The Panthers’ season seems to be revised with the acquisition of former Boston Bruins captain Brad Marchand. But not everything seems right with the reigning Stanley Cup champions. Their star defenceman, Aaron Ekblad, has been suspended for violating the NHL’s performance-enhancing substance program.

Ekblad was having one of his best seasons as of late. He has had issues staying healthy, and for this season, he has only missed 10 games so far. That isn’t as bad as the previous season, when he missed 30 games due to health reasons.

But now he will be sitting for the rest of the season. He released a statement from the NHLPA. “As the NHL announced, I have been suspended for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. The news that I had failed a random drug test was a shock.”

Because of the suspension, Ekblad will be referred to the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health. He will be evaluated and be given proper treatment, as said by the NHL. 

So far, the Panthers haven’t released a statement regarding Ekblad as they have been celebrating the signing of Marchand and Seth Jarvis. 

The NHL has a random drug test each season that the players don’t know about. Last week, the Panthers were tested when Ekblad failed the test and didn’t provide a good enough explanation on why he had the banned drug in his system. 

“Ultimately, I made a mistake by taking something to help me recover from recent injuries without first checking with proper medical and team personnel,” Ekblad said in a statement.

That is what happened, according to Ekblad, but because of the unlikelihood of a third party commenting on this issue, it will probably be the only information the public is going to learn.

Using banned drug substances is not unheard of in the NHL. Former Anaheim Ducks player Ryan Kesler has talked intensively about the drug problem in the NHL and how he and other players would take drugs like Toradol. Taradol, however, is allowed for short-term consumption in the league, but there will be problems with overexposure to the drug.

There are fewer than 20 games left in the season. Ekblad will be able to return in the third game of the first round of the playoffs. A position that the Panthers are very likely to achieve as they are second in the Atlantic Division. 

Ekblad is the first player since 2018 to be suspended for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug program. The last player to be suspended was fellow Panthers defenceman Nate Schmidt, who was also suspended for 20 games while he was with the Vegas Golden Knights. 

Ekblad will be a UFA this summer. It is unknown how his suspension could alter his contract negotiations with the team.