Ekblad Comments on His Feelings Towards Panthers Trades & Says ''F*** This''

The trade refers to the Huberdeau, Weegar deal, which saw Matthew Tkachuk headed the other way. Then the subsequent massive extension Panthers GM Bill Zito settled with Tkachuk, signing the St. Louis native to a eight-year, $76 million dollar deal.

«There is a correct way to answer that question, and that would be, 'It's a business and I'm sad to see (them) go but happy with the return. Realistically, yes, I'm very happy with Matthew as a player. I think he's going to be great for us. But sad doesn't even cover it when it comes to the two guys that we lost. They're great friends of mine. I played with them for a really long time. It's all part of the business, but at the end of the day it was a shock to see them go and to lose them as teammates. I'm going to try and stay as close as I can to those guys. They're great friends and good people and I'm going to miss them a ton,» said Ekblad responding to a question about his feelings towards the Panthers - Flames trade.

«There are times when I'm not the most professional or the most perfect with my attitude about it. There are times where I'm like, 'Fuck this.' But at the end of the day, it's what you love, and you power through, and good things come of it."

Ekblad, 26, is heading into his eighth NHL season all spent with the Panthers in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers number one defenseman played 61 games in 2021-22, scoring 15 goaks and 42 assists for 57 points.

Certainly, the loss of two long-time teammates is a bitter pill to swallow, but a player like Tkachuk in return has to feel good for a team hoping to have a deep playoff run in 2022-23.