Ekblad will be on the Panthers' roster for at least the first nine regular-season games, reports the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "He's going to be here for a while, and he'll get a good look," general manager Dale Tallon said. "I thought he got better as the game went on [Thursday]," continued Tallon. "He was one of the bright lights in a poor performance by a lot of other guys." Ekblad has been physically mature since he was 15, but the NHL game is very different than major junior. He's going to be a good one ... in a few years.