Oilers Thoughts: How the team can manage Mattias Ekholm’s return

Great news came from Kris Knoblauch‘s press conference today: While the Oilers head coach stated that Mattias Ekholm won’t be available for the opening two games of the Western Conference Final, he’s optimistic the defenceman could return later in the series.

Considering how Ekholm left the ice due to this injury, it’s surprising to see him return so quickly.

There are only two injuries in hockey: upper body and lower body. So we don’t know what Ekholm has been dealing with. However, when a player leaves the game after a non-contact injury, it’s never a good sign, especially when that player is 34 and turning 35 next week. Now labelled as day-to-day, where does Ekholm fit in when he’s ready and available?

Of course, it all depends on where the Oilers are in the series. Few Oilers have forced Knoblauch to remove them from the lineup — not necessarily due to poor play, but more due to circumstance. Jeff Skinner was pulled from the lineup after Game 1 versus Los Angeles, when the entire team struggled, despite registering an assist. Unfortunately, he was also on the ice for three goals against.

Viktor Arvidsson and Ty Emberson were the latest to lose their spots in the lineup as Knoblauch opted to add more speed and physicality. That change and insertion of Kasperi Kapanen, who scored the series winner in Game 5, and Troy Stecher, helped shift the Vegas series back in Edmonton’s favour.

“Fortunately, we’ve got a group of defencemen right now who are playing really well, and we’re not in dire need to insert him when he’s not ready,” Knoblauch said earlier today. “But I think when he does play, it will be beneficial for us.

“I think the biggest part for us — the five-on-five play, yes — but also the penalty kill. He’s been a mainstay; he’s been our best penalty killer from what I’ve seen for two years. Having him available for that will be important for us.”

Removing a defenceman is the obvious step. If Ekholm’s minutes are limited, the Oilers have no problem spreading the extra minutes among the remaining five defencemen — something they’ve done throughout this run, with Emberson and Josh Brown seeing reduced roles. Either Stecher or John Klingberg is likely to come out of the lineup.

However, what if the Oilers don’t want to risk playing shorthanded if Ekholm gets hurt again during a game? Is dressing 11 forwards and seven defencemen an option?

The next few games will dictate that decision, but what if Trent Frederic sits out? It’s a good problem for the Oilers to have in that no one is playing poorly enough to warrant being scratched. At the same time, Ekholm is too valuable to sit if he’s healthy, and Frederic’s minutes were already trending downward during the Vegas series.

Frederic averaged just over 11 minutes a night in Round 2. He played 13:52 in Game 1, and in Game 4, he played fewer than eight minutes, though a fight with Nicolas Hague shortened his night by a shift or two. In Game 5, he only played 9:28 — the lowest total among Oilers forwards.

This isn’t meant to discredit Frederic, but rather to credit Stecher and Klingberg for how well they’ve played. One game may be all it takes to understand what you’ve got in Ekholm. From there, you can reinsert Frederic, Arvidsson, and Skinner if needed.

Again, Frederic may force Knoblauch to consider another change. Only time will tell.