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Originally Posted by The Yen Man
Is Klingberg bad on defence compared to Ekblad then? I don't watch either player, but their TOI is pretty much the same (around 21-22 min). +/- is also about the same. So is Ekblad somehow far superior to Klingberg on defence that the stats aren't showing? Both teams are outside of the playoffs, so I would assume intangibles are about the same as well. Both players also don't have an all star dman they're partnered up with.
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I would not say they are much different defensively. Ekblad, as is expected for nearly every 18 and 19 year old ever, has had a relatively sheltered first year. It's not like he's going up against top lines in the defensive zone every shift. He starts far more of his shifts in the offensive zone and leaves the shutdown role to the Mitchell pairing. He's not on the top two units for the penalty kill. He may not make a ton of mistakes defensively, but that's in part because of the weaker minutes he gets.
I think Ekblad is a prime candidate for a "sophomore slump." He wont be fed such easy minutes next year, they will start grooming him to being able to go up against other teams top lines so he can develop into a true #1. Harder minutes, less offensive zone starts, the need to be defensive, I would not at all be surprised to see his numbers falter next year. Although I think I said the same about Monahan.
As for why he looks to be ahead of Klinberg. Klinberg was late to the party, wasn't known and isn't doing something as rare as what Ekblad has done as an 18/19 year old and didn't keep his team in the playoff hunt. But based on just play this year, I would not argue against someone who thought Klinberg has been the better player.