<p>The NHL has announced that <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/florida-panthers/line-combinations">Florida Panthers</a> defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended 20 games for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA’s Performance Enhancing Substances program.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlaPanthers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FlaPanthers</a> Aaron Ekblad has been suspended 20 games for violating the Performance Enhancing Substances Program. <a href="https://t.co/TRmgJL25ji">pic.twitter.com/TRmgJL25ji</a></p>— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) <a href="https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1899217043238388124?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 10, 2025</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>According to the NHL’s league statement, the suspension includes a “mandatory referral to the NHL/NHLPA Program for Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health for evaluation and possible treatment.”</p>



<p>The 29-year-old defenseman has scored three goals and 33 points in 56 games this year. The suspension will take Ekblad out for the remainder of the 2024-25 NHL regular season, with the Panthers having recently reached the 64-game mark.</p>



<p>Ekblad has never been suspended in his NHL career. In 2016, he was concussed from a hit by Matt Hendricks, who was later handed a three-game ban.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="135"></div>



<p>“As the NHL announced, I have been suspended for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program,” Ekblad said in a statement. “The news that I had failed a random drug test was a shock. Ultimately, I made a mistake by taking something to help me recover from recent injuries without first checking with proper medical and team personnel.</p>



<p>“I have let my teammates, the Panthers organization and our great fans down. For that, I am truly sorry. I have accepted responsibility for my mistake and will be fully prepared to return to my team when my suspension is over. I have learned a hard lesson and cannot wait to be back with my teammates.”</p>



<p>Ekblad’s $7.5 million cap hit will not count towards Florida’s cap hit. He is slated to become a unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="141"></div>



<p>Ekblad has spent his entire 11-year career with the Panthers since getting selected first overall in 2014. The Windsor, Ontario native has 118 goals and 380 points in 732 career regular aseason games, and a further four goals and 20 points in 64 playoff outings. Most notably, Ekblad helped the Panthers to two staight Stanley Cup finals, winning the coveted trophy last summer.</p>



<p>The NHL has had very few suspensions for PEDs in its history. Nate Schmidt was the most recent example, serving a 20-game suspension during the 2018-19 season. In 2016, Shawn Horcoff was also handed a 20-game suspension, nine years after Sean Hill became the first to do so with a 20-game ban that started during the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs and continued into November of the 2007-08 season.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="131"></div>



<p>The Panthers recently acquired Seth Jones from the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/chicago-blackhawks/line-combinations">Chicago Blackhawks</a> in a <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/trade-grade-seth-jones-spencer-knight-chicago-blackhawks-future-florida-panthers-stanley-cup">move designed to help bolster Florida’s output from the point</a>. Losing Ekblad until the playoffs will likely result in an increased role for Jones, who should move up to the top pairing.</p>



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