Huge update on Mattias Ekholm ahead of Game 1.

After going down early to the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Edmonton Oilers have quite frankly dominated the opposition on their march to the Western Conference Final.

Now the Oilers will have to face their toughest opponent yet in the form of the Dallas Stars, but the good news for the Oilers coming into this series is that, in spite of their dominating performances on the ice, their team is still nowhere close to being at full strength.

The Oilers have been without the services of veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm for all of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs so far but it looks as though that may soon be about to change. Ekholm was back out on the ice well ahead of schedule last week and on Monday morning that good news somehow got even better.

For the first time since his injury, Ekholm was a full participant in practice with the rest of his Oilers teammates. That is of course an exceptionally good sign for the Oilers heading into this series against the Dallas Stars, especially when you consider the fact that Ekholm still has 2 more days to go before the Oilers play in Game 1.

Ekholm has arguably been the Oilers most valuable defenseman since he was acquired during the 2022-23 National Hockey League season and his return to the lineup would be a truly massive boost to the Oilers blue line. The 34 year old played in 65 games for the Oilers this season, recording 9 goals and adding 24 assists for a total of 33 points over that stretch.

Here is a look at Ekholm back out on the ice with his team on Monday: