The price for Mattias Ekholm, and the 5 teams with a shot of getting him.

The National Hockey League is rapidly approaching this season's trade deadline and it is no coincidence that NHL insiders are now sharing their thoughts on who will be moved and where they will end up.

The latest comes courtesy of NHL insider Elliotte Friedman who touched on this year's trade deadline by stating his belief that the Nashville Predators will get to play kingmaker this time around. Friedman believes that the Predators could very well determine the fate of who makes a deep run in the playoffs depending on which trades they make, with one name clearly at the top of his list. 

Friedman was asked about the Predators and he made it clear that there are many teams right now vying for the services of defenseman Matthias Ekholm.

"I still get the sense and I heard this weekend that the name that makes the most difference to teams that get him is Ekholm, he's the guy" said Friedman on his podcast. "He's the guy, he's the biggest name out there right now, that I know of... who's a difference maker."

Ekholm is an excellent shot suppressor and what makes him all the more attractive is the fact that he has a very manageable cap hit of $3.75 million, one that comes with the bonus of having one more year of term attached to it. This means that any team trading for Ekholm will have two playoff runs to use him for, assuming they make it there, instead of just one. What that also means however is that the price is high, and Friedman revealed just how high the cost is rumored to be.

"They are looking for a Muzzin kind of package," said Friedman. "Two prospects and a first rounder, and someone is gonna pay that."

Friedman also revealed which teams he believed are currently in the mix for the veteran defenseman's services but expressed varying degrees of confidence in his assessment of each one.

"Now my question is, who is it gonna be? Winnipeg I think is in, Boston is in, I've had some questions about whether or not Toronto is in... I've heard at times Montreal is in, but I've also had people tell that Montreal is not so I don't know what to make of that. The other wild card there is Philly."

That leaves 5 teams in the mix, which one do you think ends up with Ekholm come playoff time?