2024–25 Edmonton Oilers players grade: Mattias Ekholm

Ekholm’s strengths in 2024–25

Mattias Ekholm is Edmonton’s third highest-paid defenceman, with a $6.25M contract. At 35-years-old, there are still quality aspects within his game that makes him so important to the Oilers. He is still able to play solid hockey defensively and has shown to see some production as well.

With him not being an offensive defenceman, he is more of a defensive defenceman based on the role that he plays for the team and how he performs shift in and shift out. Ekholm was sixth in team assists, sixth in team points, fifth in team plus-minus, and third in average time on ice. Considering that he missed 17 games, that is not too bad when looking at how fewer games he played, compared to the rest of his teammates.

Aside from that, Ekholm finished within the team top ten in penalty minutes, and ninth in team shots. On the power play, he finished tied for seventh in goals and tied for sixth in assists. It is really not a bad place for him to be in, finding himself in the top ten in almost every major team category.

Lastly, like I had mentioned, Ekholm is a reliable defensive defenceman, who is known for his strong positioning, shot-blocking, and being able to shut down opposing players. His defensive impact was noticeable in the playoffs. Not being a big offensive threat, he has shown the ability to contribute, including a key goal in the Stanley Cup Final. Ekholm thrives in his physical play, even though there was a slight decrease in that area in 2024–25. He is still able to be physical in the battles along the boards and in front of the net. Ekholm is a veteran player, who brings leadership and experience to the Oilers defensive department. He is also calm on the ice and a valuable mentor to the younger players.

Ekholm’s weaknesses in 2024–25

Given his importance and meaning in the Oilers lineup, his biggest noticeable weakness, was his lack of staying healthy. On January 31, 2025, Ekholm was out of the lineup due to an illness. He would end up out of the lineup with an undisclosed injury three times, on March 5, March 27 and April 11.

The organization and the teams medical staff would clear him to play, but every time that they thought he was ready to come back and play, the same injury would creep up again and force him to take a break in order to get back to 100 percent. Injuries are definitely tough for a player, but Ekholm just could not catch a break.

Although he missed parts of the season and playoffs, the injury impacted his consistency and ability to play at a high level. He is a strong defenceman, but there has been a small decrease in his defensive play and physicality, which is a key part of his game.

Ekholm’s potential decline in play, had an impact on the Oilers defensive depth and overall performance, more so on the penalty kill. The Oilers penalty kill was ranked 13 in the regular season and 14/16 in the postseason at 67.1%, one of the worst in the playoffs. Despite dealing with his injury challenges, Ekholm has demonstrated a strong desire to return to health and contribute to the team’s success. This highlights his dedication and resilience.

Ekholm’s 2024–25 performance review

Although he has had his issues when it comes to staying healthy, Ekholm is still the defensive leader that the Oilers trust in and rely on, no matter the circumstance. Will he end up playing a complete 82 game season for the first time in eight seasons? Due to his age and history, I believe that probably will not happen. We will see what happens, but anything can happen when players have time off in the off season.

Throughout his career, Ekholm has been a 20-point defenceman in nine of his 14 seasons, and a 30-point player in seven of those. As mentioned, even though he missed 17 games, he was still able to see some very solid production with 33 points in 65 games. A season filled with many ups and downs, he still managed 0.51 points per game, which is very impressive for a player of his calibre. His season was filled with more positives than negatives, as he was able to compete in the post season and help bring the Oilers all the way to the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row.

Ekholm’s 2024–25 player grade

When I consider what he had to deal with throughout the regular season, I believe Ekholm had a solid enough year to earn a B/B+ grade. My reasoning can be justified above. Some fans may grade him higher, while others may grade him lower. All in all, he only has a few solid years left and is coming towards the end of his NHL career. Ekholm is now in year four of four in his current contract, who will become an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA) at the end of next season.

Ekholm’s expectations for 2025–26 and beyond

Like I mentioned, Ekholm will have some big decisions coming his way by 2026. Will he stay or will he go? Those are the two main questions that he will be asking himself in regards to his future, not just as an Edmonton Oiler, but as an athlete as well. I expect Ekholm to get as healthy and as close to 100 percent as he can, so he can arrive in the pre season feeling stronger and the best he has ever felt in recent memory.

With the Oilers having some very strong future players in terms of their prospect pool, if Ekholm does start to regress more next season, they will have a few players that they can look to, who may potentially take his place in the lineup and on the top pair. Riley Stillman, Josh Brown, Alec Regula, Damien Carfagna, and Beau Akey, just to name a few. Hopefully, he shows us that he still has some juice left in the tank and comes back better than ever. Finishing out his contract, before making some hard life decisions.