Now that’s a beautiful sight. It’s Andrej Sekera on the ice with the Oilers during their pre-game skate. He isn’t playing, of course, but it’s great to see the veteran defender back on the ice with the team because this represents a major step in his recovery process.

Sekera suffered an ACL injury during last year’s second round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks and it was expected that he was going to miss the first few months of the season. The Oilers have obviously really missed Sekera, who, while not flashy, brings a very steady, calming presence on the team’s blueline. Sekera has been skating for the past while but it hasn’t always been with his teammates.

Sekera led the team’s stretch and was participating in full skates with the team, which is a good sign. Hopefully, this means that his return to the team is a matter of weeks rather than a matter of months at this point. That said, while the Oilers blueline has looked out of sorts without Sekera and the team’s start has been anything other than ideal, we don’t want the veteran defender to be rushed back into action too quickly.

Also, Kris Russell wasn’t on the ice with the Oilers this morning. Apparently, he was hit by a puck and went off the ice early. Jason Gregor reports that he’ll be good to go tonight against New Jersey. 

Source: Edmonton Oilers, Official Twitter Account, 11/3/2017, 10:28am MST