It’s been a wild ride lately for Aaron Ekblad, like, rollercoaster-upside-down kinda wild. Just last month, the Florida Panthers defenseman found himself in hot water again, this time getting slapped with a two-game suspension for throwing a not-so-subtle elbow at Brandon Hagel in Game 4 against the Bolts. The timing? Messy. Ekblad had just come off a hefty 20-game timeout for violating the league’s PED policy, making this new hit extra spicy. During that game, he charged down the boards, and while going in for contact, his elbow kinda… did a thing. It caught Hagel right in the head.

No whistle at the time, but the league circled back with receipts and dropped the hammer. But hey, fast-forward to now and look who’s back stirring the pot. Yep, Aaron Ekblad’s making noise in all the right ways. In Game 5 against the Maple Leafs, Ekblad pulled up with comeback energy and made it loud. Post-suspension, he’s out here showing grit, focus, and the signature fire that the Panthers need.

David Dwork, the Panthers beat whisperer over at The Hockey News, popped off on X with some love for the blue-line beast, saying, “Aaron Ekblad now has points in five straight playoff games.” Yep, you heard that right. Aaron Ekblad’s out here stacking up playoff points like it’s a side hustle. And in Game 5? Oh, the man showed zero chill! He lit the lamp late in the first period, sneaking one past a crowded crease to give the Panthers that early 1-0 vibe over Toronto. And momentum? Yeah, he built it from scratch with that snipe, and the Cats were feasting from that moment on.

The goal hit at 14:38, right when Florida had Toronto straight-up gasping for a clear. The Leafs couldn’t get rid of that loose puck in the slot, and Sam Reinhart, always lurking, found Aaron Ekblad, who snapped it home through a maze of bodies, past a totally screened Joseph Woll. That was Ekblad’s second tally this postseason, and Jesper Boqvist, stepping in for the sidelined Evan Rodrigues, got a shiny little assist too. The Panthers weren’t just skating, they were storming.

And poor Woll? Dude was working overtime with 11 saves on 12 shots, while Sergei Bobrovsky barely had to stretch, turning away just three sleepy Leafs attempts in the first. As for the Leafs… whew. Head coach Craig Berube tried shuffling the deck, tossed in Nick Robertson and David Kampf, scratched Jarnkrok and Holmberg, but it’s not giving what it was supposed to give. With the second period rolling and the Panthers sitting on a comfy 4-0 lead, Florida’s got Toronto in a full-on chokehold. And guess what? Aaron Ekblad even opened up on his suspension!

Aaron Ekblad opens up on his suspension

After a fiery two-game timeout from the spotlight, Aaron Ekblad hit the ice once again for the Panthers on Wednesday night, marking his big return after serving a suspension for that elbow-to-the-head moment with Brandon Hagel. No penalty was called during the Game 4 chaos against Tampa Bay, but the league circled back, and well… suspension served. Despite the heat, Ekblad wasn’t done, he tied that very game later, just to remind everyone he’s still got it. And now? He’s back, skating like he never left, logging nearly 20 minutes in his Game 2 return against the Leafs and picking up an assist on Anton Lundell’s third-period equalizer.

Before puck drop in that wild 4–3 loss to Toronto, Ekblad didn’t dodge the chatter. He spoke on the hit that stirred up the hockey hive. “Going down the wall there, I’m trying to make a hit every single time I do that,” Ekblad said. “I do that all season. I was aiming for his chest and I caught him in the chin, and that’s unfortunate, but it’s not my intention. I’m never out to hurt anybody on the ice.” But Hagel? Yeah, he wasn’t buying it.

He clapped back with, “Purposefully going for someone’s head, it’s just as bad as it gets.” When asked to react to the sting, Ekblad kept it cool: “Reasonable response. If that’s how he feels, then we move on.”

Panthers coach Paul Maurice was more than ready to roll Ekblad back into the top D-man mix. “He’s a big part of what we do,” Maurice shared with The Athletic, painting the picture of a team that had finally found its rhythm. “(His absence came when) you’re looking towards the end of the year to build that group as a feel. We get Seth in and Aaron’s still on our team and then we have a block of four games with three shutouts and a 2-1 win against Tampa at home, everybody’s pretty excited about the way we look, right? Then we can’t find him.” Welp, he’s found now, coach.