Mattias Ekholm appears to be creeping closer to his return.
The Edmonton Oilers defenceman participated in his first full team practice on Monday since leaving the lineup with an undisclosed injury on April 11.
Ekholm has already been ruled out for the first two games of the Oilers’ Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, but head coach Kris Knoblauch said he was “optimistic” the Swede could return at some point during the series.
If Ekholm does come back, it would mark a stunning return after his initial injury timeline was set at 15 weeks, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on Monday’s 32 Thoughts Podcast.
“I didn’t think I would be in this position this quick. … Today was the first time with the team on the ice in a full practice. Now it’s a matter of how do I feel tomorrow? I’m trying to be on a day-to-day basis,” Ekholm told reporters after the skate concluded.
Game 1 of the Oilers-Stars series is set for Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. MT with live coverage available on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Without Ekholm on the ice, Edmonton has relied on blue-liners Ty Emberson and Troy Stecher. Emberson played the first nine games of the post-season, while Stecher, who last played in the playoffs in 2022, entered the lineup for Game 4.
While Ekholm is a big loss on the back end, the Oilers have reeled off eight wins in their last nine contests after losing Games 1 and 2 in the first round to Los Angeles.
But the duo of Emberson and Stecher hasn’t produced in the way the big lefty can. The two righties have zero points, and while Stecher played 16:46 in Game 4, Emberson hasn’t logged double-digit minutes since Game 2 against the Kings.
Eklhom recorded nine goals and 33 points this season while logging over 22 minutes of ice time a night. He has 12 goals and 52 points in 112 playoff games.
During Edmonton’s run to the Stanley Cup Final last year, the six-foot-five, 225-pound defenceman potted five goals and played nearly 22 minutes a night.
