BLOG: Ekholm staying present through injury recovery with his veteran presence

EDMONTON, AB – Despite a lack of any exhibition ice time this preseason, defenceman Mattias Ekholm is using his veteran presence to have an impact in the Oilers locker room as he works his way back into the lineup from a hip flexor injury.

Ekholm has yet to suit up this preseason with his Oilers teammates beyond practicing, with the Swedish blueliner participating in Friday’s morning skate despite confirming to the media at Rogers Place that he won’t be in the lineup for Edmonton’s exhibition finale against the Seattle Kraken.

Forward Ryan McLeod also remains out of the lineup on Friday with a lower-body ailment.

For the 33-year-old Ekholm, having an injury that’s taken this long to recover from is a new experience for him after completing the last 12 years of his NHL career with a healthy return rate of 740 NHL games.

But the Swede’s experience, along with having the extra runway of an eight-game pre-season schedule, is helping keep him grounded in his bid to return to full health in time for the start of the regular season.

“I'm trying to do the most I can with what I can do,” Ekholm said. “Obviously, I was out here today for a little bit just being around bodies, pucks and goalies and all that. It gets a little bit boring for sure [skating alone], and rehab isn't the most fun.

“You want to be out there obviously, but the situation is what the situation is… I’m just trying to lean on my experience of playing in this league, and I'm not too worried about that. I'm just worried about being pain-free.”

Despite his lack of playing time over the exhibition schedule, Ekholm remains a fixture in Oilers team meetings and the locker room by often remaining at the rink after on-ice sessions in order to stay involved in team discussions and provide some important veteran guidance.

“I've just been trying to emphasize being in every meeting come in when the guys come in,” Ekholm said. “Even if I'm skating early, I'll just stay an extra hour just to be part of the group and make sure I'm there and the presence is there. I think that's important in Training Camp just to be a part of it. I’m just trying to do the best I can to be present.”

Nowhere has that veteran guidance from Ekholm been more valuable than to defenceman Philip Broberg – his young Swedish counterpart who’s trying to grow into a regular role on the OIlers blueline.

Ekholm’s observations of the 22-year-old over preseason have been valuable, with Broberg's confidence moving up the ice offensively being one of the key lessons and points of emphasis from the experienced rearguard.

“I think he's been playing well. I think he's got the defensive side,” Ekholm said. “He's big and he's moving really well in the defensive zone. 

“I think what I've been trying to tell him is to take charge out there, and as soon as you win the puck, you should just go. You have the legs. Even if you lose it up ice, you're going to recover because you have the skating, so I think he's taking steps every day.

“He reminds me a lot of when I was trying to find my way in this league. It's hard to start. You just kind of come to the point where you figure it out yourself, and I think he's really close to doing that.”

Ekholm could find himself paired up with Broberg this season on the blueline after providing immediate returns alongside Evan Bouchard after his Trade-Deadline acquisition from the Nashville Predators last campaign, producing four goals and 10 assists in 20 regular-season games before adding a further one goal and six assists in 12 playoff matches.

Head Coach Jay Woodcroft isn’t troubled over the Swede’s lack of games this preseason when it comes to his ability to hit the ground running during the regular season; nor is he concerned with who'll be his defensive partner when he does eventually return to the lineup, which could come potentially as early as Wednesday’s season-opener in Vancouver.

For now, all of Edmonton’s focus for Ekholm is centred around making sure he’s at full health when he does return to the lineup.

“He's been around the NHL a long time, and the last guy I worry about fitting in or complimenting someone else would probably be Matthias Ekholm,” Woodcroft said. “He showed that last year when he walked in cold and had a great effect on the D-core in general, our team as a whole, and specifically Bouchard.

“I don't worry about Matthias Ekholm. For me, everything with him is making sure that he's physically comfortable. He appears that he's trending in the right direction. We've had a bunch of good days In a row here and I think today was another positive day in that regard.”