NOTEBOOK: Montour's major minutes; Heponiemi gets the call

SUNRISE, Fla. - It feels like Brandon Montour has barely stepped off the ice in recent weeks.
Moving up the depth chart after Aaron Ekblad was sidelined by a lower-body injury last month, the Florida Panthers defenseman leads the NHL with 244:17 of ice time dating back to Oct. 21, including skating a career-high 30:41 during a 4-3 shootout win in San Jose on Nov. 3.
Helping the Panthers close out their road trip with a 5-3 win in Anaheim on Sunday, Montour tallied a career-high four points (one goal, three assists) while skating 25:15 against the Ducks.
"He's capable, for sure," head coach Paul Maurice said following Tuesday's practice at FLA Live Arena. "He's an exceptionally fit guy. We were saying the same thing there toward the end of the third period in Anaheim. The amount of hockey that he had on him, he looked fresh. He looked like he could play another period. … When Aaron comes back we'll be able to balance it a lot more. It's not just that Aaron is going to take those other minutes, it's that it strengthens other pairs."

Despite this increased workload, Montour said he hasn't changed up his routine.
For even though he wasn't always playing this much, he was always prepared to.
"I've been preparing the same way I have for the last eight years," said Montour, who is in is third season with Florida. "I get in a good sweat before we go out there, so I'm ready to go. The more you play, the more engaged you are. You pick your spots when you're smarter. Not taking long shifts or getting hemmed in back in your own end. I think it's been pretty good so far."
Making the most out of his increased minutes, Montour has notched 11 points (three goals, eight assists) over his last nine games to move into fifth place among NHL defensemen in scoring with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in just 11 games played this season.
That hot start comes on the heels of a breakout 2021-22 campaign in which he posted career-high marks in goals (11), assists (26) and points (37) while playing primarily on the third pairing.
But even though it's his offensive numbers that jump off the page, Montour has also been very strong on the other side of the ice as well. In addition to ranking third among Florida's blueliners in hits (16) and second in blocked shots (18), he boasts an impressive 58.66 CF% at 5-on-5.
"I think people see me as an offensive guy, but I take pride in my own end," Montour said. "I've focused on that over the years. That's a strength of mine as well."
Tasked with shutting down the opposition's best players every game, the pairing of Montour and Gustav Forsling has not only managed to limit damage, but also do some of their own. Over the 129:09 they've played at 5-on-5, the Panthers lead 164-108 in shot attempts and 8-6 in goals.
"You've got to enjoy playing the best," Montour said of the responsibility. "We take pride in that, especially in our own end. Both of us have been playing well and strong in our own end. We enjoy doing that. When the offense comes, we like to get up there and make plays, too."
When looking at how Montour and the rest of Florida's defensemen have been able to step up in Ekblad's absence, a recent quote from Maurice sticks out: "In adversity you can always find something positive." And with Montour in particular, the positives seem to keep on coming.
"I still think he has lots of upside left," Maurice said. "As he gets more experience in either that shutdown role or that bigger minutes role, he's going to thrive. He's earned it. He's worked hard at it. He's pushed himself to be in great shape so that he can operate at a high level."

EKBLAD ON TRACK

Speaking of Ekblad, the news from this morning's practice was very promising.
After suffering a lower-body injury in Boston during the third game of the season, Maurice said that the star defenseman could return to the lineup as early as Saturday's matchup with Edmonton.
On LTIR, that game would be the first in which Ekblad would be eligible to return.
Finishing sixth in voting for the Norris Trophy in 2021-22, Ekblad notched a career-high 57 points (15 goals, 42 assists) in 61 games last season. Suiting up in parts of three games this season, he's scored one goal while playing an integral role on both sides of special teams.
In other injury news, Maurice said that Patric Hornqvist, who exited last week's win in San Jose with an upper-body injury after absorbing a high hit, is likely to rejoin practice over the weekend.
Ekblad was a full participant in this morning's practice, while Hornqvist skated prior to the session.

HEPONIEMI GETS THE CALL

How do you put yourself in position for an early call-up?
For Aleksi Heponiemi, a strong training camp certainly helped.
"He had a really, really good camp," Maurice said. "It was an eye-opener. The stats don't say what he will offer. He's a very bright man and he's got a good sense of hands. He'll make a creative play, but he's just exceptionally smart. The question will be durability. He can play in the NHL."
The first forward called up by the Panthers from the AHL this season, Heponiemi made his season debut during Sunday's win in Anaheim. Seeing 10:42 of ice time, he notched an assist, fired off one shot on goal and blocked one shot.
"I'm feeling good," said Heponiemi, a second-round pick (40th overall) in 2017. "It's nice to be back up here. I got to play last game, so that's great. I'm just enjoying it and having fun."
Still just 16 games into his NHL career, Heponiemi, who's tallied four points (one goal, three assists) over parts of three seasons with the Panthers, spent most of his time against the Ducks getting to pick the brain of veteran linemate Eric Staal, who has a whopping 1,299 career games in the NHL under his belt.
"He knows how to play hockey, obviously," Heponiemi smiled. "He was great. It was fun out there. I was enjoying every minute."
Prior to his call-up, Heponiemi had recorded four points (two goals, two assists) in six games with Florida's AHL affiliate in Charlotte. Breaking out on offense last season, the 23-year-old registered new career-highs in goals (9), assists (30) and points (39) with the Checkers in 2021-22.
"We have a good team there," Heponiemi said of Charlotte. "We have great players, great teammates. It's been fun there, too. I'm having fun wherever I'm playing."
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