The former number one pick was number one for the Florida Panthers in 2025-26.

Despite being limited to just 56 games, Aaron Ekblad led the team’s defensemen in points (33), assists (30) and average ice time per game (23:31) during another successful season.

A pillar on the blue line alongside Gustav Forsling, grizzled veteran also carried that play over into the playoffs, leading the team’s D-men with 13 points (four goals, nine assists).

Through both his play and the “A” on his jersey, Ekblad continues to be a leader in Florida.

“On the ice, he’s a great player,” fellow defenseman Niko Mikkola said of No. 5. “He’s been a part of the group for a long time. In the locker room, he’s a loud guy and big character.”

In addition to defense, Ekblad excelled at dishing the biscuit.

Of his 30 assists, 14 were primary, which ranked first among Florida’s defensemen.

From Feb. 25 through March 8, Ekblad recorded an assist in a career-high six straight games, helping the Panthers to a perfect 6-0-0 record during that late-season stretch.

In three of those games, he assisted on the game-winning goal.

With 11 seasons in the NHL in the books, Ekblad already stands as the franchise’s all-time leader among blueliners in points (380), goals (118), assists (262) and games played (732).

“There’s still a lot of expectation for my career and all of us here,” said Ekblad, who inked an eight-year contract extension this summer that will keep him in the Sunshine State through 2032-33. “If we can continue to excel and do the right things and use the expectations and responsibility to build on it, legacy is definitely part of the conversation at that point.”

Now a two-time Stanley Cup champion, Ekblad’s legacy is already exemplary.

But it’s not just about the trophies – it’s how he’s stepped up in the spotlight.

In the process of going back-to-back, Ekblad notched an assist and helped the Panthers lead the Oilers 13-2 in scoring chances when he was deployed – often against the likes of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl – at 5-on-5 in a decisive Game 6 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.

Looking ahead to next season, he envisions even more big moments.

“We thought about winning it for a second straight year last year, too, so I am not going to think any differently this time around,” Ekblad said during an appearance on Good Morning America in August. “We don’t think that thinking or talking about winning the Cup again is jinxing anything. I am preparing for the marathon that is an NHL season and the playoffs.”

COOL STAT

Even against the stiffest competition, Ekblad stood tall.

Despite usually going head-to-head with various NHL superstars like McDavid, Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov and Auston Matthews, he was on the winning end at 5-on-5 in the playoffs.

On the road to a second straight Cup, the Panthers led 19-12 in goals, 198-144 in scoring chances and 410-326 in shot attempts when Ekblad was deployed at even strength.

One half of an elite shutdown pair, he and Forsling are tough for any team to crack.

“When you’re looking at teams around the league, I don’t think there’s a better partner than Gus Forsling,” Ekblad said.

BEST GAME

Just seven games into the season, Ekblad was putting his body on the line.

Helping the Panthers to a 4-3 overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 19, he dished out a pair of assists while blocking a career-high seven shots over 26:37 of ice time.

“I liked that game tonight an awful lot,” head coach Paul Maurice said of the win.

Helping the Panthers control much of the play at 5-on-5 against an always-lethal squad from Sin City, Ekblad boasted a strong 71.07 expected goals for percentage at 5-on-5.

Per NaturalStatTrick.com, it was one of 12 games in which he had over a 70 xGF%.

GOAL OF THE YEAR

You won’t find many plays more perfectly executed than this.

Finishing off a stellar tic-tac-toe sequence on the power play, Ekblad blasted a shot past Stuart Skinner from the left circle to put the Panthers up 5-1 over the Edmonton Oilers in the third period of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena on June 9.

With the goal, the Panthers chased Skinner from the game.