Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad talks after his team held its first practice in Fort Lauderdale this month on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. Ekblad recently became a dad for the first time; he left the team in California to come home and missed the past two games. He will become the franchise leader in games played on Saturday passing the injured Sasha Barkov. The Panthers (2-0-2) play their home opener on Saturday against the Minnesota Wild. Florida, which is without Barkov for 6-8 weeks, will also be without Brad Marchand after he was hurt in Tuesday’s 2-1 win over the host LA Kings. Video Courtesy Florida Panthers / @FlaPanthers / Panthers Vision Where Does Brady Tkachuk Fit with the Panthers? Next to Matthew, of course: https://floridahockeynow.com/where-does-brady-tkachuk-fit-with-the-florida-panthers-right-next-to-matthew-of-course/ The Panthers Have Done It Again, Repeat as Cup Champs: https://floridahockeynow.com/florida-panthers-repeat-stanley-cup-champions-2025/ Panthers Get Their New Rings. Yeah, They Nice: https://floridahockeynow.com/stanley-cup-champion-florida-panthers-get-rings-yeah-they-nice/ Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning Bringing Hockey Outdoors - In Florida: https://floridahockeynow.com/nhl-outdoor-hockey-miami-tampa-florida-panthers-lightning/ For the most in-depth coverage of the Florida Panthers: — Visit Florida Hockey Now — https://floridahockeynow.com — Subscribe to Florida Hockey Now: https://floridahockeynow.com/membership-account/subscribe-to-fhn/ — Like Our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/flahockeynow/ —Follow us on Twitter: * https://twitter.com/GeorgeRichards * https://twitter.com/thegovman * https://twitter.com/abaumgartner91 Video Courtesy Florida Panthers / Panther Vision
