But why me?! I don't think i've been too forward in arguing for or against Ekblad.
I don't necessarily see Pietrangelo or Phaneuf. I feel offense comes more naturally to AP and Ekblad really lacks the aggressive nature of Phaneuf, but is much smarter than Phaneuf at the same time.
I am a bit lower on Ekblad because i think he tops out as a good #2. I don't think offense comes naturally to him. I think his shot is very good, its gotten better over the year and more accurate. His passing... isn't great, sometimes makes a great pass, other times misses his targets. Makes simple plays out of the zone. I do not see a PP QB here, as I said, offense does not come naturally. He will be a very good triggerman though and i would not be surprised if he ends up having one of the top shots from the point in 5 years time. He works on his shot every practice with Lemieux; they take like 100-150 shots after/before every practice, certainly showed in his progression this season. The physical game for Ekblad is also does not come naturally; Ekblad uses his body very well in terms of positioning and angling his man (saw him win every board/puck battle against Perlini in a game just by using his body position), but hits, intimidation and brute force is not his forte, very inconsistent in this regard. Ekblad's skating still needs work. Footwork is only okay, but he has deceptive speed and coverage, in that he can cover a large portion of the ice with just a stride or two. Just my take.
