The news is bad surrounding Mattias Ekholm, as Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch announced that he will miss the entirety of the first round of the playoffs. No matter your thoughts on the Edmonton Oilers' 2024-25 regular season, the ups, the downs, and all that was in between, they've accomplished the most significant thing, <a href='https://www.nhl.com/standings/2025-04-14/wildcard' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>which is that they are in the playoffs.</a> Yes, there are valid worries. The season's been a roller-coaster, and injury woes still linger, however, that's life for every contender this time of the year. The biggest loss? Mattias Ekholm. The veteran defenceman brings size, poise, leadership, and versatility. He plays big minutes in every situation and has been a stabilizing presence on Evan Bouchard. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/1911141211827511500'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> <h3>Ekholm's absence is one of the more significant ones for the Oilers</h3> Outside of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, there's a strong case to be made that Ekholm is the one player this team could least afford to lose. Unfortunately, head coach Kris Knoblauch confirmed <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/edmonton-oilers/more-troubling-signs-emerge-for-oilers-top-defenseman-mattias-ekholm-playoff-status' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Ekholm will miss all of Round 1</a>. That's not just a loss, it's a big one. Mattias Ekholm will miss round one. - Kris Knoblauch <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/nhlupdate/status/1911828184213176629'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1911828970162598235'><div style='border:1px solid #CCCCCC;border-radius:10px;padding:20px;width:300px;'>Loading from Twitter ...</div></a></blockquote></div> But this isn't the end of the world. The Oilers have their deepest blue line in years. Darnell Nurse is playing the best all-around hockey of his life. Bouchard has elite offensive instincts and showed he can take it to another gear in the playoffs last spring. Brett Kulak has flown under the radar as a consistent top-four option, and the Jake Walman acquisition is becoming more crucial by the day. He brings mobility, can help on the penalty kill, and even contributes on the second power-play unit. Is the loss of Ekholm a setback? Absolutely. But this team has the pieces to withstand it, at least in the short term.