The Edmonton Oilers might get a major reinforcement to their lineup if they can keep their playoff run going.
According to Jason Gregor, Mattias Ekholm has “responded well” as he works to return from an undisclosed injury. He added that Ekholm won’t play the Los Angeles Kings and would be unlikely to return if the Oilers advance to the second round, but could be ready after that.
Ekholm spent the latter part of the 2024-25 season dealing with either illness or injury. He struggled leading into the 4 Nations Face-Off break in February and was worse off when he returned to the Oilers after representing Sweden in the tournament.
The Oilers had a disastrous five-game road trip immediately following the break and Ekholm was finally sidelined for a couple of weeks in March to recover. The veteran defender seemed to be finding his game after some time off, but suffered an undisclosed injury later in the month that again derailed his season.
Ekholm suited up for just one of Edmonton’s nine games in April and he left after playing just three shifts. It was reported before the beginning of the playoffs that Ekholm could be done for the season and that the “best case scenario” would see the defenceman sidelined for “quite some time.”
A mainstay in Edmonton’s lineup since he was acquired from the Nashville Predators in February of 2023, Ekholm suited up in 65 regular-season games for the Oilers and scored nine goals and 33 points while logging an average of 22:12 per night.
Without one of their top defenders available, the Oilers have been operating largely with a five-player defensive unit during their first-round series with the Los Angeles Kings. Evan Bouchard leads the way with an average of 26:40 per night, Darnell Nurse is second at 25:33, Brett Kulak is third at 24:31, John Klingberg and Jake Walman are around 21:00, and Ty Emberson has been logging just under 12:00 on average.
