The Florida Panthers have activated a pair of defensemen off injured reserve ahead of their game against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night, Florida Hockey Now‘s Colby Guy reported Friday.
The Panthers have reportedly activated Aaron Ekblad off long-term injured reserve and Brandon Montour off season-opening injured reserve. Neither defenseman has played this year while recovering from offseason shoulder surgeries.
In a corresponding move to free up a roster spot, the Panthers placed defenseman Josh Mahura on injured reserve on Friday.
Ekblad and Montour both logged enormous minutes last spring as the Panthers embarked upon an unlikely run to the Stanley Cup Final. They ultimately fell to the Vegas Golden Knights in five games.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, Ekblad has dealt with numerous injuries over the course of his 625-game NHL career. The 27-year-old right-handed defenseman suited up for 71 out of 82 games during the 2022–23 regular season before skating in all but one of Florida’s 21 playoff contests.
Montour, 29, is entering his fourth season with the Panthers after joining the team at the 2021 trade deadline. The Brantford, Ontario product racked up a career-high 73 points in 80 games with last year’s Panthers before adding 13 points in 21 playoff appearances.
Without Ekblad and Montour in the lineup, the Panthers have nonetheless gotten off to a solid start in 2023–24. Their 10–5–1 record and 21 points put them firmly in second place in the NHL’s Atlantic Division, five points back of the Boston Bruins — whom they defeated in the first round of last year’s playoffs — for the top spot.
In the absence of two of their top three minute-munchers from last season, the Panthers have relied heavily upon Gustav Forsling and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to hold the fort through their first 16 games. Now, it appears they might finally be getting some reinforcements.
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