "quite confident" that the stalwart blue-liner will be ready for Game 1 of the postseason.

"This is not new and it's not unknown to us, what it is," the bench boss said. "He's got a real good handle on how long it's going to take. He's progressing really well."

Ekblad left Tuesday's game against the Montreal Canadiens for undisclosed reasons. He returned just a week ago from a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup for seven games. The 28-year-old has missed 25 games in total this season.

Injuries have plagued Ekblad in recent campaigns: He missed 11 contests last season and 21 games apiece in 2021-22 and 2020-21.

Ekblad has recorded four goals and 14 assists in 51 games this season. He's averaging 20:52 per contest - the lowest in his 10-year NHL career and third-most among Panthers blue-liners.

Florida selected Ekblad first overall in 2014. He finished as high as sixth in Norris Trophy voting in 2021-22 when he racked up 15 goals and 42 assists in 61 games.