Leon Draisaitl gets caught on hot mic after Mattias Ekholm blasts one past him

A small moment on the ice has Oilers fans talking as opening week gets closer.

Kevin McCurdy says he thinks he heard Leon Draisaitl react out loud after Mattias Ekholm blasted a shot past him on a dump in.

It is a tiny detail, but that is exactly why people love it.

It sounds like a superstar was caught off guard by a teammate who has quietly been one of the most trusted defencemen in Edmonton since arriving from Nashville in February 2023.

Ekholm has a heavy shot and everyone in that room knows it.

He picked up his first career hat trick on January 26 against Anaheim, in a 7-4 win, and it came in his 938th NHL game.

Not bad for a guy drafted 102nd overall back in 2009.

The Swedish defenceman is signed on the three-year, $12 million extension he agreed to last October, and that deal kicks in this season.

At $4 million a year, that is strong value for a player who eats tough minutes.

Recent practice lines also show him skating next to Evan Bouchard again after an earlier camp look had the two split up.

Draisaitl put up 97 points in 65 games last season, and he has been skating alongside Connor McDavid in practice.

Give that duo time and space, add a defenceman who can fire it like Ekholm, and you can see why the mood around this team feels light.

Of course, it is one moment, and we only have one person's ears to go on.

Still, it is the kind of small locker room energy that makes the start of a season fun.

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