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Mattias Ekholm

Nashville Predators’ Mattias Ekholm “Available”

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There is a brand new name to throw out onto the 2023 trade deadline hot stove, and it’s a big one. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff writes that Nashville Predators general manager David Poile “is ready to consider moving” Mattias Ekholm, and lists him as “available” in his first Trade Targets board.

Ekholm, 32, signed a four-year $25MM extension with the Predators in 2021 that just kicked in this season, but like many others in Nashville over the years, was not able to secure any trade protection. Poile has only given no-trade or no-movement clauses out to Pekka Rinne, Roman Josi, and most recently Filip Forsberg, opting instead to maintain all control if he needed to part with a key player.

That would certainly describe Ekholm, who has been a rock on the Nashville blueline for more than a decade. The veteran defenseman has played 697 regular season games for the franchise, averaging nearly 22 minutes a night. He even received some Norris Trophy attention in 2018-19 when he set a career-high with 44 points, though his responsible defensive game gets much more attention than his offensive ability.

Ekholm’s name has come up a few times in the past when the Predators are facing a cap crunch thanks to underperforming veteran contracts. That’s the case this season, with Nashville dropping to 15-14-6 after some recent struggles. They are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league (only the Anaheim Ducks have scored fewer goals so far) and yet have three forwards making at least $8MM per season.

Ryan Johansen’s encouraging 2021-22 campaign looks like a mirage, as his offense (and playing time) is back down, while Mikael Granlund is on pace for fewer than ten goals in the second season of a four-year, $20MM contract. If Poile and the Predators start to sell, there aren’t a ton of attractive assets to move.

Even Ekholm, who carries a $6.25MM cap hit, may not bring back what he could have a few years ago. He’ll turn 33 in May, has a lot of miles on his body (including 886 blocked shots), and doesn’t have the same offensive impact he once did. Signed through 2025-26, it would require a significant investment from the acquiring team.

Seravalli also lists Ryan McDonagh as a possibility, though suggests the Stanley Cup champion’s no-trade clause (which was given to him by the Tampa Bay Lightning) could make that more difficult. With seven 30+ players on the roster making at least $4MM per season – and none of them on expiring contracts – the Predators could be in for some tough times if things don’t turn around.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Mattias Ekholm Added To COVID Protocol

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When the Nashville Predators take the ice against the Boston Bruins this afternoon they will be missing another one of their cornerstone players. The team has announced that defenseman Mattias Ekholm has been placed into the NHL’s COVID-19 Protocol. With forward Filip Forsberg also still on the COVID list, the Predators will be missing two impact players for the foreseeable future.

Ekholm is part of Nashville’s dominant top pair alongside Roman Josi, who each play over 23 minutes of ice time per night. While the second pair of Alexandre Carrier and Dante Fabbro have performed well this season, Ekholm’s absence will be felt, especially if he misses an extended stretch. The Predators have a busy week ahead, starting a stretch of five games in eight days on Saturday, with divisional match-ups against St. Louis and Winnipeg among them. While the Preds have the appearance of a division leader due to total points, their record is in fact fourth in the Central, sandwiched between the Blues and Jets. Ekholm’s stable play in big minutes and critical penalty kill role are not easily replaced, so the Predators will hope he can return to the lineup sooner rather than later.

Nashville did get one name back from the COVID Protocol though and that is forward Yakov Trenin. The physical winger has cleared the protocol’s requirement and is back in the lineup on Saturday. Trenin is fifth among Predators forwards with nine goals this season and in the top ten in points too, well on his way to a career year.

Three Players Out Tuesday For Nashville Predators

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The Nashville Predators will play Tuesday night’s game against the Detroit Red Wings with an injury-hampered lineup. Per the team, goalie Juuse Saros and defensemen Matt Benning and Mattias Ekholm are all unavailable for the tilt against Detroit.

Saros and Ekholm are both out with non-COVID-related illness, a growing trend across the NHL as cold and flu season hits. Benning is listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Benning played all of Nashville’s last game, a win against the Montreal Canadiens. He had an assist in 15:51 of ice time. The nature of the upper-body injury is unknown.

The losses of Saros and Ekholm are tough to swallow. Saros has once again been the rock of this Predators team that still finds itself in playoff contention with a .921 save percentage in 20 games played. Ekholm, while he hasn’t produced much on the scoresheet (just five assists), is second on the team in ice time per game (23:18).

David Rittich gets the start in goal in place of Saros, while call-up Connor Ingram will serve as the backup. Ben Harpur and Philippe Myers re-enter the lineup in place of Benning and Ekholm.

Nashville Predators Extend Mattias Ekholm

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The Nashville Predators have been working for some time on an extension for Mattias Ekholm, and have finally reached an agreement. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the two sides have signed a four-year extension worth a total of $25MM. The $6.25MM average annual value will be a substantial increase over Ekholm’s current deal, which carries a cap hit of $3.75MM and is set to expire at the end of this season. In a statement, Predators GM David Poile explains exactly why:

When you think about foundational pieces on our hockey team, Mattias Ekholm is certainly at the top of the list, and we couldn’t be happier to get this deal done with the start of the regular season upon us. An alternate captain who leads both vocally and by example, Mattias brings stability and size to our defense corps and has embraced serving as a mentor to the younger players on our team. We have a group of young, right-shot defensemen that includes Alexandre Carrier, Philippe Myers, Dante Fabbro and Matt Benning who all have the opportunity to learn from and play with Mattias on the side opposite him, and we’re excited about the stability that will provide us on the blue line.

Ekholm, 31, has been a key part of the Predators defense for years now, making his debut back in the 2011-12 season and becoming a regular in 2013. One of the most consistent two-way presences in the league, he has recorded at least 23 points in each of the last six seasons, with a career-high of 44 in 2018-19. With Ryan Ellis now in Philadelphia, he will likely be asked to carry even more responsibility on special teams and is easily the team’s most reliable option behind captain Roman Josi.

Still, signing Ekholm at this point is a curious move for the Predators, who don’t appear to be in a true win-now mode at this point. Big contracts to Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen haven’t worked out, leaving their offensive group a work in progress to this point. Viktor Arvidsson, a big piece of that attack was shipped out this summer, while Filip Forsberg is on the final year of his current deal. If anything, it seemed more likely that Poile would enter this season ready to pull the trigger on some deadline deals that could restock the cupboard and set up the Predators for future success.

An extension for Ekholm certainly removes him from the deadline equation, and locks him into things with the Predators through 2025-26. There’s real risk that this contract won’t look very team-friendly a few years from now, though Ekholm has certainly provided plenty of surplus value to this point. The contract he will finish this year is one of the best bargains in the league, perhaps giving the team one last shot to compete with this group before more substantial changes are made.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Predators Notes: Ekholm, Forsberg, Richards

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If the Predators are going to sign defenseman Mattias Ekholm to a contract extension, it certainly seems like the deal will need to be done soon.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reported in a recent TSN Insider Trading segment that Ekholm’s camp as informed the team that they intend to stop talks on a new deal if an agreement isn’t reached by the start of the regular season.  The 31-year-old hasn’t exactly hidden his desire to stick around so it may seem strange on the surface but it could simply be used as a pressure point to try to push the deal across the finish line.  Ekholm is in the final season of a six-year deal with a $3.75MM AAV and will be getting a significant raise on his next contract, whenever it happens to get done.

More from Nashville:

  • While Ekholm is well into discussions on his next deal, the same can’t be said for winger Filip Forsberg as his agent J.P. Barry told Adam Vingan of The Athletic (subscription link) that talks on Forsberg’s next deal have yet to begin. The 27-year-old appears to be content to play out his deal, putting Nashville in a bit of a tough spot.  The Preds would undoubtedly love to keep him around but at the same time, while they’d like to remain competitive while rebuilding, his departure would probably push them in a longer-term direction so the earlier they know whether or not they can keep him, the better it would be for them.
  • The team is hoping that assistant coach Todd Richards could be back behind the bench on opening night, relays Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean. Richards, who joined the Predators a year ago to coach their defense, suffered a heart attack back on October 1st.

Latest On Mattias Ekholm, Filip Forsberg

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At one point last season, speculation swirled around the Nashville Predators and every member of their veteran core. The team was playing poorly, half the roster was injured and it was obvious a change was necessary if they ever wanted to open up opportunities for some of the organization’s young players. Mattias Ekholm, who was only signed through the 2021-22 season was an obvious target, and teams all across the league started expressing interest even though the veteran defenseman was clear in his desire to stay in Nashville.

The Predators turned things around and made the playoffs without selling off any assets at the deadline, but a first-round exit made all of the trade talk surface once again. Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Ellis, two of the faces of the franchise, were moved this offseason in deals that opened up quite a bit of cap space and added younger pieces to the organization. Now, as the season approaches, there are two more core pieces under the microscope because of their contract status.

One of them, Ekholm, made it very clear once again today that if possible he’d like to stay with the Predators past this season. Speaking to reporters including Paul Skrbina of the Tennessean, the 31-year-old defenseman explained that he would have signed an extension “yesterday” if he could, though he’s leaving the negotiations up to his agent and Nashville GM David Poile. The feeling appears to be mutual, as Poile explained last month that after signing Juuse Saros to an extension, the team would turn their attention to a deal for Ekholm.

With Ellis out of the picture, even more weight will be put on the shoulders of the veteran duo of Ekholm and Roman Josi. While young Dante Fabbro has shown he can handle an increased role and Philippe Myers, acquired in the Ellis deal should fit in nicely, the Predators’ hopes really rely on their two anchors on the back end. Josi is entering the second season of his massive eight-year, $72.5MM extension, but Ekholm will carry a cap hit of just $3.75MM in the final year what became one of the most valuable contracts in the league. After earning just $22.5MM over the six-year contract, he’ll likely be looking for quite the raise if an extension is to be worked out.

The other player that will draw speculation this season is Filip Forsberg, the team’s best offensive weapon and another veteran on an expiring deal. Poile explained last month that he would reach out to Forsberg’s representatives before training camp, but it doesn’t sound like those negotiations have really started at this point. The 27-year-old forward told Robby Stanley of 102.5 The Game yesterday that he has “no rush to sign” and feels like “you have to play your contract out.”

Acquired from the Washington Capitals in an infamous 2013 trade, Forsberg has routinely been the Predators’ most reliable offensive player. He has 385 points in 497 games with the team, including 32 in 39 during the 2021-22 season. If he does end up on the open market next summer he would be a target for many teams looking to add to the top-six, meaning if a deal can’t be worked out at some point, speculation will swirl once again as the trade deadline approaches. Forsberg carries a cap hit of $6MM this season, and like almost everyone else in Nashville, does not hold a no-trade clause.

Nashville Predators Turning Focus To Mattias Ekholm Extension

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The Nashville Predators locked in Juuse Saros this week to a four-year, $20MM contract, but the work doesn’t end there for GM David Poile. The executive told ESPN radio that the focus will now turn to an extension for Mattias Ekholm.

Now that we’re past the Juuse situation, we’re going to turn our focus now to Ekholm. I actually spoke with his agent yesterday afternoon and we’re going to talk either later this week or next week on that. 

Ekholm, 31, is heading into the final season of his six-year, $22.5MM contract signed in 2015 that turned into one of the best bargains in the NHL. Originally a fourth-round pick in 2009, Ekholm has been a key member of the team’s blueline since 2014 and has averaged at least 22:52 in each of the last five seasons. This year he had 23 points in just 48 games and is part of the reason why someone like Ryan Ellis was deemed expendable this offseason. The Predators moved Ellis to the Philadelphia Flyers in a deal that cleared some cap and added some more young forward talent, but still have Ekholm and captain Roman Josi to anchor the back end.

While Josi is locked in long-term, Ekholm would be one of the top free agents if he hit the open market next summer. An extension would likely have to include a substantial raise on his current $3.75MM cap hit, with a contract like Jake Muzzin’s recent four-year, $22.5MM deal being an easy comparable. The fact that Ekholm will be 32 whenever his next contract begins is a big factor, but he has shown no real signs of slowing down to this point. The Predators have three depth defensemen–Mark Borowiecki, Matthew Benning, and Ben Harpur–all coming off the books after this season, which could free up a little bit of space depending on their replacements. The trio currently combines for $3.8MM.

There’s another big fish in Nashville scheduled for unrestricted free agency after this season though, as Filip Forsberg will be reaching the end of his six-year, $36MM deal. Poile also explained the team’s gameplan on an extension with the 27-year-old forward:

Shortly before training camp we’ll reach out to Filip Forsberg and his camp to sort of get a lay of the land as where Filip’s thoughts are right now. Those are the next two priorities. 

Once again, Forsberg was a driving force behind Nashville’s offense (such as it is), scoring 32 points in 39 games. Incredibly, that was actually the most by any forward on the team despite him missing a good chunk of the season, showing just how important Forsberg is to the team overall. Nashville is basically running it back with almost the same group up front this season after only really bringing back Mikael Granlund in free agency, though several young players should be given a bigger role. Newcomer Cody Glass joins Eeli Tolvanen (who does not yet have a contract as an RFA) and Philip Tomasino as the team’s net wave of forward talent that could really tip the scales toward contending again.

It’s Forsberg though that will need to be the focus in a few weeks, as relying on the development of those young players without a consistent offensive player like him in the mix will be a difficult task. Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene have both been huge disappointments thus far, Viktor Arvidsson was traded this offseason and even Calle Jarnkrok, who finished second among all Nashville forwards this year, was lost to the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. Losing Forsberg in free agency would create a giant hole up front similar to the one Ekholm would leave on the back end, meaning these two negotiations are extremely important if the Predators want to stay competitive in the short-term.

Trade Deadline Primer: Nashville Predators

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Although we’re less than three months into the season, the trade deadline is already just three weeks away.  Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make?  We continue our look around the league with the Nashville Predators.

The Nashville Predators are sellers. In fact, the Predators being ready to gut their roster has been one of the more talked-about storylines of the 2020-21 season. Ask any media personality in hockey and they will say that Nashville is shopping this guy and listening on that guy. It seems that almost anyone on the roster could be available as the Predators have been labeled as disappointments.

Yet, hidden behind the headlines, the outrage level likely isn’t that high internally in Nashville. Quietly, the team is actually playing quite well of late. Since Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman proclaimed last month that there were only three untouchables on the entire Nashville roster, the team has gone 10-7-1 including four wins in a row and wins in six of their past seven. The team is up to .500 on the season and that could be enough to sneak into the postseason in the Central Division’s final spot. In their history, the Predators have never really torn apart their roster and restarted and it seems unlikely that they have the proper motivation to do so now.

With that said, this is still not where the 2017 Western Conference Champions thought they would be at this point in time. The season results have gotten worse each year since their Stanley Cup Final appearance: a second-round exit in 2018, a first-round loss in 2019, and a failure to even advance beyond the qualifying round last year. Now, there is a real possibility that the Predators could miss the playoffs entirely this season. A team loaded with depth and numerous talented veterans, Nashville should be better and it is somewhat inexplicable why they aren’t. As a result, there needs to be a shake-up. However, given the recent improvements, the Predators’ approach to the deadline is likely to be less fire sale and more strategic dealing, especially in a buyer’s market.

Record

17-17-1, .500, T-5th in Central Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$2.46MM in full-season space ($10.97MM at the trade deadline), 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2021: NSH 1st, NSH 2nd, NSH 3rd, NSH 4th, COL 4th, NSH 5th, NSH 6th
2022: NSH 1st, NSH 2nd, NSH 3rd, NSH 4th, NSH 5th, NSH 7th

Trade Chips

It is probably easier to start with the players who aren’t for sale. As Friedman noted back in February, that definitely includes career Predator goaltender Pekka Rinne, who is in the last year of his contract and quite possibly his career and is being honored with the ability to go out on his own terms (and a No-Movement Clause helps). It also included cornerstone defensemen Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis. At the time, this was the extent of Friedman’s list. He even noted that young defender Dante Fabbro or top scorer Filip Forsberg could be available at the right price. Now, that is almost certainly not the case. Friedman has also since flipped on Ellis’ availability, but he should be safe. Nashville also has no reason to trade young impact players, such as off-season acquisition Luke Kunin, recent first-round pick Eeli Tolvanen, collegiate standouts Rem Pitlick and Jeremy Davies, and impressive goaltender Juuse Saros.

Beyond that group, it probably isn’t a stretch to say that GM David Poile will at least listen to offers for anyone else on the roster. Part of that is due to the Predators’ current situation and the slim likelihood that they can contend this season, even if they do sneak into the playoffs in a top-heavy Central Division. This means that they receive no benefit from hanging on to their impending unrestricted free agents. Mikael Granlund is the top trade chip among this group. The skilled forward was a late off-season signing and somewhat of an afterthought heading into the season, but leads all Nashville forwards in time on ice, proving himself to be an invaluable piece. Other teams have taken notice as well, as Granlund’s name has been floated on the rumor mill more than a few times and has been linked to several contenders. Another late off-season addition, Erik Haula will also be for sale. A similarly versatile forward to Granlund, Haula hasn’t made as much of an impact but has previously proven to be an asset in the right system. Among other expiring contracts, veterans Brad Richardson and Luca Sbisa, if healthy by the deadline, could draw some interest at a cheap price point. Despite their recent success, the Predators only reason for not trading any of these potential rentals would be if they had interest in an extension and only Granlund, their most valuable piece, would conceivably fit the bill.

The other reason why Poile is open to moving other players off his roster, those with term on their contracts, is partially due to the impending Expansion Draft. Whether the Predators choose to use the standard 7-3 protection scheme or instead choose the 8-skater scheme in order to protect Mattias Ekholm, they will be exposing key players either way. Ironically, the Predators’ impressive depth on paper is not doing much to help them this season but will hurt them in expansion. Ekholm is at the top of most trade boards as a name likely to move before the deadline. The Seattle Kraken would not hesitate to claim him if he was to be left exposed in the draft and the Predators will not give him up for free when he can command a strong return on the trade market as a balanced, two-way defenseman with an affordable contract and a reliable top-four track record. Yet, even if Ekholm is traded and the Predators can protect three defensemen and seven forwards, they still face liability up front. Nashville simply has too many valuable names at forward, even if many are underachieving. Are they really ready to let expensive, underwhelming former stars like Ryan Johansen or Matt Duchene go for free? Could they really leave career Predators like Calle Jarnkrok or Colton Sissons exposed? And they also need to consider protecting younger names like Pitlick an Yakov Trenin who could be looked upon to take on larger roles moving forward. There are simply too many names in Nashville for a valuable player not to be left exposed, so why not listen to trade offers instead. Moving Johansen or Duchene this season is unlikely due to cap implications, but Jarnkrok, Sissons, Rocco Grimaldi, and Nick Cousins are all for sale at the right price. The difference between last month’s mindset and the current strategy is likely that only one or two of the aforementioned players are likely to go, rather than the whole lot in a fire sale.

The x-factor for Nashville at the deadline is forward Viktor Arvidsson. By no means does the team have to trade the talented winger, who will have a safe spot on their protection list come Expansion Draft time if he is still on the roster. However, Arvidsson has been in decline for two seasons now – an unexpected regression for a 27-year-old. Arvidsson is still relied upon to play a key top-six role for Nashville, but is failing to produce like he did as a back-to-back 61-point player just a few years ago. On one hand, the Predators would be selling low on the skilled forward, who should still have plenty left in the tank. On the other hand, moving Arvidsson if they are happy with an offer could be the reality check that the team desperately needs. If the trade market remains underwhelming though, as many expect, it is more likely that Arvidsson stays put for now. Trading him at his lowest point while the team is finally gaining traction is not the shake up they need.

Others to Watch For: D Mark Borowiecki ($2MM, 2022 UFA), D Matt Benning ($1MM, 2022 UFA), G Kasimir Kaskisuo ($700K, UFA), D Ben Harpur ($700K, RFA), F Michael McCarron ($700K, RFA)

Team Needs

1) Draft Picks – Despite several years in a row of regular season success, the Predators have managed to build themselves a nice pipeline of talent. At every position, they have multiple players who project to be good NHLers. The problem with their current pipeline is that it is getting a little old. Some of their best prospects are already in the pros, bouncing between the NHL and AHL or locked into contracts overseas. Many others are collegiate players on the older side for prospects. Nashville needs some fresh blood and the best way to do that is to add draft picks. Though they have their full complement of draft picks this year (minus a seventh-rounder), draft pick packages will be the way to go as they move on from current roster players.

2) Top-Four Left-Handed Prospect Defenseman – If available, the one area that Nashville could target a specific player rather than load up on draft picks is at left defense. With Ekholm looking like his time in Nashville is winding down and some concern over whether Boston University defenseman David Farrance will sign with the team or instead opt for free agency, there could be a major hole in the top-four at LHD. The Predators have the cap space to find a capable free agent stopgap, but could use a long-term plan. Young pros Fabbro, Alexandre Carrier, and Frederic Allard are all right-handed and Davies looks like a solid NHLer but is already 24 and lacks top-pair upside. In the pipeline, Marc Del Gaizo is an intriguing prospect but more likely a bottom-pair defender. No one else even projects to be an NHLer. The Predators need to reload on the blue line, and can do that through the draft, but if a top young left-handed defense prospect is offered up, they would be wise to consider. To a lesser extent, center is also a position that could become a need sooner rather than later in Nashville as many of the Predators’ top forward prospects are not necessarily projected to play center at the top level. A natural pivot with top-six upside would be a nice addition, but isn’t as pressing as left defense and could be more easily found where the team expects to pick in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft.

Latest On Nashville Predators Deadline Chips

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The Nashville Predators have won three of their last four games and had a familiar face on the ice at this morning’s skate, as injured captain Roman Josi joined the group while working his way back. The team also had pending unrestricted free agent Mikael Granlund on the ice after he missed the team’s game on Sunday, but still absent were the group of Matt Duchene, Luke Kunin, and Ryan Ellis.

Ellis specifically is not close to a return, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be making headlines. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet opened his 31 Thoughts column today with a note on the veteran defenseman, explaining that he is no longer off-limits in trade talks. Ellis was one of three players that Friedman listed as an “untouchable” when discussing the Predators last month, but now writes that “something’s made the Predators think.”

Specifically, Friedman speculates that the Philadelphia Flyers could be a fit for Ellis, given how long he could be an impact player for them. The recently-turned 30-year-old is under contract through the 2026-27 season at a cap hit of $6.25MM, more than reasonable when Ellis is playing at his full capacity. There aren’t a ton of defensemen that can impact the game as much as Ellis when healthy, as shown by his outstanding offensive and defensive numbers.

Since his first full season in 2013-14, Ellis ranks 30th among defensemen in scoring with 244 points, fifth in plus/minus at +103, and has averaged more than 21 minutes a night playing on both the powerplay and penalty kill. If possession statistics are more your taste, his 56.5% on-ice GF% puts him 10th among defensemen with at least 100 games played, and he comes in at 27th in CF% at 52.7%, again among those with at least 100 games played since 2013-14.

In short, Ellis is a true top-pairing defenseman that could be a game-changer for many teams around the league, though it’s not clear what kind of package would be needed to pry him out of Nashville. Even his inclusion in trade talks is surprising and may point to a more widespread rebuild plan for Predators GM David Poile.

Also mentioned in Friedman’s piece is Granlund, who continues to be among the top rental options on the market, and Calle Jarnkrok, who still has a year left on his contract. The 29-year-old Jarnkrok was one of the long-term deals that paid off for Poile, who signed him to a six-year, $12MM deal in 2016 after just 167 NHL games. While he has never really developed into a top scoring option, Jarnkork has chipped in double-digit goal totals in each season of the deal and has 15 points in 26 games this season. For just a $2MM cap hit, that kind of scoring depth is valuable, especially when it is versatile enough to play center or the wing.

Mattias Ekholm is the other big name available in Nashville, and though Ellis steals Friedman’s headline, the Sportsnet scribe tucks in another note. Other executives around the league believe that Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin has “made a push” for Ekholm, despite his pleas to the media that it will be a quiet deadline for the club. Ekholm has been linked to almost every contender in the league at one point or another, given how effective he is for a relatively low cap hit. The 30-year-old is under contract through next season at a $3.75MM cap hit, though is owed $5MM in actual salary for 2021-22.

Even with several obstacles in the way of trades this season, it seems to be shaping up as an exciting deadline for the Predators if they want it to be.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Bruins, Jets Among Teams Interested In Mattias Ekholm

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One of the top prizes of the trade deadline – if he ultimately gets dealt – is Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm.  A top-four blueliner is hard to come by at this time of year, especially one that’s on an affordable contract for next season.  Accordingly, there will be no shortage of suitors, even in a salary cap environment where most contenders can’t afford to add anyone of consequence without offsetting money.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 31 Thoughts column that the Jets and Bruins are among the teams that are interested in Ekholm’s services.

The 30-year-old has been a minutes-eater for several seasons now, logging more than 23 per night over each of the last four seasons, a number that hasn’t dipped much this year as Ekholm is at 22:18 per game in 2020-21.  He’s playing at a 33-point pace offensively, a mark that he has reached in four of the last five seasons as well.  Often matched against top lines from other teams, he’s someone that can conceivably slot onto the top pairing which will have many contenders intrigued.

The easy parallel to draw in terms of what the cost will be is Toronto’s acquisition of Jake Muzzin two years ago.  Muzzin’s contract situation was similar to Ekholm’s deal ($3.75MM this season and next before being UFA-eligible) and Friedman notes that Nashville is using Muzzin’s return as a template for these talks.  That would include a first-round pick plus a pair of quality prospects.

There is definitely a case to be made for both Boston and Winnipeg to pay that price.  The Bruins never replaced Torey Krug who left for St. Louis in free agency last summer which has left a vacancy in their top-four.  Their younger blueliners have held their own in that role but if they have eyes on contending, they’d be in better shape with a proven veteran in that spot.  Jarred Tinordi, a recent waiver claim to cover for some recent injuries, suffered an upper-body injury tonight against Pittsburgh as well.

As for the Jets, defense has been a considerable weakness for them the last couple of years with the exodus of talent they’ve had.  Two years ago, Dustin Byfuglien, Jacob Trouba, Tyler Myers, and Ben Chiarot were all fixtures on their back end but all four are gone now with Neal Pionk being the only impact blueliner added since then.  Ekholm would form a nice one-two punch on the left side with Josh Morrissey and give that unit some stability.  Of course, there is the quarantine period to contend with but GM Kevin Cheveldayoff indicated yesterday that it’s not a concern for him; they’ve already made one big move this season with that in place as it is.

Ekholm has made it known that his preference is to remain in Nashville but as Friedman puts it, the veteran may be the ‘belle of the trading ball’ at the moment.  If that’s the case, GM David Poile may eventually be offered an offer that’s too good to pass up on between now and next month’s trade deadline which means the defenseman may not get his wish.

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