Oilers’ blueline even deeper with return of veteran Mattias Ekholm

A healthy Mattias Ekholm is here, and he’s already making an impact.

Around the start of the new year, Ekholm was starting to show his age. Before the calendar flipped to 2025, Ekholm had a 59.09% goal share and 59.59% expected goal share in 682:03 minutes of five-on-five action.

From Jan. 1 until the end of the regular season, Ekholm’s goal share dropped to 39.02%, on the ice for 16 goals compared to 25 against. His expected goal share was still strong, as he had a 59.45% xGF%, the fourth-highest on the team.

Around the 4 Nations’ Face-Off break in February, it was clear that something was ailing the left-shot defenceman. He faced an illness for most of the season, but after just three shifts in the Oilers’ third-to-last game, Ekholm was shut down with what was called a serious injury shortly before the postseason began.

It was reported at the time to be a season-ending injury, the Oilers went so far as to issue a press release saying he wouldn’t return to the lineup until next season. But in Game 5 of the Conference Final, Ekholm played his first full game of the season.

That game was a quiet one for Ekholm as he played just 15:52, the fewest for any Oiler defencemen. Ekholm picked up an assist off one of his two blocks and finished the game with a +2. The Oilers were able to defeat the Dallas Stars 6-3 to go to their second consecutive Stanley Cup against the Florida Panthers.

There was a lengthy break between Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals and Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, a total of six days. That only helped Ekholm rest some more, and he had a great game on Wednesday.

Ekholm became the 20th Oiler to score a goal this season, beating Sergei Bobrovsky glove side after a beautiful feed from Connor McDavid. His responsibility grew as well, jumping from about 16 minutes to 25:19 thanks to the game going deep into overtime. Like the game before, Ekholm finished with a +2, registering four shots and blocking two shots.

Playing just two games is a small sample size for Ekholm, but he hasn’t been on for a goal against during five-on-five action, but the Oilers have scored four times in the 38:16 minutes he’s played in five-on-five.  The advanced stats aren’t as kind, as Ekholm has an expected goals of 40.83%, but in this case, you take the actual goals.

Moreover, Ekholm hasn’t been on the ice for a goal on the penalty kill, although the Oilers have killed off just two of the four penalties they’ve taken in the last two games. With Ekholm back to full health, expect the power play to improve in this series.

One aspect where Ekholm hasn’t shown up is in the physicality department. In both games, he wasn’t credited with a hit, which is a bit odd considering he finished third in hits in 2023-24. It has been a season-long trend, though, as Ekholm only had 42 hits in 10 games this season. As the series continues, look to see if he gets more physical.

The thing is, Ekholm is a luxury for the Oilers. After those first two horrible games against the Los Angeles Kings, the Oilers are 13-2 in their last 15 games. Both losses were a case of the Oilers beating themselves as well, featuring a last-second goal and three consecutive penalties. Adding Ekholm to a team that’s already considered a wagon is only going to increase their chances of bringing the Stanley Cup back to Canada for the first time since 1993.