Matthew Tkachuk had tried to downplay the series against the Maple Leafs in the 2nd round. “You know we’ve, we’ve been in way more high-pressure series and games than this.” Well, the Panthers aren’t taking things lightly now, are they? They may be the defending Champions, but the Cats are already playing catch-up after the 1st game.

And they need to win the next if they don’t want to play catch up. Thankfully, the Panthers have got a big boost as they get ready to take the game to Toronto; Aaron Ekblad was again available for selection. So, what were their thoughts on Ekblad’s return?

Well, during the presser before game 2 on May 7, Nate Schmidt took the question from the reporters about how Aaron Ekblad’s presence impacts the team and what Ekblad can bring to the lineup. Being a fellow defenseman himself, Schmidt got straight to Ekblad’s strengths: “I think Aaron is just such a stabilizing factor for our D and just for our team. The style of play he has and he understands the system probably better than anybody from how long he’s been here.”

Being one of the veterans in the locker room who has been in the organization for 11 years, Ekblad knows exactly what it means to represent the Florida Panthers. The returning Panthers #5 is part of the starting D-pair with Gustav Forsling and has averaged a team-high 23:31 minutes on ice in 56 games in the regular season. Continuing, Schmidt added, “anytime you can get a guy like that back in your lineup, it should provide a boost and just help stabilize your rest of your D pairs.”

And it’s apt that he mentioned the plays-style and the system, because the Panthers coach Paul Maurice is absolutely impressed by Ekblad: “Well, his last game … his game that he played for us, game 4 was possibly the best game I’ve seen him play for us.” And the coach mentioned how the D-man contributed in the playoff game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

To give you some context, it was a key game in the series with the Lightning getting a 5-1 win in the previous game to get back into the series. Another Tampa Bay win would have made the series 2-2. But having a player like Ekblad on the ice was crucial to shut down the Bolts revival. “He’s just closing gaps, but up the ice and the rush…”

As for what would having Ekblad back mean to the team system? The Panthers coach said, “He puts our, the rest of our decor, into a different structure of matches and things like that. So he’s been really good for us. We’ve missed him for quite a while, so just a little bit of structure to our team.”

Well, they definitely missed him and his dynamism in the 5-4 defeat to the Maple Leafs.

Ekblad’s all-round contributions make him vital for the Florida Panthers to beat the Maple Leafs

Aaron Ekblad is the kind of player you want when you are down and are looking for a leader, on Nd off the ice. Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola perfectly summed up what Aaron Ekblad brings to a team. “On the ice, he’s a great player. He’s been a part of the group for a long time. In the locker room, he’s a loud guy and big character.”

Ekblad contributes not just in helping the Florida Panthers stay tight at the back. Sure, he is a class act at it. But he also has 3 goals and 30 assists in the regular season. In the big 4th game against the Lightnings that coach Maurice talked about, the 29-year-old chipped in with a goal to help the Panthers win 4-2.

Whenever he has been available, he has been their all-weather man. Playing 2:26 Penalty kill minutes on average per game, the defenseman has contributed with even more time during power plays. He logs 2:41 minutes of ice time on average, whenever he’s on the power play. You can understand how versatile he is. And a leader to add to that.

There is no doubt the Florida Panthers missed him against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1st game. And his absence was felt even more with Sergei Bobrovsky’s off-day. Well, let’s see how the defending Stanley Cup champs respond with Ekblad.