Mattias Ekholm is back skating with the Edmonton Oilers and could return soon
The Edmonton Oilers are prepping for a Western Conference Final rematch with the Dallas Stars, and help could be on the way.
Edmonton has managed to eliminate both the LA Kings and Vegas Golden Knights through the first two rounds of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs without the help of top defenceman Mattias Ekholm. The Swedish blueliner has consistently been a top-pairing defenceman on the Oilers over the past few seasons, but has been sidelined with an injury for the entirety of the postseason so far.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said that there is a possibility Ekholm could return in the series against Dallas, but didn’t give any hard deadlines for a potential return. Edmonton got a promising sign on Sunday morning as the 34-year-old was seen skating with the team during an optional skate.
It was the first time that Ekholm had been seen on the ice with his teammates since the playoffs started.
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Ekholm appeared to be moving quite well for a player who has been out with an injury for over a month now. Knoblauch has classified his status as being “day-to-day” and provided some more details to reporters on where the team stands on Ekholm’s condition.
“We haven’t decided that yet if he’s travelling or not,” Knoblauch said. “I think if he is able to join us sometime during this series, it’d be a huge bonus for us.
“Right now he’s on the ice with our optional skate, but like I said, it’s day-to-day. Whether he joins at some point in this series, we’d be very fortunate to have him.”
"He came in the lineup for Game 2 against LA & since then has been building & getting better & better. A lot of his time now has been with Walman, they have some chemistry together."
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If and when Ekholm is ready to go, it will force Knoblauch to make a difficult decision. The Oilers’ defensive group has been playing well lately, and a player will have to come out when Ekholm is healthy.
Edmonton could opt to go with 11 forwards and seven defencemen to help ease Ekholm back into game action while taking out a forward down the lineup. Though with how the depth forwards have performed this postseason, that too could be a hard decision to make.
What we do know about the Ekholm situation is that Oilers fans should not expect him to be available in the first two games in Dallas. Knoblauch has already ruled him out for those games, making his earliest possible return for Game 3 in Edmonton on Sunday afternoon.