Mike Babcock reunites his powerhouse blue line duo as training camp experiments end, suggesting Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard will start the season together for the Edmonton Oilers.
Two familiar faces are back together as the Edmonton Oilers took the ice Monday morning ahead of their road trip Tuesday for a rematch in Winnipeg against the Jets. After a day off on Sunday, the Oilers resumed training camp skates, and head coach Mike Babcock paired Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm again.
Babcock hinted he would likely do so in media scrums last week, noting that Ekholm being with newcomer Shakir Mukhamadullin was temporary to help Ekholm get comfortable with the team. The idea was to pair a vocal, trusted leader with a new guy and show him the ropes for a few days. Of course, moving Ekholm down to a bottom pairing slot caught the attention of Oilers media and fans.
When asked about it, the veteran defenseman said of potentially not playing with Bouchard this season, "I never take it for granted to play with a top-five defenseman in the league... I think our games fit really well together." In Saturday's win over the Jets, Bouchard and Ryan Shea played together.
Mark Spector wrote after the opening day of camp, "Interesting that Babcock has demoted Mattias Ekholm to what looks like a third pairing with Shakir Mukhamadullin to open camp. Meanwhile, Ryan Shea takes Ekholm's spot next to Evan Bouchard, at least for now."
As it turns out, the move was temporary.
Should Ekholm Be Ready For a Fluid Season?
Ekholm understood that his age was becoming a topic of discussion, but he still felt he had a lot left to offer. The Oilers, for their part, aren't ready to trade him in for a younger model yet.
Bouchard and Ekholm have been the team's top pairing for some time and until Ekholm shows that his game has regressed, or someone steals his spot, it's likely his to lose.
The duo will likely start the season together, even if the coaching staff opts for a few different deployments during the 2026-27 campaign.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
