Oilers Can’t Rely on Ekholm in a Top-Pairing Role Next Season

TheEdmonton Oilers are entering the biggest offseason of the Connor McDavid era. There is a belief among many that this team may have missed their opportunity to win a Stanley Cup with this core group after coming as close as you can in both 2024 and 2025. A first-round exit at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks in the playoffs this year even had McDavid and Leon Draisaitl admit that the team took a major step in the wrong direction.

One change that has already been made came behind the bench, as it was announced last week that Kris Knoblauch was fired. As you would expect, priority number one for this team right now is finding a head coaching replacement, though the work will be far from done once that decision is made.

While many were frustrated with the job Knoblauch did this season, there is no denying that he was working with a weaker roster this time around. Management chose to let several reliable veterans such as Corey Perry and Connor Brown walk, replacing them with cheaper, bottom-six forwards, and, of course, Trent Frederic.

Meanwhile, both the goaltending and blueline took a hit when Stuart Skinner and Brett Kulak were traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Oilers crease is a complete debacle that requires a full article in and of itself. Today, however, we are focusing on the blue line, or more specifically, a key piece of it. That individual is Mattias Ekholm.

Concerns Growing in Ekholm’s Game

The Oilers acquired Ekholm late in the 2022-23 season in what has arguably been the best trade the organization has made in the McDavid era. The Swedish defenceman immediately became a staple on their back end, playing top-pairing minutes while meshing well with Evan Bouchard.

Ekholm was nothing short of incredible in his first short season with the Oilers, and was every bit as good throughout the 2023-24 campaign. Unfortunately, his 2024-25 season was riddled with injuries, and had many thinking what could have been if he had been fully healthy in last year’s Stanley Cup Final versus the Florida Panthers.

Health was on Ekholm’s side this past season, as he suited up for all 82 games. It marked the first time he was able to play all 82 outings since 2016-17, which is quite the feat for the 35-year-old. That said, his play wasn’t nearly as steady as Oilers fans became accustomed to.

Ekholm really struggled to kick off the 2025-26 season, which most attributed to the injuries he’d sustained in 2024-25. To his credit, he did get much better as the regular season rolled on, though he wasn’t as dominant as fans had seen in years past. On top of that, he struggled throughout the playoffs, causing concern about the direction in which his game is going.

Playing as a defenceman in the NHL is no easy task. They are constantly being hit by opposing players on forechecks, and often block a lot of shots heading toward their own net. That constant wear and tear tends to eventually break players down, especially ones that play as many minutes as Ekholm. And, of course, father time does eventually catch up to everyone.

Ekholm is still a very reliable NHL defenceman, and should continue to be in 2026-27. The issue, though, is that the Oilers are still relying on him to play a top-pairing role. He struggled to do so at times this season, and you can’t help but wonder if the heavy minutes he played had a factor. At this stage of his career, it would seemingly be more beneficial to both him and the Oilers if he was used in more of a second-pairing role.

Oilers Need to Improve Back End

In order to cut Ekholm’s minutes, the Oilers will need to try and make some upgrades to their blueline this offseason. That isn’t to suggest they need to go and find a top-pairing option, as they don’t have the money to do so. That said, adding a top-four blueliner would help ease some of the pressure off Ekholm by keeping him more well-rested. If management fails to do so, it’s hard to envision this team getting back to being a Stanley Cup contender.