Ekholm reportedly skating again and here's when Edmonton Oilers could get him back
The Edmonton Oilers got some good news on the injury front today.
Injured defenceman Mattias Ekholm has started skating again as he takes a step forward in his recovery journey, per Edmonton Sports Talk’s Tom Gazzola.
Ekholm hasn’t played since April 11 when he recorded just under two minutes of action before leaving after getting tangled up with a San Jose Sharks player. Initial reports surrounding the injury were bad, with fears that Ekholm might be done for the season.
The news that Ekholm is back skating is good, but there are still many checkpoints to pass before he can return to game action. Gazzola characterized the 34-year-old as “still weeks away, at best,” so there’s no expectation he’ll be back soon.
Some good news on the Mattias Ekholm front as he has begun skating again. However, I’m told he is still weeks away, at best.
— Tom Gazzola (@TomGazzola) May 12, 2025
The Oilers have a 2-1 series lead over the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. The series can wrap up at the latest on May 18, and the second round as a whole can’t go past May 19. That means if the Oilers advance, they’d likely start the Western Conference Final just after that deadline, in roughly 10 days.
Since Ekholm is still considered weeks away, it seems unlikely he’ll be ready for the start of a potential third-round matchup for the Oilers. However, he hasn’t been ruled out of the postseason yet and is clearly working hard to get back and make an impact. He could be back late in that series or in the Stanley Cup Final if the Oilers were to make it.
Ekholm had 33 points in 65 regular-season games this season and provided a steadying presence on the blue line. He played nearly 22 minutes per night and scored 10 points in 25 playoff games last year, when the Oilers advanced to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.
The Oilers are allowing 3.78 goals per game in the playoffs, the most of any remaining team. Ekholm’s presence has clearly been missed in that area, and getting him back for the latter part of this playoff run would be huge.