Aaron Ekblad gaining Norris Consideration? And Hart?

[Lundell4Prez]

He's the best D on their team at 19, that's impressive all right, but the league, don't think so. Also, not the best player on his team, I think that's still Jagr.

Jagr is not the best player on this team.

 

[EstConf96*]

Jagr is not the best player on this team.

He is if you ignore the fact that he is a 43 soon to be a 44 year old man.

 

[Jacob Roberts]

What he is doing as a 19 year old is amazing. His goal-scoring ability and instincts are elite and he will prolly be a top-5 goalscoring defender for a long time. Clutch. His poise with the puck under stress is phenomenal (compare with Gudbranson his first 2 years) This year too, his defensive work has significantly improved. So there is alot to like.

But......... there is no way he's a top 3 defensemen in this league yet IMO. 35th in scoring for defensemen, the quarterback of a statistically bad PP. A player like Karlsson, forget about his points, he literally controls the game when he is on the ice. Eks just isn't at that point yet. There's a lot of competition for top-3 in the league.

 

[Chaos2k7]

No slight to Ek, honor just to be mentioned, I am sure he would say the same.

 

[IM Clutcm]

What he is doing as a 19 year old is amazing. His goal-scoring ability and instincts are elite and he will prolly be a top-5 goalscoring defender for a long time. Clutch. His poise with the puck under stress is phenomenal (compare with Gudbranson his first 2 years) This year too, his defensive work has significantly improved. So there is alot to like.

But......... there is no way he's a top 3 defensemen in this league yet IMO. 35th in scoring for defensemen, the quarterback of a statistically bad PP. A player like Karlsson, forget about his points, he literally controls the game when he is on the ice. Eks just isn't at that point yet. There's a lot of competition for top-3 in the league.

Agreed. He's the top defenseman on the team, but not one of the three best in the league. I'd put him around 15/20.

 

[Gentle Man]

So did anyone hear yesterday, Pierre said a lot of people are comparing Ekblad to Lidstrom.

 

[FrolikFan67]

So did anyone hear yesterday, Pierre said a lot of people are comparing Ekblad to Lidstrom.

well i love him because he's a big mature kid who can do everything. he can score plenty of goals but isnt a pure offensive d or a guy who's taking garrison-esk or weber or subban level one-timers and getting goals that way, he's a master of getting pucks on net, has a solid shot with very high hockey iq and he just knows how to get the puck in the net. he's got a good outlet pass, he can skate it, has size to muscle guys when needed, plays great d, handles the puck well. he's not a defensive d or an offensive d, just a fantastic 2-way d who does everything. he's a leader and a winner (we've won the last 15 games of him being in the lineup, and in those 15 we have a team +36 goal differential...thats insane).

 

[embryoniccrusadah]

What makes Aaron Ekblad so good??

Canucks fan coming in peace (even though you did steal Luongo from us > ). Im actually really happy for your team, its nice to see some success in Florida after such a long period of mediocrity. Just read a bit of the thread on Ekblad and was wondering what makes him such a good defenseman? Thanks.

 

[Miami Panther]

Canucks fan coming in peace (even though you did steal Luongo from us > ). Im actually really happy for your team, its nice to see some success in Florida after such a long period of mediocrity. Just read a bit of the thread on Ekblad and was wondering what makes him such a good defenseman? Thanks.

I'm not as qualified as some others around here to evaluate Ekblad, however I will give it a go. For me, Ekblad's hockey IQ, positioning and poise make him exceptional. Observe Ekblad in the offensive zone, and you will see he ALWAYS knows where the puck is going to be and he is ALWAYS is there to make the right play. In the defensive zone, his poise stands out. When digging the puck out of the corners (or along the blue line in the offensive zone), he never appears in a hurry or anxious (aka the puck does not look like a hot potato). Instead, he looks like he's been in the league for 15 years, and again always makes the right play. Further, Ekblad has an outstanding shot that usually makes it to the net if not in the back of the net. He also has a knack for timely goals. If we need a goal, count on Ekblad to deliver. Read FrolikFan's post above for more.

 

[EnforceTheLaus]

To add his most outstanding thing for me is his raw instincts. Watching him making the decisions in tough moments (like spinning around and getting a pokecheck or pinching for a scoring chance). Those type of decisions are what most other young Dmen take 4-5 years to learn. He thinks the game at such a high level defensively and offensively I really can't recall seeing a dman so young and "advanced" as Ekblad.

 

[vendetta]

I think the only thing holding him back from being elite woukd be his skating mostly his top speed... he has to find a way to find an extra step in his game and he will be truly elite