Aaron Ekblad is one of the best defensemen in the league

Dominance

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Sep 30, 2017
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Ekblad is quietly 4th among all defensemen in even-strength scoring, a single point behind Hedman with one less GP. 53% Corsi and +4.1 relative puts him above some great players. Majority defensive zone starts. Quality crease-clearer and shotblocker.

He was also a strong powerplay QB in junior and has had success, particularly with goalscoring, on the man advantage at the NHL level. His mere 4 PPP and 0 PPG this season will almost certainly be an anomaly moving forward. In the same line of thinking, he’s putting as many shots on net this year as he has over his career, but his shooting percentage is half of what it has been, so he could easily have double as many goals.

He’s starting to hit on the potential that saw him drafted first overall, and he just turned 24. I feel safe stating he will become a top-15 defenseman soon (if he is not already) and will be for a decade. It’s awesome to see him do well, as he gets far too much shit on here; I’ve seen multiple people say on the Trades forum that with his contract (a very reasonable 7.5M) and concussion issues, he has negative value.
 
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wetcoast

Registered User
Nov 20, 2018
22,247
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I honestly haven't seen him play enough and always have thought that he was overhyped but quite possibly he is coming into his own as often happens with Dmen in their middle 20's.

I always have the opposite opinion on Provorov but then again he is only 22 and seems to be flying under the radar as well.
 

TheImpatientPanther

Florida Flukin Panthers > LTIR Maple Leafs
Jan 17, 2013
28,414
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Ontario, Canada
Yes he is finally having a #1D caliber season and living up to his caphit, it's crazy to think he's got almost 500 games under his belt (currently at 448) and just turned 24 weeks ago, so these next 5-6 years will be his best yet.
The only thing holding him back is his skating, although it has noticeably been better this year.
As well as his puck handling and poise with the puck, he doesn't panic ice it anymore.
He's not overly physical but isn't soft either, he will battle and pick his spots way better than before.

He's not scoring as much and as you pointed out, his PP numbers are down from his usual 4-5 goals/10ish pts a year. Hoffman and Dadonov have pushed him to the 2nd unit.
For me, I'd trade Yandle and promote Ekblad to the 1st unit. What Yandle makes up for in passing (which can easily be replaced with two pass first guys in Huberdeau and Barkov), Ekblad makes up in his shot and ability to carry the puck towards the net/or go down low to attract attention and pass the puck off, as seen with his new career high in assists this year with 20+ games to go.

His fancy stats are really really good and he passes the eye test the majority of games this year.
He could hit 50pts this year with minimal PP time on the 2nd unit, as of late that unit has looked better.
Think he should have been named Captain instead of Barkov but both are the two best players on the team. He's been very healthy/durable the last couple years
 
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ucanthanzalthetruth

#CatsAreCooked
Jul 13, 2013
27,069
28,846
He's good but makes too many dzone mistakes and his Achilles heel, he's one of the slowest players in the league, I think Peter Worrell may have been faster. Does he get shit on here? Never heard anyone say he was bad, he's a very nice player.
 

DarthProbert

Registered User
Feb 3, 2015
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maybe. I feel like its pretty difficult to determine who's elite or not at D anymore. Not like it was 5+ years ago. That generation of Doughty, Suter, Weber, Keith, Burns is getting older and the current generation is pretty hard to pin down.
All those guys racked up points in their primes though too. Defensive D just don't get noticed, then or now. At least back in the old days a Stevens or Konstantinov hit would make the highlights.
 

Conbon

Registered User
Oct 4, 2016
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If he really is becoming a 1c, I think he could have a very long career. Like 1700 games long.
 

tapi

Registered User
Oct 25, 2009
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He's probably not even in the top ten, maybe not even top 20. As for top 5, guys like Carslon, Letang, Josi, Pietrangelo and Burns have him beat by miles.
 

Frank Drebin

He's just a child
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Mar 9, 2004
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I hope you’re joking with this post. I demonstrated some very important considerations about his current production, how much better it very could well be and become, and his quality two-way play, as succinctly as possible and with the most widely-used statistics for demonstrating those areas of the game. I strongly doubt any substantial proportion of this forum watches Florida with any regularity, so statistics are more valuable than some anecdotal account.

Would you have been more impressed if I had said, “He’s good LOL!” or wrote a poem about him, rather than present the statistical picture?
No, I'm actually paying a genuine comment. Too many times we see bizarre advanced statistics, many with X's and %'s in them in order to justify strange opinions on players, when really, all that matters for a defenseman can be seen with the primary stats like TOI, production and usage.
 

AnInjuredJasonZucker

Registered User
Feb 21, 2014
4,504
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I hope you’re joking with this post. I demonstrated some very important considerations about his current production, how much better it very could well be and become, and his quality two-way play, as succinctly as possible and with the most widely-used statistics for demonstrating those areas of the game. I strongly doubt any substantial proportion of this forum watches Florida with any regularity, so statistics are more valuable than some anecdotal account.

Would you have been more impressed if I had said, “He’s good LOL!” or wrote a poem about him, rather than present the statistical picture?
This is a comically defensive post. The poster said they were expecting inane babbling as support, said you actually used fairly reasonable metrics, followed by clear approval.
 

Dominance

99-66-4-9-87/97
Sep 30, 2017
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The Land of Hockey
No, I'm actually paying a genuine comment. Too many times we see bizarre advanced statistics, many with X's and %'s in them in order to justify strange opinions on players, when really, all that matters for a defenseman can be seen with the primary stats like TOI, production and usage.
I misinterpreted your post, I think. I read your comment and thought you were referring to what I posted as matching the goofy stats you expected. I apologize, I guess I am too used to sarcasm on here.
 
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BusQuets

Registered User
Jul 16, 2010
11,915
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Lol no. Ekblad is brutal and one of the biggest reasons why florida's D suck.
 

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