Oilers 2025-26 Report Cards: Mattias Ekholm

As the offseason rolls on, so do the Edmonton Oilers’ player grades. The last report card graded Mattias Janmark, and now we turn our attention to Mattias Ekholm.

The Oilers signed Ekholm to a three-year contract extension with a $4 million cap hit before the season started. This new deal is a discount from the $6.25 million cap hit on his current deal. The soon-to-be 36-year-old is at the tail end of his career, and this is likely the last contract he will sign.

With age, his play has slightly regressed. He battled injuries last season, so inking him to an extension came with risk. However, he played all 82 games this season and bounced back from a frustrating 2024-25 campaign. He continued to log big minutes and was a staple on the back end. Let’s take a deeper look at his solid season.

2025-26 Performance

Ekholm had a fairly productive season offensively, recording six goals and 41 points with a plus-32 rating, averaging 20:36 per game. He had clutch moments, as two of his six goals were game-winners. He only had 131 shots, which was the fewest since he had 110 during the shortened 2020-21 season. The veteran blueliner also had a below-average shooting percentage of 4.6, his lowest since the 2021-22 season.

Ekholm struggled more in the playoffs, but that could be said for most of the team. He registered two assists in six games with a minus-1 rating. In the regular season, he was over 50 percent in all major advanced statistics, but that wasn’t the case in the playoffs. In 99:43 of postseason ice time at 5-on-5, the veteran defenceman was on the ice for just 45.36 percent of the shots, 47.78 percent of the scoring chances, and 49.03 percent of the expected goals.

Ekholm Should Have a Lesser Role

While Ekholm maintained a heavy workload and handled it well, the Oilers shouldn’t expect that moving forward. Father Time is undefeated, so how much longer can he handle top-pairing minutes? If he falters, the team shouldn’t hesitate to move him down and shelter his minutes.