After all, he certainly was playing like one of the top defensemen in the league prior to having his season come to an abrupt end on March 28. At the time, he was not only averaging more than 25 minutes of ice time per game, but also sat second among NHL blueliners in goals (11).
And even though MacKenzie Weegar did a spectacular job after stepping into Ekblad's sizable shoes following the injury, there's no doubt the Panthers missed having their No. 1 defenseman.
"He was having a tremendous year," Panthers forward Jonathan Huberdeau said shortly after Ekblad sustained his lower-body injury in Dallas. "He was always on the ice, playing 25-26 minutes every night. … He wants to be there, be in the room. He's a great leader."
But rather than dwelling on what could've been, let's focus on what was.
Flourishing during his second season working within head coach Joel Quenneville's pace and possession-driven system, Ekblad finished with 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 35 games played, while also registering 101 shots on goal, 27 blocked shots, 24 hits and 11 takeaways.
One of the top defenders in the league when it comes to denying zone entries, his possession numbers also popped. Able to get pucks out of the defensive zone and going the other direction in a hurry, he compiled a career-high 54.04 CF% at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
That number becomes even more impressive when you take into account the fact that Ekblad, who formed a potent pairing with Weegar, started just 46.45% of his shifts in the offensive zone.
"I think he was great this year," Quenneville said of Ekblad. "He had so many games where he was dominant defensively, but his offensive contribution, joining the attack down, added a different dimension to our power play, significant minutes, matchups, controlling the outcomes of games. You couldn't ask for anything more. … He stepped up this year in his development."
As Quenneville noted, Ekblad's contributions on the power play really stuck out.
After spending last season on the team's second unit, he was promoted to the top unit early on this season. Immediately, the goals started to flow like water. With his patented one-timer giving opposing goaltender's nightmares, he notched six goals and five assists on the man advantage.
"It's a little bit different playing on that flank on the power play, but I love it," Ekblad said of his new role earlier in the season. "It's a fun place to be and you get to handle the puck. … I'm happy with the way things are going and just going to try and build on it and continue building."
Despite his injury, it's clear that Ekblad, who is still only 25 years old despite having seven seasons of NHL experience under his belt, is still building up every single aspect of his game.
Already ramping up his rehab as he prepares to pick up where he left off during the upcoming 2021-22 campaign, the dynamic defenseman is poised to take yet another big step forward.
"He has time to get himself more than ready for the start of next year," Quenneville said of Ekblad's recovery timetable heading into the summer. "That's what we're looking forward to."