NHL insider confirms Oilers reason for shutting down Mattias Ekholm
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Mattias Ekholm has been missing from a majority of Oilers games since the 4 Nations Faceoff, but now NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has reported he will be fully available in the playoffs.
Ekholm has been shut down two times now since the 4 Nations Faceoff, including not coming on the Oilers last 4 game road trip.
Edmonton Oilers shut Mattias Ekholm down again to recover from injury
According to a new update from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer, the Oilers didn't like what they were seeing from Ekholm, and decided to shut down the veteran to get him healthy for a second time.
Ekholm was in my «they're not concerned» bracket. It's just rest for him. The one thing about Ekholm was, he clearly was playing when he wasn't 100%. I think the Oilers just said enough of this - we're just going to rest him and that's what we're going to do.
- Elliotte Friedman
- Elliotte Friedman
The NHL insiders also touched on the injury to Stuart Skinner, saying neither was concerned that he would be able to return to play before the playoffs.
It's very unfortunate, but there's been some raising concern around the level of play from Mattias Ekholm. He's been arguably the best Oilers defenceman for his two way impact, but has fallen off this season.
He's clearly been playing through injury this season, and at times extended illness too. Even after being shut down for 6 games earlier this season, Ekholm still struggled upon his return.
Ekholm will be 34 years old in a few weeks, and is still consistently relied upon by the Oilers to play over 20 minutes a night in their hardest matchups. Age may be catching up to Ekholm, especially around his injury recovery.
It's a concerning sign that the Oilers are so down on Ekholm's play, they're willing to just shut him down entirely twice. It shows that Ekholm isn't healthy, is struggling to recover, and is struggling to keep up his play.
The Oilers may need to begin looking for ways to reduce the workload on Ekholm next season, and beyond that, acquiring their next top pairing left shot defenceman.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 10 | 824 ANSWERS NHL insider confirms Oilers reason for shutting down Mattias Ekholm Do you think Ekholm can still be a top pairing defenceman next season? | ||
| Yes | 646 | 78.4 % |
| No | 118 | 14.3 % |
| Only for one more year | 60 | 7.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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