2021-22 Season Rewind: Aaron Ekblad

It appears that Aaron Ekblad still hasn't even sniffed his ceiling.
Putting together the best season of his career to date, the 26-year-old former first-overall pick posted new career-highs in points (57) and assists (42) while also ranking first among Panthers defensemen in goals (15), points on the power play (20) and average ice time per game (24:55).

Despite missing the final 20 games of the regular season after suffering a lower-body injury, Ekblad still finished sixth in voting for the Norris Trophy as the top defenseman in the league.
"He's really something on the ice," defenseman Radko Gudas said. "He's been a treat to watch [this year]. He's feeling it. He's doing really well. I'm happy to be a part of the team that he's on."
Flying out of the gate, Ekblad registered 10 points (four goals, six assists) and a +10 rating through the first 10 games of the season. During that stretch, he registered two-multi point games, which is something that would become a trend moving forward throughout the year.
With his 57 points being good enough for ninth among NHL defenseman, Ekblad built up that total on the back of 16 multi-point performances - the most by a blueliner in franchise history.
Ekblad's best stretch of the season came when he strung together a six-game point streak in which he amassed nine points (four goals, five assists) from Jan. 31 through Feb. 22. For his efforts, he was named the NHL's "Second Star of the Week" for the week ending on Feb. 20.
"He's a special, special player," Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said.
Hitting a major milestone just before his season-ending injury on March 18, Ekblad handed out three assists at Las Vegas on March 17 to reach 291 career points and break Robert Svehla's record for the most points by a D-man in franchise history - a mark that had stood since 2002.
Earlier in the season, he also skated in his 500th career NHL game on Oct. 27 against Boston.
"It's been a fun ride so far," said Ekblad, who was taken first overall in the 2014 NHL Draft. "No regrets. I've learned a lot along the way. I wouldn't be anywhere near [the points record] without my teammates. As much as it is an individual accomplishment, it's a team accomplishment."
Returning from his injury just in time for the playoffs, Ekblad showed no signs of rust. Helping the Panthers win their first playoff series since 1996 and advance to Round 2, he averaged a team-high 21:57 of ice time per game while also pacing the team's defensemen in points (5).
Heading into his ninth season in the NHL, Ekblad believes that the lessons learned during the team's four-game sweep at the hands of the cross-state rival Lightning in the second round will now help the Panthers come together and make an even deeper postseason run in 2022-23.
"It's a learning experience that will sink in over the next little while," he said.
COOL STAT
When No. 5 was on the ice, good things usually happened.
Per NaturalStatTrick.com, the Panthers controlled more than 50% of shot attempts when Ekblad was deployed at 5-on-5 in 47 of the 61 games that he appeared in this past season. A dominant possession player, there were also 16 contests in which he posted a Corsi For of 65% or better.
Adept at shutting down opposing rushes before than can even get started by using an active stick and cerebral positioning to deny zone entries, there were 21 games in which the opposition fired off 11 or fewer shot attempts against the Panthers when Ekblad was on the ice at 5-on-5.
Overall, Ekblad's 58.16 CF% at 5-on-5 not only led Florida's D-men, but was also a career-high.
BEST GAME
Helping the Panthers claw their way out of an early 4-1 hole, Ekblad scored a pair of goals and dished out one assist during an inspiring 7-4 win over the Sabres at FLA Live Arena on Dec. 2.
"The belief is fantastic," he said following the come-from-behind victory. "After that second period, we were in the room, obviously not in a favorable position down 4-3, but we had that power play, and you could feel the confidence in the room. It showed in that third period."
After taking a tape-to-tape pass from Jonathan Huberdeau and scoring from the slot to cut the deficit down to 4-3 with 4:20 left in the second period, Ekblad got the game knotted up just 1:07 into the third period when he sent a rebound past Aaron Dell on the power play to make it 4-4.
At 8:05, he assisted on what held up as the winning goal from Anton Lundell that made it 5-4.
"Big for the confidence, for sure," Ekblad said. "But getting points is not what it's all about. It's about playing good D. Obviously, the points are nice and playing on the power play is nice, but at the end of the day it's all just about winning hockey games and playing good defense for me."
Speaking of defense, Ekblad recorded two blocks and two takeaways against the Sabres. Per NaturalStatTrick.com, Florida also controlled 64.44% (26-16) of shot attempts, 63.89% (20-11) of shots on goal and 69.57% (16-7) of scoring chances when he was deployed at 5-on-5 play.
GOAL OF THE YEAR
This goal wasn't just pretty, it re-wrote the record books.
Finishing off a silky give-and-go with Huberdeau, Ekblad buried a shot from the slot in overtime lift the Panthers to a 2-1 win over the Flyers at FLA Live Arena Nov. 24. With that goal, Florida became just the second team in NHL history to start a season with 11 straight victories at home.
But even with all that being said, it's the "celly face" that is etched in fans' memories.
"Scoring in overtime is always fun," said Ekblad, who was overflowing with raw emotion after the game-winner. "It's always exciting when the whole team comes at you. You can barely breathe when they're all huddled around you there. A great game. Obviously, a hard-fought one. They did a good job getting in our face early and hitting us, but we ultimately took care of business."
At his best in big moments, Ekblad, whose patience with the puck shined during 3-on-3 play, finished tied for first on the Panthers with two game-winning goals in overtime this past season.