In his fifth season with the Florida Panthers, defenseman Aaron Ekblad continued down his usual point contributions path.
Last season (2017-18), Aaron Ekblad posted 16G, 22A, for 38 points in 82 games. His 16 goals on the season were a career high for Ekblad, along with the 82 games he featured in that year.
Fast forward to the following season (2018-19), Ekblad recorded more or less of the same figures, tallying 13G, 24A, for 37 points in another healthy, 82-point season for the 23-year-old.
This past season, while quiet, was still well productive for the right-handed defenseman. Ekblad closed out the year ranked with the second-highest figure in WAR (Wins Above Replacement) on the Florida Panthers.
He was second to none other than to captain Aleksander Barkov, who unsurprisingly has been No. 1 in that particular metric for quite some time. Given his flawless two-way play and elite offensive abilities, there’s no surprise that Barkov holds the No. 1 spot there.
Regardless, Ekblad holding second in an important metric like WAR is something he should not only pride himself on but something the Panthers cannot overlook.
In addition to his offensive abilities from the back end, Ekblad has also shown that he’s a clean and tidy defender, leading all Panthers defensemen in zone entries and exits.
With Ekblad, however, the only question that continues to cloud over is him is the expected arrival of his breakout season.
Since entering the league, Ekblad has consistently put up 35-40 points and has also hit the double-digit mark in goals in every season.
However, one thing that has held Ekblad back from truly putting up Norris-like numbers are his assist tallies. Unlike his goals, Ekblad has always fallen short in the assist category to take him to that next level.
Now with Joel Quenneville in the fold, Ekblad will finally have a proper defensive system to work with, along with a potential new D partner – if the Panthers decide to shop for one.
Ekblad can easily up his assist tally with better usage and more power play time. Assists are generally referred to as “give-me” points, which are common among most offensive-defensemen.
Even so, the fact that Ekblad continuously hits double-digits in goals every season is what impresses me more than a defenseman who loads up on secondary assists.
The assists will come and they’ll come when Ekblad is put out in a position to succeed, where he isn’t expected to carry the entire load and is given a defense partner who compliments his style, NOT one who’s a replica of him.
If Aaron Ekblad works on his skating the entire summer and improves his footwork, the rest will simply take care of itself. Now with Coach Q and a new coaching staff running the show, Ekblad should be able to break out offensively.