PuckSleuth
5Cap hit
$6.1M
5.9% of $104M cap
Term
7 yrs
Through 2032-33, then UFA
Clause
None
Surplus value
+$981K
vs. $7.081M market estimate
Confirmed by the public signing announcement · source
2026-27 regular season
GP
2
Goals
0
Assists
1
0 primary
Points
1
0.50 per game
TOI/GP
20:55
PP 4:08 · PK 4:15
xGF%
66.5
5v5, +16.3 vs. last yr
Game Score
+0.19
per game
Faceoff %
—
Plus/minus
-1
Blocks 0 · Hits 2
Game log
Last 5 games · NHL API
| Game | G | A | SOG | HIT | BLK | TOI | PP | PK | FO | OZS% | GV | TK | +/- | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1 @ SJS · OTL 4-3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:33 | 3:32 | 3:43 | — | 33 | 1 | 0 | -1 | +0.38 |
| Sep 29 @ CAR · W 1-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20:17 | 4:43 | 4:47 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +0.01 |
| Mar 31 vs OTT · W 6-3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20:49 | 1:56 | 5:00 | — | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0.14 |
| Mar 29 @ NYR · L 3-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 21:14 | 1:40 | 0:44 | — | 50 | 0 | 0 | +1 | +0.27 |
| Mar 28 @ NYI · L 5-2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 24:07 | 2:00 | 3:19 | — | 40 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +0.04 |
GS = our Game Score (credit for everything he did; goals and assists count most). FO = faceoffs won-lost. OZS% = share of his 5v5 offensive and defensive zone faceoff starts that were in the offensive zone. GV/TK = giveaways/takeaways.
Advanced metrics
5v5 unless noted · 2025-26 · 1,181 min · percentile vs. NHL defensemen
59th percentile
55th percentile
51st percentile
77th percentile
64th percentile
72nd percentile
46th percentile
74th percentile
71st percentile
71st percentile
15th percentile
32nd percentile
36th percentile
53rd percentile
xGF% is his team's share of 5v5 expected goals while he was on the ice, from our own expected goals model; HDCF% counts only high-danger chances (xG of 0.15 or more). IPP is the share of his team's 5v5 goals while he was on the ice that he scored or assisted on. Relative stats compare him with his team when he was off the ice. Goals above expected and ixG/60 use his own shots at all strengths. PDO and OZS% describe luck and deployment, so their bars are grey.
Play styleOffensive playmaker
Trait percentiles vs. NHL defensemen · 2025-26
Ekblad drives play through excellent puck movement and forechecking, generating chances at even strength. His defensive impact remains a concern, and he doesn't carry the speed or rush opportunities typical of his position.
- Shooting volume
- 57
- Playmaking
- 76
- Zone entries(est.)
- 37
- Forechecking
- 87
- Physicality
- 50
- Defensive impact
- 19
- Puck management
- 79
- Speed
- 39
Where he shoots from
Slot 9% · Mid-range 26% · Perimeter 65%(155 unblocked shots)
Strengths
- Excellent puck management at 79th percentile drives offensive generation
- Strong forechecking at 87th percentile wins pucks in deep areas
- High playmaking at 76th percentile creates chances for others
Watch-outs
- Defensive impact ranks 19th percentile, a notable gap for a defenseman
- Rush chances at 37th percentile limits high-danger opportunities off the rush
- Below-average speed at 39th percentile reduces transition effectiveness
Similar style: Nick Blankenburg (TOR), Thomas Harley (DAL)
Built from play-by-play, shift data, and NHL EDGE tracking. Zone entries is an estimate (rush chances while he is on the ice) until tracking data is added.
Where his Game Score comes from
2025-26 · 72 GP
Season total +25.9, or +0.36 per game.
- Scoring
- +17.6
- Shooting
- +7.3
- 5-on-5 goals
- -0.5
- Defense
- -0.3
- Physical play
- +6.8
- Puck battles
- -2.4
- Penalties
- -2.7
Game Score gives credit for everything a player does in a game. Goals (1.0) and assists (0.7 primary, 0.5 secondary) count most; shots, blocks, hits, takeaways, penalties drawn, faceoff wins, killing penalties, and holding down the other team's chances add to it. Only mistakes subtract: goals against at 5-on-5, giveaways, penalties taken, faceoff losses, and allowing more chances than an average player would. A player who is there to defend or kill penalties is not marked down for not scoring. Goalies are measured by goals saved above expected.
Career stats
From the NHL's player records
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PPG | PPP | SHG | GWG | SOG | S% | TOI | FO% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | Florida Panthers | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0.0 | 25:37 | — |
| 2019-20 | Florida Panthers | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0.0 | 25:13 | — |
| 2021-22 | Florida Panthers | 10 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 4.3 | 23:51 | — |
| 2022-23 | Florida Panthers | 20 | 2 | 6 | 8 | +9 | 20 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 7.7 | 23:57 | — |
| 2023-24 | Florida Panthers | 24 | 1 | 5 | 6 | +4 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 3.0 | 22:33 | — |
| 2024-25 | Florida Panthers | 19 | 4 | 9 | 13 | +10 | 38 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 11.1 | 24:00 | — |
| Career | 6 seasons | 83 | 8 | 25 | 33 | +21 | 87 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 142 | 5.6 | 23:44 | — |
Seasons traded mid-year show one row per team.
Usage
Last game: @ SJS, Oct 1
Pair 2 with Dmitry Kulikov (10:15 together at 5-on-5) · PP2
From the NHL's shift chart.
Latest news
Headlines from news outlets and team blogs
- 8 Panthers with the most points on Opening Night
therattrick.com · Sep 29
Sentiment & chatter
Fans
—
Beat writers
—
Media
—
Fan, beat writer, and media scores, the 14-day trade chatter chart, and the latest mentions appear once sentiment scoring is switched on. Mentions are already being collected.
Recent Game Scores
Last 10 games · goals above average
Average +0.23 per game over these 10.
Skating · NHL EDGE
2026-27, as of Oct 2
- Top speed
- 20.4 mph
- 74th pct
- 20+ mph bursts
- 1
- Hardest shot
- 74.7 mph
- 35th pct
- Distance
- 3.1 mi
- OZ time
- 44.6%
- 77th pct
- DZ time
- 38.1%
Age curve
NHL defensemen · production index
At 30, defensemen typically produce 89% of their peak (age 24). His contract runs through age 36, when the typical level is 62%.
From 24 seasons of NHL results, adjusted for league scoring and save percentage in each era. Shaded bars are the seasons left on his contract.
Contract by season
7 seasons left
| Season | Team | Cap hit | % of cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | FLA | $6.1M | 5.9% |
| 2027-28 | FLA | $6.1M | 5.4% |
| 2028-29 | FLA | $6.1M | — |
| 2029-30 | FLA | $6.1M | — |
| 2030-31 | FLA | $6.1M | — |
| 2031-32 | FLA | $6.1M | — |
| 2032-33 | FLA | $6.1M | — |
UFA after 2032-33. $42.7M in cap hits left. % of cap uses each season's ceiling where the league has set one ($104M this season, $113.5M in 2027-28).