"Anything can happen": Oilers' Ekholm may not be ready for season opener

Edmonton Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm may not be available for his team’s season opener on October 11.

Early in training camp, Ekholm admitted that he was dealing with a hip flexor issue, though there wasn’t much concern from him or the team regarding the ailment. The 33-year-old continued to stay in good spirits regarding the injury as camp progressed. When speaking with media on Friday, however, he admitted he hasn’t recovered how he had initially expected.

“It’s been going on a bit longer than maybe I anticipated,” Ekholm said. “You don’t have much time to heal during the season, so [I’m] taking the time now to do it and do it for real.”

As for his status regarding the Oilers first game of the regular season versus the Vancouver Canucks, Ekholm said it remains to be seen as to whether or not he will suit up.

“Anything can happen, it’s way slower than I thought,” Ekholm admitted. “I thought I would be full on a couple weeks ago and I haven’t been, so we’re cognisant about it. I can’t tell you a definite answer right now, but I do feel good so I’m hopeful.”

As talented a team as the Oilers are, they can’t afford to be without Ekholm for too long. They immediately improved in all areas of the game last season after acquiring him, as he not only helped out their defensive play tremendously but provided more offence than expected with 14 points in 21 games. He also helped improve the play of Evan Bouchard, who the Oilers are leaning on to take a big step this season in the absence of Tyson Barrie.

While Ekholm seems optimistic, this has to be somewhat worrying for the Oilers as well as the fanbase given that it sounded like a day-to-day issue weeks ago. The last thing he or this team needs is to deal with an injury that lingers throughout the season.

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