With 38 percent of his 5-on-5 faceoffs coming in the defensive zone -- up from 28.4 percent in 2016-17 -- the former first-overall pick played some of the biggest minutes of his young career this season, tasked with shutting down opposing teams' top lines on almost a nightly basis.
Ekblad's 1,917:54 of ice time were second to only Yandle on the Panthers, and far more than the 1,766:37 he posted during his Calder Trophy-winning season in 2014-15. Of those minutes, a team-high 183:49 came on the penalty kill and 174:23 came on the power play.
As his minutes increased, however, so did the opportunity for mistakes to be made. Ekblad was on the ice for a team-high 67 goals against at 5-on-5, but still managed to finish with a goals for percentage of 51.09 - the third-best mark among Panthers defensemen.
Ekblad also set new career highs in takeaways (40) and blocked shots (121).
"It was more of an offensive role he had before," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said of Ekblad's growth in February, per the Sun Sentinel. "Now, he's becoming a better two-way defenseman."
Still, despite his adjustments defense, Ekblad's offense didn't seem to suffer.
With 16 goals, Ekblad not only led all Panthers defenseman in goal scoring, but also finished in a tie for fourth in the NHL, besting the likes of Roman Josi (14), Brent Burns (12) and Drew Doughty (10). Of those 16 goals, five came on the power play and four were game winners.
As he continues to adapt to his new un-sheltered surroundings, Ekblad should only get better.