Panthers place star D Ekblad on long-term IR

SUNRISE, Fla. -- The Florida Panthers volition beryllium without Aaron Ekblad until astatine slightest mid-November, and rather perchance longer, aft placing the prima defenseman connected the semipermanent injured reserve database with a groin injury.

Players connected the semipermanent IR database indispensable miss astatine slightest 10 games and 24 days; the Panthers person 11 games successful that 24-day window, truthful Ekblad is retired for astatine slightest that many. He got wounded successful Florida's nonaccomplishment Monday astatine Boston.

"We're not blessed astir it, and evidently we're acrophobic for him arsenic a idiosyncratic first," Panthers wide manager Bill Zito said Wednesday. "But he'll beryllium back. It's not a season-ending thing. There's nary crushed to judge helium won't beryllium backmost astatine thing different than 100%."

Ekblad missed Florida's last 21 regular-season games past play with a genu contented and 21 games successful the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 play with a lower-leg fracture.

And adjacent without their champion defenseman, the Panthers person recovered ways to triumph consistently implicit the past 2 seasons erstwhile he's not successful the lineup. Florida has gone 31-10-1 successful the 42 games Ekblad missed implicit that span.

"It's not an perfect concern to suffer immoderate of the cardinal players from our team," skipper Aleksander Barkov said. "But astatine the aforesaid time, of course, you person to battle, not conscionable for yourself but for the feline who's missing. You person to conflict for him arsenic well, got to play for him."

Zito said that Ekblad already is moving retired successful anticipation of his return.

Defenseman Brandon Montour besides volition miss Wednesday's crippled against Philadelphia, the 2nd consecutive contention he'll beryllium retired due to the fact that of an upper-body injury. The Panthers judge helium tin instrumentality to signifier successful the coming days.

The Panthers recalled Matt Kiersted and Lucas Carlsson from their AHL affiliate successful Charlotte, North Carolina, and they person seasoned guardant Eric Staal -- who was successful campy with Florida connected a tryout declaration -- inactive skating with the squad arsenic a non-roster player. Zito said the cap-crunched squad volition effort to find a mode to adhd Staal to the roster; his younger member Marc Staal, a defenseman, is successful his archetypal twelvemonth with the Panthers.

"Every azygous squad successful the NHL usually faces important adversity," manager Paul Maurice said. "It helps specify them. We're not shying distant from this."