Ekblad (concussion) is still a week away from returning, Harvey Fialkov of the Sun Sentinel reports.

EDGE Analysis

Concussions are tricky injuries to pin down in terms of return date, so it makes sense that the Panthers coaching staff would put Ekblad's return at another week away. Jason Demers could continue to see time on the first defensive pairing while Ekblad remains sidelined.

Ekblad (concussion) will be sidelined approximately 7-10 days, George Richards of the Miami Herald reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ekblad's concussion diagnosis Sunday suggested he would likely miss some time and now a more definitive timetable for his absence has surfaced. Unless he makes an extremely quick turnaround, it's probably safe to assume he will not travel with the team for its three-game road trip that runs through Sunday, placing his first possible return date next Tuesday when the club hosts Carolina. More information on his progress should surface as he draws closer to rejoining the lineup.

Ekblad suffered a concussion in Saturday's game against the Lightning, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ekblad exited during the second period of the contest, recording just 7:34 of ice time prior to his departure. He tallied two shots on goal, two hits and a blocked shot before a hit against the boards sent him to the locker room. More information on his status should arise in the next couple days, but unless he progresses through the protocol quickly, the blueliner may be sidelined for Tuesday's contest against the Maple Leafs.

Ekblad was knocked out of Saturday's game after his head hit the glass on a hard hit, according to CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. He will not return.

EDGE Analysis

This is Ekblad's third head injury in a year and he's just 21. He went to the dressing room after his head appeared to hit the glass on a hit by Tampa's Gabriel Dumont.

Ekblad scored a power-play goal among his eight shots in Tuesday's 5-2 loss to the Rangers.

EDGE Analysis

It was kind of a meaningless goal, as it left the Panthers still behind by two with mere minutes left to play, but the tally still gave Ekblad his third consecutive season of double-digit goals to open his career. That minus-20 rating is rough, and his meager assist total (just 11) definitely hurts, but Ekblad has helped fantasy owners with his 219 shots and 58 PIM. Although this is a down season, Ekblad's combination of toughness and offensive involvement continues to make him one of the most intriguing players to own in dynasty formats.

Ekblad didn't score but posted seven shots in a 2-1 loss to the Stars on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

The 21-year-old actually has 16 shots and a goal in his last two games. Ekblad now has four games with seven or more shots this season. Other than Brent Burns, who leads the entire league in shots, Ekblad has the most shots among defensemen in the league. He also has nine goals and 20 points, but Ekblad is killing owners with his minus-20 rating.

Ekblad scored the Panthers' lone goal -- a second-period shorthanded tally -- among nine shots in Thursday's 2-1 shootout loss to Philadelphia.

EDGE Analysis

He took away a pass in the neutral zone, seemed to move ghost-like right through Claude Giroux, and blasted the puck past Steve Mason. This was the first shortie of his career, which shouldn't come as a surprise, considering blueliners rarely score on the penalty kill. Ekblad has been a shot machine, as he's now cleared 200 for the first time in his career (202, to be exact -- only Brent Burns has more among defensemen), and yet he only has nine goals due to a career-low shooting percentage. We're still waiting on the big breakout year from Ekblad, but when it happens, it's going to be enormous.

Ekblad manufactured a power-play goal along with two PIM in Friday's 4-1 win over the Ducks.

EDGE Analysis

That's points in back-to-back games for the puck-moving blueliner, who is waking up from a seven-game pointless slumber. At this pace, he'll only wind up with eight more points to finish the regular season, but that would give him 100 for a career only three years old -- keep riding the peaks and valleys with Ekblad knowing that power-play distributors like him come at a premium in the fantasy realm.

Ekblad hasn't registered a point in his last seven games and has just 15 in 54 contests this season.

EDGE Analysis

Things appeared to be turning around for the 20-year-old blueliner when he put up four points over a three-game stretch in mid-January, but he's since gone ice-cold again. What's worse, Ekblad has a ghastly minus-17 rating this season -- a stark contrast to his plus-18 mark from a year ago -- and just five points on the power-play, despite skating to a career-high 3:03 with the man advantage. The only silver lining might be the frequency with which he's thrown rubber at the net this year, as his 169 shots on goal have him on pace to obliterate his career-high 182 set in 2015-16.

Ekblad dished out two assists in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Oilers on Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

The young defenseman now has a modest three-game point streak on the go, a span in which he's recorded four points and eight shots on goal. Even with the uptick, Ekblad has just 15 points in 47 games -- and a ghastly minus-17 rating -- after finishing with nearly 40 in each of his first two seasons. Despite his disappointing campaign thus far, Ekblad possesses the pedigree and track record to crank things up in the second half, so it'll be interesting if his performance over the last three contests is a sign of things to come.