Start here today.
It was a horrific scene last night. Aaron Ekblad being stretchered off the ice after suffering a serious leg injury. The Panthers players, some in tears, talking about hearing him scream.
Our thoughts are with Ekblad, a truly great guy, who was having a great season. We can only hope this injury isn't as serious as it looks and he returns to form at some point in the near future.
The Panthers are having a miraculous season to date. They have the fifth most points in the NHL and just a few weeks ago sat alone with the BEST winning percentage in the entire league. They are getting KILLED with injuries currently however...Along with Ekblad, Barkov, their best forward is also out...and without Barkov they kept winning. They even won last night after losing Ekblad.
A few weeks ago the Panthers weren't likely to do a lot at the deadline. Chemistry and riding a wave of confidence in Hockey are VERY real factors that teams have been known to screw up in a simple attempt to bolster at the deadline...
But losing Ekblad will at least mean they will be looking to improve where they can. They are a team very much on the rise and how they react to adversity will be very telling here. It's not unheard of for teams with this kind of adversity to bond even closer together...
Back later with a rumor chart update after calling around today...things are getting interesting for sure..