Mattias Ekholm has come as advertised, and more, for the Oilers
Edmonton Oilers general manager Ken Holland paid a hefty price to land defenceman Mattias Ekholm prior to the NHL Trade Deadline.
Ekholm has been worth every penny.
The 32-year-old shutdown blueliner has been without a doubt Edmonton’s best defender since he joined the Oilers in a swap on February 28.
“He is somebody that’s very comfortable in his own skin,” coach Jay Woodcroft said earlier in the week, according to the Oilers website. “He knows what he brings to the table. He plays toward an identity. He doesn’t try and get outside of himself. I see someone who has poise with a veteran experience level. I like the way he conducts his business.”
Though he has a modest two assists in five games since coming to the Alberta capital at the expense of blueliner Tyson Barrie, prospect Reid Schaefer, a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and a fourth-round selection in 2024, Ekholm has been the opponent-squashing rock required on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound rearguard leads the way in several advanced stat categories in the five-game sample, including shots-for percentage (53.13%), goals-for per 60 minutes (5.47), goals-against per 60 (1.37), expected goals-for per 60 (3.56), expected goals-for percentage (60.25%), and shots-for per 60 (34.86), according to Natural Stat Trick.
For those that value plus/minus, he’s a team-leading +7 since the trade, too, and sits second on the team with 10 hits — one off the lead — and the runner-up in shot blocks with nine.
Ekholm’s also second over that span in ice time with 17:33 minutes per game at even-strength and 20:38 overall, paired primarily with second-year blueliner Evan Bouchard.
Perhaps most telling, the Oilers are 4-1-0 since adding Ekholm in the lineup, including wins over the Toronto Maple Leafs and, perhaps most telling, an impressive effort against the NHL-leading Boston Bruins.
“I watch how he listens to meetings. I watch how he warms up. I watch how his demeanour is when he gets to the rink. He’s an impressive individual,” Woodcroft said. “I think he’s exactly what our team needed.
“The side benefit is the example he’s setting for some of our other players, specifically some of our younger d-men.”