Ekholm opens up about 'scary' injury and when he will return to Oilers lineup
It sounds like Mattias Ekholm is close to returning to the Edmonton Oilers lineup.
The veteran defenceman missed the last two games after slamming his head into the ice in a scary play against the Carolina Hurricanes. Ekholm looked visibly dazed after the incident and needed to be helped off the ice by training staff and teammates.
Mattias Ekholm is helped off the ice after a collision along the boards. pic.twitter.com/v1KrIdge61
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It looked like the type of injury that could potentially force the Swedish defender to the sidelines for a long amount of time, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Ekholm was skating on his regular defensive pair with Evan Bouchard at Tuesday’s practice, and he met with the media to give an update on his condition.
He revealed that it was a different experience for him, as he’d never had a concussion before.
“It was a funky one; I’ve never had a concussion in my career so far,” Ekholm said. “It was scary at first; my legs just kind of gave out and couldn’t really get up […] As soon as I got down the tunnel, it was kind of like somebody flipped the light switch on and I was kind of back to normal, had no headache, no symptoms, no nothing.
“They’ve been taking good care of me, but I’ve been feeling good since five minutes after it happened. I think I got an angel watching over me or something on that one, cause it could have been a lot worse.”
“There’s a team on the other side, they’re trying to prevent that from happening. It’s the best league in the world, it’s supposed to be hard… You gotta embrace that challenge.”
Mattias Ekholm speaks on the #Oilers consistent defensive play.
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— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) October 27, 2026
Though it sounds like Ekholm is ready to return to the lineup, head coach Mike Babcock did not commit to anything. His status is still up in the air for Wednesday night’s Battle of Alberta.
The Oilers ran Shakir Mukhamadullin in Ekholm’s spot against the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night.
Jason Dickinson also appears close to returning to the Oilers lineup. The veteran centreman has had a frustrating start to the season, missing nine of 12 games to start the season with a pair of unrelated injuries.
Like Ekholm, he gave a positive update on where he stands, but couldn’t commit to a solid return date.
“I’m feeling good,” Dickinson said. “This time, taking an abundance of caution and making sure I’m definitely ready to go, and I’m not constantly in and out of the lineup […] There are minds that need to meet to go over what’s expected and what’s needed.
“We’ll make a decision as a group for tomorrow or the weekend if that’s the fact.”
Dickinson was centring a line between Isaac Howard and Mathiue Joseph at practice. Alex Formenton was rotating with Filip Hållander on a line with Owen Michaels and Trent Frederic.
The Oilers are hoping to finally get players back into the lineup. Zach Hyman was injured midway through Monday’s game, and the team is still awaiting players like Devon Levi, Matt Savoie, and Frederik Andersen to get healthy.