Paul Maurice Offers Optimistic Report on Aaron Ekblad's Injury/Return

Aaron Ekblad has been possibly the NHL's unluckiest player over the past three seasons. In 2019, he missed a string of games to a shoulder injury. In 2020-21, he broke his leg in a gruesome incident. And in 2021-22, Ekblad missed over two months to a knee injury. Now, a little over a week has passed since the Panthers' star defender fell to yet another injury, which has kept him out of their last four games and counting.

Ekblad's 2021 injury:

Ekblad suffered a lower-body injury against the Boston Bruins on October 17, and today Paul Maurice offered the first bit of good news on Ekblad's return. Per Maurice, the team is eyeing a return for Ekblad around the team's November 12 matchup against the Edmonton Oilers.

If you count the game in which he was injured, the Panthers are 2-2-1 since Ekblad's injury. Thankfully, Josh Mahura and the rest of the D-corps has gracefully picked up the slack left by Ekblad's absence because the Panthers' lack of defensive depth is concerning. Or at least we thought.

Per MoneyPuck, all three Panthers' defensive pairs rank in the top-ten in expected-goals percentage; shockingly, without Ekblad.

Is that because of Paul Maurice or the team's loaded forwards group? OR, could it be that the Panthers' defensive depth is not as bad as previously made out to be. Personally, my money is on all three. It is a team sport, after all.

Regardless of how well the Panthers' defense has played, getting Aaron Ekblad back by mid-November is huge.

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