Ekblad only has two points in his last 14 games and 12 in 45 contests this season.

EDGE Analysis

The third-year blueliner is only 20, but he's taken a significant step back after posting 39 points in his rookie season, then 36 in 2015-16. What's worse is that Ekblad currently owns an atrocious minus-16 rating, which is rather surprising considering he entered play in October with a career plus-30 mark. If you're looking for something positive to latch onto, he has amassed a hearty 150 shots thus far, putting him on an 82-game pace of 273 after topping out at 182 last year.

Ekblad had three points and a minus-7 rating in 10 games leading up to the holiday break.

EDGE Analysis

Ekblad's really struggled to get it going defensively, as he's skated to a minus-17 rating on the season after going plus-30 over his first two NHL campaigns. On a positive note, his ice time is at an all-time high at 23 minutes per contest, and he's been quarterbacking the second unit on the power play of late.

Ekblad scored a goal and had six shots on net in a 4-2 victory over the Canucks on Saturday.

EDGE Analysis

The defenseman now has seven goals this season, which is tied with Erik Karlsson, P.K. Subban and Cam Fowler for third most by a blue liner, but Ekblad strangely has just two assists. He's also killing fantasy owners with a minus-11 rating. He was minus-3 on Thursday versus Pittsburgh, but luckily, he bounced back with a plus-1 night Saturday.

Ekblad potted his sixth goal of the season in a 3-2 loss to the Hurricanes on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

The young blueliner's six goals are great, but his goose egg in the assist department is a head-scratcher, to say the least. Ekblad is also an ugly minus-7, which has been somewhat mitigated by his 24 PIM and 66 shots on goal, but the fact remains that he's been a disappointment a quarter into the season after last year's 36-point, plus-18 showing.

Ekblad scored his second goal of the season Thursday against the Devils.

EDGE Analysis

Ekblad's first-period power-play tally opened the scoring in what ended up being a 4-3 overtime win. He has just two points in 11 games, as the offseason addition of veteran Keith Yandle to play alongside him hasn't led to the offensive explosion some were expecting. The 2014 first overall pick topped 35 points in each of his first two seasons, so the production will likely come eventually.

Ekblad received a team-high 25:14 of ice time during Tuesday's loss to the Penguins.

EDGE Analysis

Despite the hefty minutes, Ekblad sits with just one point through his first six games of the season. He's proven to be a solid cross-category contributor through his first two years in the league, but it's likely ill-advised to expect a step forward offensively from the 20-year-old rearguard. In fact, with Keith Yandle, Michael Matheson and Jason Demers all in tow, Ekblad's production could suffer because of the deeper defense corps.

Ekblad (neck) was medically cleared by the Panthers' team doctors Wednesday, TSN's Darren Dreger reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ekblad was forced to withdraw from the World Cup of Hockey due to a neck injury, but returned to the ice at the Panthers' practice facility Saturday, indicating he was close to being cleared for game action. Ekblad may not log heavy minutes in Florida's five remaining preseason contests, but should be fully healthy heading into the Panthers' regular-season opener Oct. 13 against New Jersey.

Ekblad (neck) was on the ice at the Panthers practice facility Saturday, taking slap shots and looking good doing so, Jamison Olive of FOX Sports Florida reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ekblad was forced to withdraw from the World Cup of Hockey due to the ailment which was originally thought to be a concussion, but turned out to be a minor neck injury, per NHL.com. It's highly encouraging that the savvy offensive blueliner is already back out on the ice and we see no reason to bump him down on your fantasy cheat sheets ahead of the 2016-17 season.

Ekblad will not be returning to the World Cup of Hockey after suffering a neck injury against Finland on Sunday, Mark Spector of Sportsnet reports.

EDGE Analysis

Ekblad's injury was originally thought to be concussion-related but is now being reported as a neck injury. In either case, the injury is not thought to be serious and the Panthers are likely just being overly cautious with their star defenseman.

Ekblad (concussion) will head back to Florida to be seen by team doctors, ruling him out for the remainder of the World Cup, Darren Dreger of TSN reports.

EDGE Analysis

After Florida invest $60 million in Ekblad during the offseason, they were quick to pull him out of the tournament and get him back to Florida as soon as possible. The move seems to be precautionary in nature and the blueliner is not expected to miss any time, but fantasy owners will want to continue monitoring this situation.