Is Ekholm Back? Fantastic. The New D-Man Pairings in Edmonton? Concerning — Chemistry Still Lacking as Playoffs Intensify
For a team fighting to stay alive in the NHL playoffs, stability on the back end is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. When Mattias Ekholm returned to the Edmonton Oilers’ lineup, fans and analysts alike exhaled. The Swedish defenseman is a steady, calming force who brings elite positional awareness, strong puck movement, and a wealth of experience. His presence has historically elevated the play of those around him. On paper, his return should have restored order to the Oilers’ blue line. In reality, it has exposed a deeper issue: the lack of established chemistry among the defense pairings.
There was an assumption that Ekholm’s return would settle things down. It hasn’t. Despite his individual performance being largely sound, the larger picture for Edmonton’s defensive corps remains troubling. The Oilers continue to experiment with pairings that lack cohesion. The combinations appear disjointed, and while each player brings certain individual strengths, the units as a whole often look mismatched or hesitant. And in the playoffs, hesitation can be fatal.
The problem isn’t Ekholm himself. He’s been as consistent as ever, using his reach, hockey IQ, and skating to limit opponents’ space. His zone exits are clean, and he frequently makes the right read under pressure. But what’s missing is the synchronicity with his defensive partner. Pairings in the NHL aren’t just about raw talent; they’re about familiarity, timing, and trust. Right now, the Oilers look like a team still trying to find those ingredients among their defensive units.
Darnell Nurse, for example, has seen his role fluctuate more than expected. Once seen as the Oilers’ defensive cornerstone, he’s struggled to assert himself as a reliable presence throughout the postseason. When placed alongside Vincent Desharnais or Cody Ceci, Nurse’s game can look rushed and erratic. The puck management isn’t there. His decisions under duress lack poise, and there’s an inconsistency in how he approaches gap control and coverage in his own zone. These tendencies become magnified when paired with a defense partner who doesn’t naturally complement his style.
Desharnais is another case. His size is an asset, no doubt. At six-foot-seven, he offers reach and physicality, but he also shows signs of rawness under pressure. His puck movement isn’t crisp, and while he battles hard in the corners and in front of the net, the finer details of positioning and transition can lag behind the pace of playoff hockey. When he’s placed in top-four minutes, the cracks begin to show. The issue isn’t effort—it’s execution and fit. Desharnais is a useful depth defenseman, but he may not yet be ready for the elevated responsibility the current pairings are demanding from him.
Cody Ceci’s game has also drawn scrutiny. Known for his conservative style and willingness to play safe, Ceci often defaults to simple plays. That should be a benefit—especially in the chaos of the playoffs—but in Edmonton’s case, it can create a static and predictable breakout, especially when paired with another stay-at-home type. Ceci lacks dynamic puck-moving ability, which forces more responsibility onto his partner to drive transitions. If that partner isn’t elite in that area, the result is slow exits, turnovers, and extended shifts in the defensive zone.
On the other side of the spectrum is Evan Bouchard, whose offensive instincts are undeniable. He’s a playmaker from the blue line with a cannon of a shot and a sixth sense for timing. When Bouchard is on, he changes the complexion of the game. But his defensive game is still evolving. There are lapses in coverage and moments where physical battles are lost. His game needs to be buffered by a stabilizing force—a player like Ekholm. When those two are paired together, the Oilers look formidable. The problem is, that pairing hasn’t been consistently deployed in high-leverage situations during the playoffs. Coach Kris Knoblauch has tinkered, sometimes splitting the duo in an attempt to spread the talent more evenly across all three pairs. But that has a cost.
The ripple effect of splitting Ekholm and Bouchard is that both are diminished. Bouchard without Ekholm can look vulnerable. Ekholm without Bouchard can look underutilized offensively. Together, they balance each other. Separately, their flaws are more exposed. And when these experiments result in Nurse being paired with someone like Ceci, or Desharnais taking top-four minutes, the team becomes more susceptible to defensive breakdowns. The opposition knows it too. Every line change, every matchup opportunity is being analyzed and exploited.
This isn’t to say the Oilers don’t have the talent on the blue line. They do. The issue is that the sum isn’t equaling the parts. Chemistry on defense is built through repetition and communication. Trust takes time. And time is the one thing the Oilers don’t have right now. Each playoff game is a pressure cooker. Every misread, every blown coverage, every failed breakout is magnified. And when a team doesn’t know instinctively how to support each other on the back end, mistakes happen.
Watch the way opposing teams forecheck Edmonton. There’s a targeted aggression, a belief that turnovers can be forced. The breakout passes from the D-zone often lack decisiveness. There’s hesitation, second-guessing. That’s not just a systems issue—it’s a sign of uncertainty between partners. When you don’t know what your partner will do under pressure, you start playing reactive hockey. And reactive hockey on the blue line leads to chasing the puck, not controlling it.
The Oilers’ struggles defensively also feed into the broader rhythm of their game. When the defense is scrambling, the forwards are forced to play deeper. That blunts their transition game and limits offensive zone time. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are two of the best players in the world, but even they need clean zone exits and structured breakouts to generate consistent chances. A disjointed defense takes the puck out of their hands. And when those two aren’t carrying the play, the Oilers become a very different team.
There’s also the mental aspect to consider. A defenseman playing with a new partner isn’t just adjusting on the ice—he’s adjusting his reads, his communication, his rhythm. The playoffs aren’t an ideal time to be making those adjustments. When a forward has to wonder if the defense will make the first pass, or if the second support will arrive on time, doubt creeps in. That doubt can paralyze even the most skilled teams. For the Oilers to succeed, their defense needs to operate with clarity and purpose. Right now, that clarity is missing.
It’s not too late to correct course. The solution may be to stop overthinking the pairings and go with what has worked. Ekholm and Bouchard should be reunited full-time. Nurse, for all his inconsistencies, may be best served with a partner who simplifies the game for him—perhaps someone like Ceci in a sheltered, second-pairing role. Desharnais and Kulak could form a dependable third pair, tasked with killing penalties and chewing up safe, defensive zone minutes. Stability, not experimentation, should be the priority.
The Oilers’ coaching staff faces a delicate balancing act. There’s always the temptation to spread talent across all three pairs. But sometimes, concentrating strength creates a ripple effect that improves the whole unit. A dominant top pairing sets the tone. It draws the toughest matchups, freeing up the second and third pairs for more favorable minutes. Edmonton needs to embrace that logic.
Mattias Ekholm’s return should have been the final piece to a settled puzzle. Instead, his presence has exposed the fragility of the larger structure. His individual performance has been solid, but it hasn’t been enough to compensate for a lack of chemistry elsewhere. The clock is ticking. As the playoffs reach their most critical junctures, Edmonton can no longer afford to search for answers on the fly. The answers are already there—they just need to trust them.
In hockey, defense is about trust. Trust in your partner, in the system, in your reads. Right now, Edmonton’s defensive units are playing without that trust. The result is a team that looks out of sync when it matters most. Ekholm is back, and that’s undeniably a good thing. But until the Oilers settle on pairings that bring out the best in each player—and stick with them—the path to a Stanley Cup will remain clouded with uncertainty.
What’s most frustrating for fans is the sense that the talent is there. The team has the pieces. But chemistry isn’t something that can be willed into existence. It must be built. And the playoffs aren’t the time for construction—they’re the time for execution. Unless the Oilers quickly find a formula that brings stability to their back end, they risk wasting not only the presence of Ekholm but also the window they have with a generational core in McDavid and Draisaitl. It’s time to stop tinkering and start committing. Because in playoff hockey, indecision is the enemy of success.
