NHL's Biggest Gift To The Florida Panthers Revealed After Recent Aaron Ekblad Comments

The Florida Panthers have been dealing with plenty of injuries as of late, but they've also seen Aaron Ekblad sidelined after he was suspended by the NHL for 25 games down the stretch.

While this is seen as a negative from most people given the impact this has on his reputation, when he was recently asked about it, Ekblad was purely looking at the positives, revealing that he's never felt this good heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Sure, Ekblad still understands that this was an overall negative on his character given how respected he's been around the NHL until now, but he's trying to look on the positive side ahead of a return in the post-season.

The suspension will carry through into the playoffs, as Ekblad will miss the first two games of their first-round series, likely to be against the in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning, but when he returns, he'll be a major boost to the Panthers blue line.

Currently, the team are relying on the duo of Nikko Mikkola and Seth Jones to man the top pairing, and when Ekblad returns fully healthy, it will give them added depth and punch to their lineup, so while many saw the suspension as a hit to Ekblad's reputation, he's turning it into a positive as he's set to return fully healthy and motivated ahead of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.