Andrej Sekera, noted team dad, is hoping to be back on the ice with the boys before Christmas. Sekera is still recovering from the offseason ACL surgery and is now (finally) nearing his return. How far off is he? Let’s take a look.

While the Adam Larsson setback certainly wasn’t good news for the Oilers, things weren’t all bad at practice today. Andrej Sekera took part in contact drills today as he continues to get closer to returning from offseason ACL surgery. It goes without saying that getting Reggie back in the lineup would be nothing but positive for the Oilers, but we still don’t know how far off he is. Fortunately, I know a guy that might have an idea.

So I called Gregor and asked him about Sekera and when he hopes to be ready.

Whoa, baby. That’s what I like to hear. Tell me everything about it. What’s the next step? What speed bumps does he still have to face? WHEN DO WE GET HIM BACK, GREGOR, TELL ME?!

Ah, yes. I imagine the old boy will be feeling mighty sore after these hard days of putting the work in. I’ve never had ACL surgery myself, but I’ve spoken to a few guys that have and it doesn’t sound fun or even in the ballpark of fun. Even so, when he does come back, I’m guessing that his knee will be plenty tender.

What a man. I’m guessing he’ll smear the blood of the innocent on his knee as a means to speed up the recovery. Okay, so maybe I made that up but you never know what kind of ancient remedies those Eastern European countries have, ya know? Either way, the fact that Sekera is nearing his return can only be good news for an Oilers team that desperately needs to tighten things up in their own end.

I know having Sekera back won’t necessarily fix all the defensive zone gaffs that have been happening on a nightly basis but it certainly will help. I mean, the guy hasn’t played in seven months but he’s still going to be a better option than some of the guys we have currently. Yes, it’s going to take him some time to get up to speed, but I still think that having him back in the lineup will allow Todd McLellan to better slot some of the current options he has in the top six. Sekera was such a calming influence on the blue line that getting him back will be a big boost in terms of the Oilers’ ability to defend as well as their ability to move the puck up ice.

Will he actually be back before Christmas? I guess we’ve got 20 days to find out.