It appears Mattias Ekholm is nearing his return to the Edmonton Oilers lineup.
The Oilers defenseman took part in his first complete team practice on Monday, having been sidelined with an unspecified injury since April 11.
While Ekholm will miss the initial two games of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, coach Kris Knoblauch expressed hope that the Swedish player might rejoin the team later in the series.
His potential return would be surprisingly quick, as an earlier report from Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet`s 32 Thoughts Podcast had suggested a recovery period of 15 weeks.
Ekholm commented after the practice, “I didn’t expect to be here so soon. Today was my first full practice back with the team. Now the focus is on how I feel tomorrow. I’m taking it one day at a time.”
In Ekholm`s absence, the Oilers have relied on defensemen Ty Emberson and Troy Stecher. Emberson appeared in the first nine playoff games, while Stecher, who hadn`t played in the playoffs since 2022, joined the lineup for Game 4.
Despite losing Ekholm, a key player on defense, the Oilers have performed well, winning eight of their last nine games after dropping the first two contests of the opening round against Los Angeles.
