2 weeks agoEdmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) will return to the starting lineup on Tuesday evening to face the Utah Hockey Club. Ekholm has missed the previous six contests due to this injury. Fantasy managers should expect the 34-year-old to return to his role on the top pairing alongside Evan Bouchard. Over his previous nine contests, Ekholm scored one goal and added four helpers. During this stretch, Ekholm logged 17 shots on goal with 14 blocked shots. Through 60 total contests this season, the 34-year-old has found the back of the net eight times and added 19 helpers. Ekholm has logged 39 hits with 86 blocked shots. Ekholm carries more value in formats that reward hits and blocks but is a risky play in DFS, given his low-scoring upside.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Tony Brar
2 weeks agoEdmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) is likely to miss three more games. He has already been sidelined for three games and will miss at least a few additional contests, as the Swedish veteran did not travel with the team for a three-game road trip. The positive news for the team is that John Klingberg (undisclosed) has joined the trip. He could be ready to jump into the lineup on Thursday against the New Jersey Devils. If not, Troy Stecher will likely continue to play. Stecher ended a 16-game barren spell with an assist in Monday's 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Daniel Nugent-Bowman
3 weeks agoEdmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed) will miss a third consecutive game on Monday against the Buffalo Sabres. He is nursing a minor injury and has been battling an illness. With Ekholm out, Jake Walman will join Evan Bouchard on the first defensive pairing for Monday's game. Following his arrival from San Jose, Walman debuted with the Oilers on Saturday against the Dallas Stars. It was a busy night for him with one assist, three shots, three blocks, and two hits across 24:40 of ice time. Skating alongside Darnell Nurse, Walman registered a plus-three rating against the Stars, but he will be trusted with a new partner in defense on Monday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
3 weeks agoEdmonton Oilers defensemen Mattias Ekholm (illness) and John Klingberg (undisclosed) will not play in Thursday's showdown against the Montreal Canadiens. Both players missed Wednesday's practice and will come out of the lineup for at least one game. Troy Stecher and Cam Dineen will fill the gaps on the blue line, with Darnell Nurse and Brett Kulak moving up in the lineup. Dineen will make his Oilers debut on Thursday. The 26-year-old has previously skated in 34 games in the big league with the Arizona Coyotes, posting seven assists. He has flashed some offensive upside in the minors this season, leading all defensemen on the Bakersfield Condors roster with five goals and 24 assists over 45 AHL games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: NHL.com
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