The Florida Panthers hit the ice for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but fans immediately noticed who wasn’t in the lineup—Aaron Ekblad. After all the talk about his comeback, his name was absent from the roster again. But unlike January’s injury or the 20-game PED ban that rocked the NHL earlier this season, this time it was something new.

And just when it seemed Ekblad was finding his groove, he dished out a dubious elbow to Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel during Game 4 of the first round. It wasn’t called on the ice, but he did manage to score the game-tying tally late in the third. The NHL Department of Player Safety wasn’t going to let that one slide, though. The consequence? A second two-game suspension, just as the Panthers are ready for their greatest challenge to date.

For fans of the Panthers wanting to watch Aaron Ekblad man the blue line against Auston Matthews and William Nylander, the wait drags on. And in an anticipated series of high-speed bedlam, his absence is the difference-maker.

From PED shock to playoff setback—The Aaron Ekblad suspension drama

Ekblad’s rollercoaster season kicked off with the offseason controversy surrounding a 20-game suspension for breaking the NHL’s performance-enhancing substances policy. The defenseman admitted to taking something to aid in the recovery from injury without checking with team or league medical staff. “I did something I regretted, and I let my teammates and fans down,” he said through the NHLPA. The league sent the message clearly—accidental or not, the rules are the rules.

That initial suspension kept him out for the last 18 games of the regular season and the first two playoff games. Finally, he returned to action in Game 3 against the Tampa Bay. But just in his second game back, in Game 4, Aaron Ekblad delivered a high elbow into Hagel’s head along the boards. It wasn’t called on the ice, but the league came down hard afterwards, deeming it to be a ‘direct blow to the head of an opponent with an extended elbow.’ Cue the second suspension—this one for two games.

This is a big blow to the defensive core of the Panthers. Aaron Ekblad is the team’s leader in average minutes at 23:31 and paced all Florida blueliners with 33 points in the regular season. He played an integral role in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoff run. Now, however, Paul Maurice has to reshuffle his cards once again. Uvis Balinskis fills the void, and offseason acquisition Seth Jones is that much more valuable on the right side.

But still, the Panthers demonstrated that they can win in Eks’ absence—picking up two road victories in Tampa and finishing off that series in five games. The query: Can they do it against an offensively paced team like the Maple Leafs?

Panthers and Maple Leafs—old heat, new fire

The Panthers and Leafs aren’t strangers to each other in the playoffs. Two years ago, the Panthers dispatched the Leafs in the span of five games. That same grit, chirp, and physical play is in place—amped up by the likes of Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk to cause trouble. And with the Leafs having three former Panthers in Anthony Stolarz, Steven Lorentz, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, there are complexities to this fight.

Toronto is coming into Game 1 confident but guarded. Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Mitch Marner lead an offense that has changed under new head coach Craig Berube. The Leafs just navigated the Battle of Ontario and defeated a Senators team that is on the rise. If there is one potential concern, though, it is their playoff resume. They are only 1-13 since 2018 in games that clinch elimination. That is an awful lot of disappointment.

Meanwhile, Florida is thriving within the madness. They’re shutting down Tampa’s vaunted top-line unit (2-for-18 in the series) and playing stout defense. Bobrovsky is playing playoff-level hockey and Tkachuk has shaken off rust after sitting out the final stretch of the regular season. And Sam Bennett, who’s gorged on the Leafs in recent games, is still the prop-better’s best friend.

Game 1 at Scotiabank Arena is going to be pyrotechnic. Toronto has the firepower, but Florida has the battle scars—and the familiarity. And once Aaron Ekblad returns from his mini-suspension, he might tip the scales.

Ekblad has endured one of the most turbulent seasons of any of the league’s top stars. From the PED controversy to the suspension that cost him the first two games of the postseason less than two games into his return, it has not been an easy go.

But there is no sugarcoating it—the Panthers do need Ekblad to remain on the ice and not on the sidelines. The two-game absence may be minor, but in an intense playoff series such as this one, every shift matters. With Toronto seeking revenge and Florida defending its title, there is zero margin for error. When Aaron Ekblad is on the ice again in Game 2, he’ll have something to prove beyond just remaining healthy—he’ll have to prove that he can stay level-headed. Because the Panthers cannot afford to take another blow from within. The stage is set for him now, and how he reacts has the potential to decide the direction of this series.