DALLAS — The Edmonton Oilers apparently will have defenseman Mattias Ekholm back in their lineup Thursday their potentially series-clinching victory in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals against the Dallas Stars.
Ekholm has been out of the Oilers’ lineup since April 11 with an undisclosed injury. He was ruled out through Edmonton’s quarterfinal series against the Los Angeles Kings and their semifinal series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
There had been speculation about Ekholm returning for Game 5 only to see that discussion amplify at morning skate. Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch had Ekholm skate on the top defensive pairing alongside Evan Bouchard, with Darnell Nurse and Brett Kulak on the second pairing followed by John Klingberg and Jake Walman.
Although Knoblauch didn’t outright say that Ekholm would play, the decision to have him next to Bouchard at morning skate along with his comments at his press conference strongly suggested that it was a possibility he would return.
“Here’s a guy that’s been playing big minutes for us since he’s pretty much came to Edmonton,” Knoblauch told reporters Thursday. “Playing a shut-down role, playing a penalty-kill role, power play, whatever. For him to come back and feeling great, it’s a great addition to our team.”
Ekholm also spoke with reporters after morning skate — something that only happens when a player is healthy and could possibly play later that day.
“I’m hoping so! We’ll see how warmups go and my nap, but yeah, it feels really good,” Ekholm said. “I think it’s mostly been a conversation with our doctors. I came back twice and re-aggregated it about two months ago and just making sure I’m in a good spot where I can not just play but withstand some blows.”
With Ekholm possibly coming into the lineup, the Oilers likely will sit Troy Stetcher, who is sixth among the team’s defensemen in ice time. Stetcher has been played a role in how the Oilers went from staring at what could have been a first-round knockout to only losing twice since April 23.
Knoblauch was asked if he considered playing an 11-forward, seven-defenseman lineup to ease Ekholm into the team.
“We know that he’s ready to go and we also know that we’ve got lots of left-handed defensemen that can play big minutes,” Knoblauch said. “Darnell Nurse, Kulak, Walman — there’s three guys, and then you’ve got Ekky on top of that. There’s four left-handed defensemen, so, I don’t think there’s any threat in his minutes getting over what they should be. He’s healthy and we don’t have to worry about that.”
Ekholm had spent the entirety of his career with the franchise that drafted him, the Nashville Predators, before he was traded to the Oilers ahead of the trade deadline in 2023 to give them a reliable 6-foot-5 option on the back end who could be trusted to play in several scenarios.
His first full campaign in Edmonton saw him score a career-high 11 goals and 45 points while averaging 21:05 in ice time in 79 games. Ekholm continued that into the playoffs with five goals and 10 points over 21:57 in ice time to help the Oilers come back from a 3-0 series deficit to force Game 7 in the Stanley Cup final where they ultimately lost to the Florida Panthers.
Prior to the injury, Ekholm was projected to have a consecutive season with more than 10 goals. He would finish the regular season with nine goals and 33 points in 65 games while his 22:11 in average ice time ranked third on the team behind Bouchard and Nurse.
“I’ll guess that it’s a feel-out process, but you’ll have to ask the coaches about it,” Ekholm said. “I know we’re going with six (defensemen) if I’m playing so that gives you an idea of it, but I feel like I’m ready, I feel like I can play. I haven’t played in a while, so, it will be a bit of an adjustment, but I feel great. I don’t think I’m playing 26 minutes, but I think I’m ready to somewhat of a normal role.”
