When Mattias Ekholm exited early from the Edmonton Oilers’ 4-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Place on Friday (April 11), concern for the health of the veteran left-side defenceman spread rapidly across Oil Country.
Related: 4 Takeaways From Oilers’ 4-2 Victory Over Sharks
Making his return from a seven-game absence due to injury, Ekholm played less than two minutes against the Sharks before leaving the bench and not coming back.
Early Reports Are Not Good
On Saturday (April 12), Oilers fans got the news they were dreading. TSN’s Ryan Rishaug was the first to provide an update on the health of Ekholm, posting to social media in part that “it’s believed to be a serious injury that worst case scenario may end his season, best case scenario will keep him sidelined for quite some time.”
Tough news for Oilers and Ekholm. Hearing there are further tests to be done, but it’s believed to be a serious injury that worst case scenario may end his season, best case scenario will keep him sidelined for quite some time.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) April 12, 2025
Later, while appearing on Hockey Night in Canada, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said the Oilers are “preparing for the potential worst possible scenario, and that is he might not play the rest of the year.”
The Oilers have yet to make a statement about Ekholm. Friedman believes this is because the team is still trying to determine both the exact nature of the injury and subsequent recovery period.
Whatever the case ends up being, it looks like Edmonton will be going through the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs without its best all-around defenceman. Edmonton is set to face the Los Angeles Kings in round one of the postseason, which begins April 19.
Oilers Will Greatly Miss Ekholm
This is a devastating blow for the Oilers, who have championship aspirations after reaching Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final one year ago. Since he was acquired in a trade with the Nashville Predators during the 2022-23 season, Ekholm has been a stalwart on Edmonton’s top defensive pairing, regularly logging well over 20 minutes per game.
During the 2024 Playoffs, Ekholm notched five goals and five assists while registering a rating of plus-8 over 25 games. This season, the 34-year-old Swede has nine goals, 24 assists and a rating of plus-11 in 65 games.
Ekholm is the Oilers’ most experienced blueliner, having played nearly 1,000 NHL games in the regular season and postseason combined. He makes an impact at both ends of the ice, but it’s his reliable presence on the blueline where he can always be trusted to make the right play that Edmonton will miss most. Ekholm has been the perfect partner to balance right-side defenceman Evan Bouchard, who is an offensive wunderkind but lapse-prone defender.
So, will the Oilers be able to make another deep playoff run if Ekholm isn’t able to play? There is recent evidence to suggest that maybe, just maybe, they can.
Oilers Have Won Without Ekholm
Ekholm has been out of the lineup for 13 of Edmonton’s last 18 games with an undisclosed injury. He missed six contests, from March 6 to 16, before returning to play four games, only to be sidelined again for seven straight games before suiting up against San Jose.
Without Ekholm, Edmonton has managed to go 8-5-0 in March and April. If Friday’s match is included, that record is 9-5-0. Several of those games came with the Oilers also missing at least one of their superstar centres, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.
Other Oilers Must Step Up
One reason Edmonton has been able to keep winning in Ekholm’s absence is the play of fellow left-side blueliner Brett Kulak. Kulak, 31, has elevated his game in 2024-25, setting career highs in goals, points, blocked shots and minutes played, while showing to be just as heady and steady as Ekholm.
The addition of Jake Walman, who was acquired in a trade with the Sharks on March 6, has helped immensely, too. Walman is also currently sidelined but considered day-to-day and expected to be ready for Game 1 of the postseason.
Most pivotal, however, is Darnell Nurse. With Ekholm sidelined, the longest-tenured Oilers defenceman will log the most minutes on the left side of the blueline. Nurse still has the occasional moment that leaves fans face-palming, but the 30-year-old has played quite well this season, for the most part.
Granted, it’s one thing to get by without Ekholm for six or seven games at a time. That’s effectively the equivalent of one playoff series. If the Oilers are to hoist the Stanley Cup in June, they will need to win four playoff series.
Oilers Face Jets Tonight
The Oilers will likely provide an update about Ekholm today (April 13), before facing the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre. Game time is 5 p.m. MT.
After tonight, Edmonton has just two games remaining on its 2024-25 regular season schedule. Then it’s on to the playoffs. Whatever hand they are dealt, that’s the hand the Oilers must play.
