Despite Oilers’ injury woes, Mattias Ekholm keeps his focus on the near future

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EDMONTON — As training camp was winding down and the Edmonton Oilers were viewed as Presidents’ Trophy favourites, Mattias Ekholm felt regular-season supremacy could be particularly beneficial.

The Oilers have never had home-ice advantage beyond the first round in the Connor McDavid era. Ekholm, the stalwart defenceman, couldn’t help but wonder if the result of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final might have been different if the contest had taken place in Edmonton. For all the praise the Oilers received for rebounding from their 2-9-1 start last season, that early dip cost them a better place in the standings.

It seemed like they were on the right track this season until the end of January. They were third in the NHL with a .670 points percentage heading into their Jan. 30 contest against the Detroit Red Wings.

The Oilers have won just 10 of 22 games since then. What was shaping up to be a fierce battle for top spot in the Pacific Division with the Vegas Golden Knights has dissipated. The Oilers trail the Golden Knights by nine points with nine games remaining for both teams heading into their game Tuesday.

Making matters worse, the Oilers have an uphill climb just to get home ice in Round 1. The Los Angeles Kings, their first playoff opponent in each of the last three years, are two points ahead.

But Ekholm isn’t concerned about all that right now. Amid a slew of injuries, with his nagging lower-body ailment among the most prominent, Ekholm’s concerns — and that of his team’s — have shifted.

“Guys understand that when you play into June, it’s hard to be up for it every night,” Ekholm said in an interview with The Athletic last week. “Vegas got knocked down the first round, and they got an extra two months of rest. It’s hard to win the division. Would I like to? Yes, absolutely.

“But I love the group that we have in here. I think we can do great damage. It’s about getting healthy. I would say that that’s priority number one. The biggest thing is to get everybody back feeling 100 percent.”

The Oilers have had health issues for about a month, but there’s more angst and uncertainty about the infirmary with the playoffs less than three weeks away.

They got Leon Draisaitl back last Saturday after a four-game absence, and he sparked a late comeback by scoring his 50th and 51st goals in a 3-2 overtime win against Calgary. That’s a spot of good news. So is trade-deadline acquisition Trent Frederic (ankle) being expected to skate with teammates on the four-game trip.

Still, Ekholm, McDavid (lower body) and starting goalie Stuart Skinner (head) aren’t with the team to start the trip. Neither is depth defenceman John Klingberg after aggravating an injury that had kept him out of the lineup for most of March.

“This is about as bad as it gets,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said.

Some or all of those players might meet the team on the road. Or McDavid might be out another week or two or more, Knoblauch said. But there’s one thing he feels confident about with the current slate of sidelined players.

“The worst-case scenario is those guys aren’t ready for playoffs and we’re very fortunate that none of those guys are even remotely looking like that, besides Evander (Kane),” Knoblauch said. “I think everybody else will be (back) before the regular season’s over.”

McDavid’s status is the most vital as the postseason nears. He’s the Oilers’ captain. He’s the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner. He and Draisaitl are two of the greatest playoff performers of all time. Even in a down season, he has 90 points in 63 games.

Ekholm’s importance to this team isn’t far behind McDavid’s. Knoblauch said Ekholm is possibly their best defenceman, which checks out given how he’s put his stamp on the team since being acquired from Nashville in February 2023.

He was the first person tabbed to wear the third alternate captain’s “A” for a March 22 game against Seattle with McDavid and Draisaitl out of action.

“It means a lot,” Ekholm said. “It’s a sign of appreciation from the organization that they like the way I say things and like the way I act.

“I feel like it’s been a good fit from the start. I felt very comfortable being around the guys. I feel like I can always say what’s in my heart, on my mind. With the age and experience (on the Oilers), to be one of the few leaders is always an honour. I’m very grateful.”

Recognition aside, Ekholm has had a miserable time for much of the new year.

He was sick before and during the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. He went from playing with Gustav Forsling against McDavid in Sweden’s opener against Canada to struggling against Finland to a reduced role in a meaningless finale against the United States.

Mattias Ekholm wasn’t feeling his best during the 4 Nations Face-Off and picked up an injury shortly after. (Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)

He sustained that lower-body injury after the tournament and tried to play through it. He missed six games before posting three points in a win over Utah on March 18.

“It’s been a grind, for sure, these last couple months,” Ekholm said. “It’s easier if you can stay healthy and just get the regular playing time. If you look at last year, there was no 4 Nations. There was actually a break. That makes a big difference, too. This year, I haven’t really had a break at all. If you look at the last 12 months, there’s been a lot of hockey, is what I’m saying. You can’t just go and go and go. There are going to be times where you’re not feeling it.”

Ekholm told The Athletic that he was managing his injury and using the benefit of maintenance days, such as skipping practices. Then he played arguably his worst game as an Oiler that night against Dallas. Knoblauch said Ekholm felt he wasn’t up to snuff and needed more rest.

“It’s something that can get healed and he can move on and be 100 percent (before the playoffs),” Knoblauch said. “He just needs some time.”

Time isn’t something Ekholm has on his side. Plus, he’s got to get his game ramped up.

His pairing with Evan Bouchard has been among the NHL’s best since he arrived in Edmonton. The Oilers outscored opponents 105-53 at five-on-five with those two on the ice from Ekholm’s first game as an Oiler through the end of last season, per Natural Stat Trick. That 66 percent goal share ranks third among partners with at least 800 minutes played. They also had 60 percent Corsi and 61 percent expected goals share rates over that span.

Those rates were down slightly through the first 50 games this season — 40-29 goal differential (58 percent), plus 61 percent Corsi and 60 percent expected goals share rates — but they’ve dropped ever since. The Oilers have been outscored 10-4 with Ekholm and Bouchard on the ice in 177 minutes at five-on-five since Jan. 30 — a 29 percent goals-for rate. Their 57 percent Corsi and 55 percent expected goals rates aren’t too far off their past performance, at least.

“I don’t know if it’s normal to have a season like we did last year,” Ekholm said. “Especially when you’re playing to June, you don’t really get the rest that at least the other 24 teams get. There are going to be ups and downs whenever you get that far.

“We’ve shown to ourselves and to other people that when we’re on our game, we’re still a really good D pair. We can do some damage. It’s about having these games to find that.”

There’s also the topic of his future with the team beyond the playoffs.

Ekholm turns 35 in May and has just one more year on his $6.25 million average annual value contract after this season. He’s eligible to sign an extension this offseason.

Ekholm has consistently said how much he and his wife, Ida Björnstad, have enjoyed living in Edmonton. Their youngest of three children, son Leon, was born in the city months after the trade.

“My family loves it here,” he said. “I’ve missed the playoffs once and it was my first year in the league. I’m used to being on a team that’s competitive. I think they have a really competitive team here, which makes it really attractive to stay.

“I hope that we can have a conversation this summer and come up with something. If it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t. But I’m very positive on staying as long as they want it and they see a fit for me. Obviously, I’m not getting any younger, but I still think I can contribute at a pretty high level.”

All that can wait. What’s important now are the weeks ahead.

Things might not look rosy with the injuries and struggles of late, but there’s time to change that narrative.

“When it comes to playoffs and you deliver, it’s all forgotten,” Ekholm said.

(Top photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

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