Panthers place Aaron Ekblad on long-term injured reserve

Oh my.

According to Cap Friendly, the Florida Panthers have announced that defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been placed on long-term injured reserve due to a reported groin injury.

Ekblad was forced to leave Monday’s game against Boston during the second period after losing out on a puck race that ultimately turned into a goal for the Bruins.

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported that while there’s no timetable for his return, it’s not expected that it’ll be long enough for the Panthers to shop for a replacement.

This is a massive loss for the Panthers, especially after trading away MacKenzie Weegar to the Calgary Flames this summer. The Panthers were forced to play with five defensemen on Monday after cap constraints wouldn’t allow the team to replace the injured Brandon Montour. With Ekblad and his $7.5 million cap hit on LTIR, the Panthers were able to recall Lucas Carlsson and Matt Kiersted from the AHL.

Ekblad missed some time in 2019-20 due to an upper-body injury before a brutal leg injury took him out for the second half of the 2020-21 season. He then suffered another leg injury that took him out of the final 20 games of 2021-22, but made it back in time for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

With Ekblad gone, the Panthers will temporarily move to a top four of Marc Staal, Gustav Forsling, Radko Gudas and Josh Mahura until Montour returns. Defensive depth was a clear issue for the Panthers heading into the season and it’ll be tested even more in the short term.

Forward Anthony Duclair is also not expected back until at least December after starting the season on LTIR with an Achilles injury.

The Panthers sit fourth in the Atlantic Division with a 2-1-0 record through three games. The club is set to host the Philadelphia Flyers at FLA Live Arena tonight at 7:30 PM ET.