The price gets high for Mattias Ekholm on the trade market

So... who pulls the trigger?

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 3 years ago
The price gets high for Mattias Ekholm on the trade market
Zuma Press

The trade deadline is just around the corner and players who are susceptible to getting moved are being mentioned more than once as rumours intensify. On top of that, some prices are increasing to land coveted players and Nashville Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm is one of them. 

On Tuesday’s edition of Insider Trading on TSN, Pierre LeBrun revealed what it would cost a team interested in acquiring the coveted defenseman. And it ain’t cheap. 

“Obviously the big name on the Trade Bait List from the Predators remains Mattias Ekholm, the most talented defenseman on the market. And he doesn’t come cheap according to people around the league that I’ve talked to over the last couple of days. It is a three-asset ask to get in on the bidding for Ekholm, which is a first-round pick, an elite prospect and a third asset which can take on different forms. That’s a lot, and part of that is that the Nashville Predators don’t have to trade Mattias Ekholm at this deadline. He’s signed through next season and really, there’s also the internal debate for Nashville; is their best offer at this deadline when contending teams believe they can get Ekholm for two playoff runs, or is it after the July expansion draft when teams who are interested in him no longer have to worry about their protection issues. So, a lot to consider here for Ekholm and the Predators closing in on April 12.”

The price might be too high for some teams that were interested early on, like the Boston Bruins for example. They have one of the weaker prospect pools in the NHL right now and that’s not going to be very attractive to Predators general manager David Poile, who is reportedly looking to rebuild his team by selling off assets at the deadline. As a result there’s been talk that forward Bruins forward Jake DeBrusk would have to be included in any deal involving Ekholm, and when you’re a team competing for a playoff spot that isn’t necessarily the most attractive option.

The Leafs could stay in the mix as they pulled a similar trade back in 2019 when they gave up a package to the Los Angeles Kings for Jake Muzzin. 

Will Kyle Dubas do it again? 

Source: TSN