Edmonton Oilers sign defender Mattias Ekholm to a three-year deal with a $4M AAV

The Viking stays in Oil Country

Ekholm has been one of the most integral parts of these Edmonton Oilers turning into a contending team. A frequent struggle before his arrival at the 2022 trade deadline was defensive depth. Darnell Nurse was playing too high in the lineup and there was no partner for Evan Bouchard. Ekholm’s arrival solves this.

The trade that brought him here—a first-round pick, a fourth-round pick, Reid Schaefer, and Tyson Barrie—has been well worth the cost. Since his arrival, Ekholm has played 165 regular season games, scoring 24 goals and totalling 92 points.

But his biggest impact has been in providing a stable and reliable anchor on the top pairing, likely as Edmonton’s best all-around defender and the rock that lets Bouchard generate offence while Ekholm can cover defensively.

His health became a concern late last season, as Ekholm missed significant time with a major groin injury that kept him out of the later parts of the regular season and the majority of the playoffs. Over the course of this extension, we will begin to see Ekholm regression as age and injuries wear him down.

But for now, Ekholm remains the go-to option as the team’s top pairing left defender alongside Bouchard. As well as a frequent penalty killer. He will likely continue to play well over 20 minutes per game for the foreseeable future in a big role for the organization.

Since his arrival, Ekholm was quickly welcomed by Oilers fans and gained a massive amount of fans early for his smart, reliable, and consistent play with some underrated offensive instincts. Him and his family also quickly took to the city and have enjoyed living in Edmonton. To be able to retain another player who wants to be an Edmonton Oiler is huge. Especially one as important to the team as Ekholm has been.