FEATURE: Players excited to get Sekera back

EDMONTON, AB -Andrej Sekera undoubtedly makes the Oilers defensive unit better.
He's a veteran with more than 600 games of NHL experience, he plays in all situations, he's a steady hand to deploy - an essential piece in Head Coach Todd McLellan's tool box.

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"He's an older guy who has played in this League a lot," said Oilers defenceman Matt Benning, who was paired with Sekera at Wednesday's practice. "He knows situational hockey very well. He's a solid guy back there for us and helps out on the power play. We're excited to have him back."
The on-ice boost is well-documented and very much expected, but the smiles and laughter around the team's dressing room on Wednesday hint at a deeper benefit to getting Sekera back.
"He is a fun guy to be around," said McLellan. "He takes his craft very seriously. He wears it on his shoulder. You can tell when he's disappointed or frustrated, yet he has a knack of bringing the group together. I think he's shown leadership skills since he's been here. He's got a sense of humour to him that shows up every now and then and guys appreciate that. It can be a bit of a rallying point…
"Good teams will do that. They'll rally around an individual because they want to play for him rather than just play with him."
He may not be a big giver of speeches, but the leadership from Sekera comes in other ways. More than anything, the team is getting back an upbeat locker room guy, whom the team is happy to play with.
"He's not really a rah-rah, big-time leadership guy, but he's got a lot of likeable qualities," said Oilers winger Mark Letestu. "He keeps the room light. He's obviously a veteran presence on the blueline and you can tell when you talk to the other defencemen how happy they are he's back in the room. He provides a lot, and when you miss a guy like that it hurts, but when you get him back it provides a boost in morale, more than anything. Guys are happy to have him back around and part of a group."
It's a rallying point that comes at the right time for the Oilers who, with wins in eight of their last 13 games, hope to build momentum and move up the standings. A much-welcomed morale boost has come to the club in the form of Adam Larsson, Cam Talbot, and now Sekera - who is expected to play his first game of the season Thursday, against St. Louis.
"We would have preferred to have some type of game to put him in and get the rust off but we won't have that (against St. Louis). But he's got to play his first game at some point," said McLellan.
"It brings (morale up). Those are well-respected, well-established players. Not only on our hockey club but in the League. The belief system goes a little bit higher. They've had a calming effect on the team and the morale goes up higher."
"When you win some games, it just reinforces that."
Sekera has not played since Game 5 of Edmonton's second-round series against the Ducks in the playoffs, in which the blueliner tore his ACL.
"In the beginning, it was difficult because after the surgery there was only certain things you can do and it gets old," said Sekera. "But then after every stage of the rehab, you start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It was getting better and better and then you finally get used to it and every single new thing is like a kick in the butt and a new starting point. It was getting better and better and as I said, I'm 100% ready to go."
Sekera comes back at the right time, and the team couldn't be happier.
"The players are excited," said McLellan. "They know he's going to add some energy to this group and they know he's chomping at the bit."