Mattias Ekholm’s status for Thursday night’s matchup against the San Jose Sharks remains up in the air, but the veteran defenceman was back on the ice Thursday morning - a promising sign for the Oilers.
Ekholm, who just notched his first career hat trick in Monday’s win over the Anaheim Ducks, missed Wednesday’s practice with an undisclosed injury. Head coach Kris Knoblauch kept things vague, calling him “day-to-day” and saying the team would see how he felt closer to puck drop.
At 35, Ekholm is in his fourth season with the Oilers and playing some of his best hockey since arriving in Edmonton. Through 54 games, he’s tallied six goals and 26 points - a strong return to form after a tough 2024-25 campaign that was marred by illness and injury. Those setbacks kept him out of the lineup for most of last spring’s playoff run, only returning for Game 6 of the Western Conference Final.
Even then, it was clear Ekholm wasn’t at full strength. His skating - usually one of his biggest assets - wasn’t quite there, and it showed.
But this season, he’s looked more like himself. After a slow start, much like the rest of the Oilers roster, Ekholm has settled in and re-established himself as a cornerstone on the blue line.
The numbers back it up. At five-on-five, the Oilers have outscored opponents 54-46 with Ekholm on the ice and controlled 54.2% of the expected goal share. According to HockeyViz, he’s generating offense at a rate four percent above league average and suppressing it at a rate nine percent above - elite-level production for a top-pairing defenceman.
That kind of impact is exactly why Edmonton locked him up with a three-year, $4 million extension before the season, keeping him in orange and blue through the 2028-29 campaign.
If Ekholm can’t go Thursday, Alec Regula - who skated in his spot on the top pairing during Wednesday’s practice - could be called into action. But make no mistake: Ekholm’s presence is a stabilizing force for this Oilers team, especially as they continue to climb the standings and find their rhythm heading into the stretch run.
Puck drops at 7 PM MT as the Oilers look to keep the momentum rolling against the Sharks. Whether Ekholm is in the lineup or not, his return to form this season has already been a major storyline in Edmonton - and they’ll be hoping it continues deep into the spring.