The Edmonton Oilers have gotten a ton done as of late. They not only extended Connor McDavid, but were also able to work out a seven-year contract with Jake Walman. On the night of their first game of the 2025-26 season, it was announced that they had signed Jack Roslovic to a one-year deal. In this piece, however, we are going to be talking about another move they made, which was signing Mattias Ekholm to a three-year extension.
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Ekholm has been with the Oilers since being acquired from the Nashville Predators at the 2023 Trade Deadline. He’s been an absolute force on the back end from the moment he was brought in, and has proven to have excellent chemistry with Evan Bouchard. Suffice to say, there were many Oilers fans excited to see him get a new deal to remain in Edmonton.
Even better, in the eyes of many, was the value of the deal. Despite still being a first-pairing defenceman, he was signed to just a three-year, $12 million deal with a $4 million cap hit. Like McDavid, there isn’t much question that Ekholm left money on the table in order to help keep the Oilers competitive. That said, this may still not be the steal Oilers fans are making it out to be.
Ekholm Coming Off a Serious Injury
Ekholm was limited to just 65 regular season games in 2024-25, and missed all but one game from the first three rounds of the playoffs. He was able to get back in the lineup for the Stanley Cup Final, though it was obvious he was still quite hurt, which took away from his usual effectiveness.
Ekholm recently revealed that he was playing through a torn adductor. He says he’s healthy and ready to go for the 2025-26 regular season, though you can’t help but wonder if injuries may start to become more of a common theme for the 35-year-old, who plays a very physical style of hockey.
On top of the serious injury last season, Ekholm’s age in itself can’t be ignored. Prior to getting hurt, he was still playing at a very high level, one who is deserving of a cap hit much higher than $4 million. That said, the deal won’t kick in until he’s 36, an age which most players begin to hit a major decline. By the time the final year of his contract rolls around, he will be 38. It’s more than fair to question whether or not he will provide any sort of positive impact to the lineup at that time.
Oilers May Regret This Deal
Given the player Ekholm was prior to his injury in 2024-25, you can understand why the Oilers brass didn’t want to let him go. Their blue line has been questioned many times in the past, and was bolstered in a big way once they were able to acquire the Swedish blueliner. That said, the money they chose to give him may wind up being a burden in the years to come.
The Oilers have made efforts to get younger as of late, but are still one of the oldest teams in the NHL. Their clear transition to shift towards being younger makes it somewhat puzzling as to why they elected to keep Ekholm around, rather than have him walk and look to replace him with a younger player.
Related: McDavid’s Short-Term Deal Doesn’t Mean He’s Not Fully Committed to Oilers
Making matters all the more interesting is that McDavid’s recent two-year extension is believed to be partly due to the reason that it’s unclear how much longer this Oilers roster can contend. As mentioned, they are not a young group, which could result in their window closing sooner rather than later. Rather than attempting to change that by moving on from players such as Ekholm, they have instead seemingly doubled down and aren’t looking at the big picture in any regard. It’s a risky decision which could end up plaguing them in the years to come.
