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Loading…Aaron Ekblad rates as a solid middle-of-the-lineup defenseman: a 63 overall that ranks 97th of 327 defensemen.
His best component is offensive creation at 72, with finishing (16) trailing the rest of his game.
His rating fell from 67 in 2024-25 to 41.6 in 2025-26, one of the bigger drops in his 12-season card history.
His $6.1M cap hit through 2032-33 grades Overpaid, about $4.81M above the $1.29M the model expects a player of his output to earn, with 7 seasons left to run.
His cap hit is the 7th-largest on the Florida Panthers NHL roster and uses 5.9% of the $104M ceiling; the club currently has $2.32M in cap space.
| Component | Rating (0-100) |
|---|---|
| Offense | 72 |
| Defense | 51 |
| Play driving | 61 |
| Finishing | 16 |
| Power play | 64 |
| Penalty kill | 41 |
| Season | Team | GP | Overall | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | FLA | 72 | 41.6 | -0.6 |
| 2024-25 | FLA | 56 | 67 | -0.2 |
| 2023-24 | FLA | 51 | 67.1 | -0.2 |
| 2022-23 | FLA | 71 | 73.5 | 0 |
| 2021-22 | FLA | 61 | 98.7 | 0.9 |
| 2020-21 | FLA | 35 | 88.1 | 0.1 |
| 2019-20 | FLA | 67 | 86.6 | 0.1 |
| 2018-19 | FLA | 82 | 77.1 | 0 |
| 2017-18 | FLA | 82 | 53.2 | -0.4 |
| 2016-17 | FLA | 68 | 75.8 | -0.1 |
Other FLA defensemen by rating: Seth Jones (82.3), Niko Mikkola (65.1), Gustav Forsling (64.2), Uvis Balinskis (56.9). See the full Florida Panthers cap sheet.
How we rate players: each skater's overall is a percentile (0-100) built from offense, defense, play driving, finishing, power-play and penalty-kill impact against players at the same position; goalies are rated on goals saved above expected. Contract value compares the cap hit with the salary the model expects for that level of production, age and position. Figures are updated as new games and signings arrive.