Brutal blow for Edmonton Oilers as star D-man suffers season-jeopardizing injury, claims insider

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm could be out for a while, if not the rest of the season, insider Ryan Rishaug claims.

Ekholm, who had missed seven games due to injury, returned to the ice on Friday night against the San Jose Sharks. However, Ekholm left the ice after two shifts and 1:52 of ice time. He apparently reaggravated the injury, causing him to head back to the dressing room.

By the end of the first period, Mattias Ekholm was officially ruled out for the rest of the game.

At this point, it is unclear whether the brutal blow to the Oilers lineup could have a lasting impact. Per Rishaug, the injury could end Ekholm’s season:

“Tough news for Oilers and Ekholm. Hearing there are further tests to be done, but it’s believed to be a serious injury that worst case scenario may end his season, best case scenario will keep him sidelined for quite some time.”

The best-case scenario points to Mattias Ekholm being “sidelined for quite some time.” However, that vague term does not specify how long that could be.

As a result, the Oilers recalled Cam Dineen and Derek Ryan from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Dineen will likely slide into the third pairing with Troy Stetcher as the club sorts out what to do in Ekhom’s absence.

Earlier this week, the Oilers placed John Klingberg on LTIR, leaving the Oilers down three defenseman. Jake Walman is also on the shelf but could be back at some point before the start of the 2025 NHL playoffs.

Zach Hyman joins Mattias Ekholm on Oilers injury list

Shortly after Mattias Ekholm left Friday night’s 4-2 win over the Sharks, Zach Hyman also exited the game. Hyman had seemingly been caught with Henry Thrun’s stick, causing him to leave the game as well.

According to Daily Faceoff, Hyman is injured, but there is no word on what his ailment could be or how long he might be out, if at all.

The Oilers are already down Leon Draisaitl and Trent Frederic in their forward group. Frederic, a trade deadline acquisition, has yet to make his Oilers debut.

Then, there’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who’s still recovering from an illness and missed Friday’s game against the Sharks. It remains to be seen if he could be back for the Oilers’ next tilt against, Sunday night against the Winnipeg Jets.

All told, the Oilers have been decimated with injuries at the worst possible team. The team hopes to gradually get players back one-by-one as the regular season ends and the 2025 NHL playoffs get underway.