Colby Guy
For Aaron Ekblad, it was not always easy to find the ideal defensive partner — especially in his early years with the Florida Panthers.
Willie Mitchell, Mike Matheson, Dmitry Kulikov, Jakub Kindl, Brian Campbell and Keith Yandle are just some of the defensemen who played with Ekblad in his first few seasons with the Panthers.
There were mixed results.
Stability was finally found during the 2019-20 season when MacKenzie Weegar burst out on the scene.
The two have become one of the best pairings in the National Hockey League.
“He’s fantastic, he’s one of the best puck-moving defensemen in the league,” Ekblad said.
“Oftentimes, I just pass it over to him and jump up into the rush because I know he’s not going to turn it over. We think the game very well and I just love playing with him.”
It seems the feelings are mutual on Weegar’s end.
“I appreciate the kind words, but I couldn’t have done it without him,” Weegar said when told about Ekblad’s proclamation.
And it is true: Weegar had undergone a lot of growth since being paired with Ekblad three seasons ago.
Coming into the 2019-20 season, Weegar had 23 points in 127 games, averaging just 15:51 of time-on-ice throughout the early portion of his career.
Fast forward to 2021 and Weegar was not only being talked about as a Norris Trophy contender — but got a nice amount of votes.
His rise started out slowly when the two first got matched together in 2019.
Spending 62.2 percent of his ice time with Ekblad, Weegar had a career-high in goals (seven) and points (18) while averaging 20:07 of icetime.
That offseason, he earned himself a three-year deal worth $3.25 million per as he and the Panthers avoided arbitration.
“I have been with the organization for eight years now so this is home for me,” Weegar told FHN a few weeks before agreeing to the new contract.
“I don’t know what it would feel like if I had to leave Florida and I don’t want to find out. I want to remain a Florida Panther as long as I possibly can and I tell that to everyone.
“I truly do love it here, I love the team and we have a bright future.”
It would become one of the biggest bargains in the NHL.
By the time the halfway point of the Covid-shortened 2021 season came around, the two were inseparable as 82 percent of Ekblad’s minutes came with Weegar.
The rest, for the most part, were power play minutes.
The two were dominant together, accounting for 26 goals while only allowing 17 in 538:21 together as they both ranked near the top in NHL point totals.
Weegar had the 16th-most assists from a defenseman (17) while Ekblad had the most goals from a defenseman (11) through March 27.
But on March 28, things changed.
Ekblad went down with a fractured ankle, pinning Weegar as Florida’s No. 1 defenseman for the remainder of the season.
And he delivered.
With 17 points in 19 games, Weegar was tied for the fifth-most points from March 29 until the end of the season.
“You can’t replace that type of player,’’ Sasha Barkov said last season. “All you can do is step up your own game. All the defensemen did, the forwards did and especially Weegs did.”
Weegar earned himself 74 Norris Trophy votes to finish eighth in the race for the prize as the NHL’s best defenseman.
Meanwhile, his Norris-caliber defense partner, Ekbald, was rehabbing his ankle injury and getting ready for yet another season alongside Weegar.
”It was obviously a long summer,” Ekblad said. “I was able to be back on the ice 12 weeks after the injury and then I had two months of hard skating — maybe more actually — before I played a game.
“That was huge for me, and I needed it. It has made it so I have been able to get to a certain level that I am used to.”
This season, the two picked up right where they left off and have, again, been inseparable.
Ekblad has spent 85 percent of his minutes alongside Weegar.
Accounting for the most goals by any defense pair this season (43) and giving up just 27 goals, they rank as one of the best defense pairings in the league.
“They’re both great defensemen and it’s great to play behind them,” Sergei Bobrovsky said. “They find each other every well, they pass to each other, they feel each other, they insure and support each other in the defensive zone. They’re definitely great defensemen and they’re great guys as well.”
Ekblad in particular has bounced back quite nicely this season, ranking sixth among defensemen in points (41) and third among defensemen in goals (10).
“I think he’s a mature guy and he takes these breaks really seriously for himself and I think that injury got to him a little bit,” Weegar said.
“He wants to take the next step in all of those Norris Trophy talks, but where he really wants to take the next step is becoming a big, mature defenseman. He has done that.”
Ekblad has become a leader on and off the ice for the Panthers.
On the ice, he ranks third in points behind Jonathan Huberdeau and Sam Reinhart.
Off the ice, he was one of the go-to leaders in the locker room during Andrew Brunette’s transition to interim head coach following the exposure of ex-coach Joel Quenneville’s involvement in the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault scandal.
“It makes your job a lot easier and I’m very fortunate to have them. For me, the intangible they bring is that they are very competitive people,” Brunette said.
“They’re gamers, they love when the game is on the line, they love making those big plays, they want to be out there.”
Weegar has found continued success alongside Ekblad as well.
His 23 assists rank 18th among NHL defensemen while his 27 total points sit at 19th.
“He’s a pretty easy guy to play with,” Weegar said.
“He’s obviously an elite defenseman, he’s top in the league, and I kind of just fall off him. I’ve learned a lot from him and that beautiful eye contact we make with each other makes it really easy to make plays.”
With 714:04 of time-on-ice together and counting, they continue to grow more and more comfortable with each other.
“The little reads are the biggest difference, obviously when you play with a guy for a long time like we have, the reads come easy, we make eye contact and know what plays we want to make on breakouts and stuff like that,” Ekblad said.
“We’re friends on and off the ice and take care of each other with the puck, without the puck. It has been a real treat to have him.”
FLORIDA PANTHERS ON DECK
FLORIDA PANTHERS AT CAROLINA HURRICANES
- WHEN: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
- WHERE: PNC Arena, Raleigh, N.C.
- TICKETS: CLICK HERE
- TV/STREAMING: TNT
- RADIO: WQAM 560-AM
- Last season: Carolina won 6-0-2
- All-time regular season series: Carolina leads 69-45-9, 11 ties
- This season: @Florida 5, Carolina 2 (Nov. 6), Florida 4, @Carolina 3 OT (Jan. 8)