Quote:
Originally Posted by Cali Panthers Fan
Barkov is their most important forward. I would say Ekblad is their most important player. That kid is for real.
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Ekblad is for real, and
someday he'll be their most important player. But I think you're jumping the gun. Right now Ekblad is used sparingly in an offensive role with carefully selected competntion. Willie Mitchell clearly handles the tough assignments on their team the way Brodie and Gio do on our team. But he's put
in a position to succeed on a well-constructed team. If you look at the deployment charts for four teams - Calgary, Chicago, Boston, and Florida, you can see that Ekblad is the most sheltered of the big minutes defensemen on any of the four teams including his own:
But that's unlike Barkov:
Barkov is a true #1 Center. He's
relied upon more heavily than Jonathan Toews!
Only Bergeron is more heavily relied upon.