The Edmonton Oilers are starting to get out of their post-4 Nations Faceoff slump, and in the coming two weeks they'll get major boosts to their lineup with the return of Mattias Ekholm and the debut of Trent Frederic.
Mattias Ekholm has been shut down as he dealt with a long standing illness and injury, and Trent Frederic was traded by the Bruins while still dealing with injury.
Oilers will get major boosts soon with return of Ekholm and debut of Frederic
If both players remain on their original timelines for return, the Oilers can expect to add Frederic and Ekholm back to the lineup this week.
Oilers coach Knoblauch has confirmed that Mattias Ekholm is expected back for this Thursday's game against the Winnipeg Jets or earlier.
The Oilers made the tough decision to shut Ekholm down so far for 6 games. After the 4 Nations Faceoff Ekholm was clearly playing through some issues, and Edmonton decided to take the hit to their lineup for the short term, and get him healed up fully before playoffs.
Trent Frederic was the Oilers first big trade deadline move this year, but he hasn't yet played with the team.
Original reports indicated that Frederic was 2-3 weeks away from playing when the Oilers acquired him on March 4th. That puts his potential return date between the 18th and 25th, probably closer to the latter as he hasn't joined the team in practice yet.
Mattias Elholm is a big loss currently on the blue line, and Frederic's debut could spark the forward group. The Oilers are about to get a lot better, even after the great addition of Jake Walman.
Hopefully the Oilers are able to get both players back within the next week, which will give a major boost to their roster in the weeks before the playoffs.
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