BLOG: Ekholm, McLeod recoveries trending in 'the right direction' says Woodcroft

EDMONTON, AB – If you have the time, take the time.

Head Coach Jay Woodcroft provided updates on Tuesday for several key Oilers players who are nursing injuries this preseason, including defenceman Mattias Ekholm (hip flexor) and centre Ryan McLeod (undisclosed) who’ve yet to make their exhibition debuts in advance of Edmonton’s season opener in Vancouver on Oct. 11.

Blueliners Brett Kulak and Markus Niemelainen were also not on the ice for Tuesday’s practice at the Downtown Community Arena for maintenance days.

“Small bumps and bruises,” Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said. “All of them are trending in the right direction and were held out today for precautionary reasons.”

The Oilers are taking the patient approach this pre-season with two important pieces in Ekholm and McLeod to keep the pair on track to return to the lineup for when the games begin to mean a lot more during the regular season.

Despite their lack of exhibition games this pre-season, Woodcroft affirmed that if this were the Stanley Cup Playoffs, both players would be in the Oilers lineup.

But time is on Edmonton’s side.

“I expect both to be ready for the start of the year. They're putting good days together. We're listening to our medical people,” Woodcroft said.

“I think when you have time, you want to use it and we’ve got time. I think someone asked me the other day… if it was a playoff game, would they be in? Yeah, they'd be in. But we have some time right now. We want to use it. Both are good pros and they'll be ready whenever it is that they'll join the team full-time."

Ekholm was a regular participant at Captain’s Skates before the start of Training Camp back on Sept. 20 – along with McLeod – but has sat out Training Camp and the preseason to this point with a hip flexor injury in a bid to keep the Swedish defenceman ready for opening night against the Canucks.

“Is he going to be able to shed it? Yeah, I think he will,” Woodcroft said of Ekholm’s ailment. “It's soft tissue. Sometimes, you just need things to heal. Time is the best medicine for it. He's getting great treatment, and we expect him to make a full recovery.”

As a veteran of 740 regular-season games, Ekholm has the experience of maintaining the right mental focus needed for the NHL despite a lack of exhibition ice time this preseason.

“Veterans have the ability to think their way around the rink if they're not physically where they want to be, and he's missed taking the reps that everyone else has gotten,” Woodcroft said.

“But he's an elite-level hockey thinker with intellect, and he's been around the league long enough to be able to manage a game and then physically continue to heal and get better and eventually be in the shape that he wants to be in.”

Woodcroft disclosed to the media that Ekholm will not be in the lineup for Wednesday’s exhibition Battle of Alberta at Rogers Place, but the Swede’s timeline to return is tracking towards either the final pre-season game against the Kraken or the all-important season opener in one week’s time.

“We should see him here, I think, fairly soon,” Woodcroft said.