Edmonton legend Kevin Lowe pins Oilers' back-to-back Stanley Cup losses on $25,000,000 Oilers D-man's "totally uncharacteristic" plays

Edmonton's legendary defenseman Kevin Lowe attributed the Oilers’ back-to-back Stanley Cup losses to the Florida Panthers to defenseman Mattias Ekholm’s uncharacteristic plays.

On the Oilers Now podcast with Bob Stauffer, Lowe highlighted Ekholm’s struggles, suggesting a significant injury impacted his play, as he would not have played in a regular-season game.

Lowe pointed out several uncharacteristic errors, including breakaways, poor passes, and a critical defensive lapse where the Panthers were able to capitalize on the errors. These mistakes occurred multiple times in the playoffs.

"If it was a regular season game, there's a zero chance he would have been playing. But like, you know, the more I thought about it, some of the plays he made were just totally uncharacteristic of a guy in his hockey sense and ability," Lowe said.

"Some breakaways, some plays, and passes that weren't quite as good that he put in his partner's feet. Then he went to that one goal and he tried to go over and defend. I think Bennett walked around him and scored. That never, you know, 999 times out of a thousand, that never happens to a guy like him. It happened a few times in the playoffs," he added.

While some might point to goaltending, Lowe believes Ekholm’s diminished performance was a key factor in the series against the Panthers.

Mattias Ekholm played through a suspected groin injury throughout the playoffs, leading to some notable errors, including poor passes, allowing breakaways, and critical defensive lapses in the final series against the Panthers.

Ekholm appeared in seven playoff games, recording a goal and five assists. In the regular season, the 35-year-old veteran notched 33 points through nine goals and 24 assists in 65 games.

Oilers GM Stan Bowman justifies Trent Frederic's contract extension

The Edmonton Oilers general manager justified winger Trent Frederic's eight-year, $30.8 million contract extension with the team last month. His contract carries an AAV of $3.85 million.

Bowman justified Trent Frederic’s contract extension by highlighting his character and fit with the team.

"He’s just an awesome guy, first of all. Like outside of the hockey, he’s a guy that you believe in, you want him as part of your team. So I really like the character of Freddie, but that alone is not the reason to sign a guy to a long-term deal," Bowman said via the Edmonton Journal.

Frederic joined the Oilers following a trade from the Boston Bruins during the trade deadline period in March. The 27-year-old appeared in 22 playoff games, recording four points (one goal and three assists).