Aaron Ekblad is one of the best defensemen in the league
- Thread starter Dominance
- Start date
CanadienShark
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- Dec 18, 2012
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He got an unreasonable amount of hate last year. Maybe he's not going to become the best d-man in the league, but he has all the tools to be among the best.
Dominance
99-66-4-9-87/97
No statistics support this heavily dated view, though. It’s also quite difficult for the majority of us to watch Florida play with any regularity. Panthers fans themselves say that he has been excellent this year, showing marked improvement, and the standard (i.e. not cherry-picked) statistics I have presented in this thread support it.
Wow, way to contribute, try kicking rocks next time.
Buck Naked
Can't-Stand-Ya
- Aug 18, 2016
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I know.. bump.. Sorry..
Really started to take a liking to this guy and was looking for a thread like this to see what other posters was saying about him.
Find this to be an interesting discussion. The stats and charts posted supports OPs thesis that Ekblad is an Elite player. Are there any 5v5 stats where Ekblad really shows major deficiencies?
Really started to take a liking to this guy and was looking for a thread like this to see what other posters was saying about him.
Find this to be an interesting discussion. The stats and charts posted supports OPs thesis that Ekblad is an Elite player. Are there any 5v5 stats where Ekblad really shows major deficiencies?
BlueBaron
Registered User
I'm curious if Panther fans feel he was rushed into the league and if so do they think it stalled his development? Always liked him but I don't follow Florida very closely.
Dominance
99-66-4-9-87/97
No. He was very much a man ready for the NHL at 18 and would not have benefited from more time in junior. The only thing that may have stalled his development is the concussions.
But I’m pretty sure Panthers fans aren’t disappointed, anyways. He’s that essential 1D, in the mould of two-way defensemen that only become better with age.
GeeoffBrown
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- Jul 6, 2007
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Uhhh he was rookie of the year
Mickey Marner
Registered User
His puck moving is just okay, but was trending up last year and is partially team/partner dependant. Could be meaner and more physical.
Buck Naked
Can't-Stand-Ya
- Aug 18, 2016
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If you were to narrow that down to, let's say, the last two seasons. How would it look then?
Stive Morgan
Mhm. Mhm. Mhm.
He also had the best 18-year-old season by a defenseman since Bobby Orr didn't he? Or he was on pace to or something? I remember him being insanely good as a rookie.
Mickey Marner
Registered User
TheImpatientPanther
Registered User
2018-19:
47.8% of the time paired with Yandle
42.9% of the time paired with Matheson
2019-20:
39.1% of the time with Weegar
25.9% of the time with Yandle
17.8% of the time with Matheson
Below is the past 2 years, 2018-19 was a write off with Yandle on the top pair, his minutes have gone down every year and has become a major liability in his own end. Matheson was just as bad but more physical at least, playing way above his head though.
2019-20 allowed Weegar to be tried on his off-side with Ekblad and they clicked pretty much right away.
If Weegar stayed healthy, they were both pacing career highs/years in points, Ekblad did set a new career high in assists and points.
TomasHertlsRooster
Don’t say eye test when you mean points
It's funny, you don't realize it, but this post really shows just how far analytics have become commonplace in hockey. Just a few years ago, Corsi would've certainly been a part of the "goofy stats" that you're trashing.
lawrence
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- May 19, 2012
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Slow progression for him the past 5 seasons. Like he was near 0.5 ppg pace as an 18 year old which is impressive that it kinda stayed at that rate, but last season it shot up. He’s only 24 and I think he’s league wide standard a top pairing dman.
Skating ability.
Most, if not all of the elite defensemen in the league are elite skaters. Ekblad is far from that (an elite skater). I guess one exception would be Alex Pietrangleo but he's still more mobile and and a better skater than the younger Ekblad.
Alexander the Gr8
Registered User
His stats aren’t bad at all. He basically scores anywhere between 35 and 50 points in any given season as a defenseman.
Defensemen also take much longer to develop than forwards. He has played 6 seasons already but he is only 24. He could be playing his best years as a defenseman 5-10 years from now, and have tremendous amounts of experience on the blue line in the NHL even in 2-3 years from now.
A lot of the best defensemen in the history of the NHL only really emerged past the age of 25.
Defensemen also take much longer to develop than forwards. He has played 6 seasons already but he is only 24. He could be playing his best years as a defenseman 5-10 years from now, and have tremendous amounts of experience on the blue line in the NHL even in 2-3 years from now.
A lot of the best defensemen in the history of the NHL only really emerged past the age of 25.
txpd
Registered User
Dread Clawz
LAWSonic Boom
Yeah I don't think it stalled his development. I think most Panthers fans realized early on that he wasn't as good as his rookie season. But what he is is still pretty good. The only thing really holding him back from being elite is his skating. He has improved it a little the last couple years, if he can make more strides in that department it would be huge.
Buck Naked
Can't-Stand-Ya
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TheImpatientPanther
Registered User
Well he's already arguably a top 20-25 D in the league and once you dig through his advanced stats/metrics, you can argue he's nearing a top 15 D if he gets more PP time/points.
teravaineSAROS
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Dominance
99-66-4-9-87/97
Skinnyjimmy08
WorldTraveler
- Mar 30, 2012
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Quietly succeeding.. I honestly had no idea and kinda assumed he was turning into a flop. Good to read how well he has been doing forsure.
I totally get why Lu wanted to go back to Florida... can quietly go about their business and not ever get recognized on the street and not get hounded by media
I totally get why Lu wanted to go back to Florida... can quietly go about their business and not ever get recognized on the street and not get hounded by media
