The Edmonton Oilers have once again come out of the gates slow to start the season. This is a common theme for this team, who always seem to play significantly better hockey over the second half of a regular season. It’s far too soon to push the panic button, though there are some concerning trends in the early going.
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Players such as Andrew Mangiapane, Trent Frederic, Evan Bouchard, and even David Tomasek, all of whom were expected to produce offensively, have struggled. Even Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been far from their usual dominant selves.
Between the pipes, Stuart Skinner has been average at best, while Calvin Pickard has a cringe-inducing .850 save percentage. While all of those struggles have been well documented in the early going, however, there is another key player of this group who has also been bringing the team down through the first 15 games of the 2025-26 season.
Ekholm Not Looking Like Himself
When the Oilers chose to sign Mattias Ekholm to a three-year, $12 million extension before the season began, most were praising it as a bargain contract. After all, the 35-year-old had been an excellent fit for the organization since being acquired at the 2023 trade deadline, logging tons of minutes while making very few errors. He had also seemed to help cover up Bouchard’s defensive deficiencies.
The one concern some had over the contract, though, was how it would age. After all, as mentioned, Ekholm is already 35 years old, meaning that the extension won’t kick in until he’s 36. Given the physical style he brings, it was fair to be wary as to whether or not he would continue on being as effective as he’d been in the past.
Adding to the concern was the fact that Ekholm showed signs of wear-and-tear last season, as he was limited to just 65 regular season games along with an additional seven in the playoffs. Though he insisted during training camp that he was fully recovered, injuries do begin to take their toll, sometimes permanently, depending on a specific player’s age.
Based on what we’ve seen through 15 games this season, there is starting to be a real concern that injuries and age are resulting in Ekholm’s decline. His lone goal and five assists are right around what we’d expect, but it’s his play defensively that has been incredibly disappointing.
The Ekholm/Bouchard pairing has been quite bad this season. Bouchard’s plus/minus of -9 is the worst amongst Oilers skaters, while Ekholm’s -6 is tied with Mangiapane for the third worst. Many will point blame to Bouchard on that, though a deeper dive shows that the 25-year-old may not be the main culprit.
Ekholm is already up to 27 giveaways this season, which not only leads the Oilers, but is the fifth-worst amongst all NHLers. Only Rasmus Dahlin (30), Martin Necas (31), Jack Hughes (32), and Zach Werenski (32), have turned the puck over more this season. Those are all very good players, which some would suggest gives Ekholm the benefit of the doubt, but a look at past seasons show how uncharacteristic this is for him.
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Had he played a full 82 games last season, Ekholm was on pace for 104 giveaways. His pace this season over a full 82-game schedule has him on pace for 148. Looking back at the 2023-24 season, Ekholm’s best as an Oiler, he had just 58 giveaways through 79 games. It may just be a rough stretch of play, but these stats may instead suggest a player who is slowing down in all facets of the game.
Ekholm’s Deal Could Age Very Poorly
Should these struggles from Ekholm continue for much longer, there is going to start to be some real concern about his extension moving forward. While the $4 million cap hit doesn’t break the bank, this is a player the Oilers signed with the hopes that he could continue in his top-pairing role. Based on his play through the first 15 games of the 2025-26 campaign, that may have been wishful thinking.
