Major concerns surface about Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm while out with injury

Thankfully the Oilers made a big move to bolster their blue line with the addition of Jake Walman in trade, which will still make the Oilers defence the deepest it's been in years.

Ekholm is currently not travelling with the team on their four game road trip as he stays in Edmonton to heal up from an undisclosed injury.

Not only is Ekholm injured, when he has been in the lineup lately, his play has been far below his standard. Instead of Ekholm being a rock on the Oilers top pair, there's now some cracks in the team's best 5 man unit.

Ekholm was shut down for a stretch of six games shortly after the 4 Nations Faceoff as the Oilers defenceman dealt with the aftermath of an illness, as well as his injury. The illness reportedly lingered for months, which could've been a really nasty experience for him.

Then, there's the hard reality that Ekholm will be turning 35 years old in the next two months. Players obviously decline with age, and it's frankly not responsible for the Oilers top pair expect a 36 year old to lead their defence core next playoffs.

Ekholm has been such a dominant two way defenceman in his time with the Oilers that no one doubts his ability when fully healthy. However, as he is aging and playing through injury, the results are going to decline.

Before the playoffs, the Oilers are taking the right approach to prioritize rest for all of their star players. It's difficult for now for the Oilers to miss Ekholm, but if he's fully healthy come playoffs, it will be well worth it.