Oilers make crucial announcement on Trent Frederic and Ekholm injuries before playoffs
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The Edmonton Oilers have been missing top pairing defenceman Mattias Ekholm from most games since the 4 Nations Faceoff break, but he'll be back in the lineup tonight. However, Trent Frederic may not play Game 1.
There's been significant concerns raised on Ekholm after he'd been shut down for two separate stints after the 4 Nations due to injury and illness - but he will be ready for playoffs.
Mattias Ekholm back in the lineup, projected to play on bottom pair
After it was initially believed that Ekholm would not play tonight against San Jose, especially after the recall of Cam Dineen, Ekholm is projected to make his return on the bottom pairing with Ty Emberson.
Ekholm has missed 13 games since the 4 Nations break, and hasn't been playing his best hockey before or after the tournament either.
Theres been some concern that the soon to be 34 year old defenceman has been struggling to recover from his ailments, suggesting it could be a more serious problem that requires management.
It's a telling sign that they're easing him back in on the third pairing, but hopefully, he can find his peak game again.
Trent Frederic likely to miss Game 1 of the playoffs
It's hard to call the Oilers trade deadline deal with Boston a failure, but Trent Frederic being unavailable for Game 1 of the playoffs would be a major drawback for the Oilers.
The Oilers paid for double salary retention on Frederic, but there were reports at the time of the trade that he may not be healthy enough to play by the playoffs.
Now, it seems the Oilers brought him back too early against the Los Angeles Kings, where he appeared to re-aggravate his injury only seconds into the game.
If he's unavailable for the majority of the first round, and the Oilers lose, this deal will be a disgusting failure for Edmonton.
The Oilers have continually said he's a week away since trading for him, but it's trending towards worst case scenario. Some fans are so fed up with the injury, they think there should be a firing over this trade.
The Oilers two major question marks heading into the playoffs will be the healthy of their core players, and if their goaltending can hold up. Given their rocket goalie results this season, and the major list of injuries, they're very significant concerns.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 11 | 630 ANSWERS Oilers make crucial announcement on Trent Frederic and Ekholm injuries before playoffs Do you think the Frederic trade was a failure for the Oilers? | ||
| Yes | 388 | 61.6 % |
| No | 242 | 38.4 % |
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