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Mattias Ekholm

Injury Notes: Norris, Ekholm, Poolman

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The Ottawa Senators’ playoff hopes were dashed last season in large part due to the absence of second-line center Josh Norris from the lineup. A shoulder injury sustained during training camp limited him to just eight games, but the team hoped he’d be fully ready to go this season after shutting him down for the 2022-23 campaign in January. That may not be the case, as general manager Pierre Dorion said today Norris will wear a non-contact jersey to begin training camp after tweaking something partially related to his shoulder during a captains’ skate last week.

“Josh doesn’t want to wear [the non-contact jersey], but he’ll wear one for a short period of time,” Dorion said. “If the regular season was starting, he’d be playing, just being extra cautious with ongoing rehab.” The 24-year-old centerman is entering the second season of an eight-year, $63.6MM extension signed in July 2022. In 2021-22, his last mostly healthy season, he notched 35 goals and 55 points in 66 contests.

Some other unfortunate injury news as some teams return to the ice for main camps today:

  • Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm is dealing with a minor hip flexor injury and won’t be a full participant when the team’s training camp begins tomorrow, general manager Ken Holland informed reporters, including TSN’s Ryan Rishaug. It’s unclear whether this is an injury that was sustained last season and hasn’t fully healed or whether it’s something Ekholm sustained during the offseason. He didn’t miss any games after coming over from the Nashville Predators prior to last season’s trade deadline. The 33-year-old Swede, who has three seasons remaining on a deal carrying a $6.25MM cap hit, notched five goals and 21 points in 33 regular-season and playoff games in an Oilers jersey to close out the previous campaign. He is once again expected to play a pivotal top-four role and remains a valuable second-pair partner to growing power-play dynamo Evan Bouchard.
  • The Vancouver Canucks confirmed the expected news that defenseman Tucker Poolman will begin the season on long-term injured reserve and won’t attend their training camp. Poolman has suffered from migraines stemming from concussions for multiple seasons and last suited up for the Canucks at the beginning of 2022-23. He’s played in just 43 games for the Canucks since signing a four-year, $10MM contract with them in free agency in 2021.

Edmonton Oilers Make Changes To Scouting Staff

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The Edmonton Oilers announced today that they have made several changes to their scouting staff as the team gears up for training camp. The club has named Rick Pracey as Director of Amateur Scouting while mutually parting ways with Tyler Wright.

The 52-year-old Pracey has been an amateur scout with the Philadelphia Flyers since 2014 and brings over 20 years of scouting experience to Edmonton. He has previously worked as a Director of Amateur Scouting with the Colorado Avalanche, a role he served in from 2008-14 during which time the team selected Tyson Barrie, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Ryan O’Reilly, and Matt Duchene.

A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Pracey’s professional playing career was short-lived as he played college hockey in Canada for both the University of Windsor and Wilfrid Laurier University, as well as a one-year stint in the UHL. After his playing career was over, Pracey joined the Avalanche in 2001 in an amateur scouting role and built his career from there.

For Tyler Wright, he moves on after just over four years with the Oilers. The 50-year-old came over to Edmonton in July 2019 along with Ken Holland after working alongside Holland with the Detroit Red Wings for six seasons. He served as Director of Amateur Scouting for all four years and was in the same role with the Red Wings for over six years.

It will be interesting to see where he lands given that the move was a mutual one for Wright and the Oilers. Wright’s work likely went by the wayside this year as the Oilers drafted just three players in June’s NHL entry draft after trading away picks in the Mattias Ekholm and Kailer Yamamoto trades.

Evening Notes: Van Riemsdyk, Leonard, Marchand, Motte

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According to TSN’s Chris Johnston, the Philadelphia Flyers intend to move pending unrestricted free agent James van Riemsdyk. On today’s TSN Insider Trading, Johnston reported that two interested teams appear to be the Vegas Golden Knights and the Winnipeg Jets. Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon has been busy the last few days, swinging a trade today for goaltender Jonathan Quick and yesterday acquiring center Teddy Blueger. Cap space could be an issue as Vegas has just $3MM left and van Riemsdyk is currently playing under a $7MM cap hit. Winnipeg, on the other hand, have been very quiet since acquiring winger Nino Niederreiter from the Nashville Predators. Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff has over $4.5MM in cap space for the deadline, so he could easily fit van Riemsdyk under budget, should the Flyers be willing to retain 50% to facilitate a move.

Some other notes from across the NHL:

  • The Nashville Predators have been one of the busier sellers in recent days, having shipped out Mattias Ekholm, Mikael Granlund, and Tanner Jeannot with an eye toward building for the future. With all the pieces moving out, the Predators have begun the process of calling up some of their younger players. Luke Evangelista received the first call-up of his career earlier this week, and now Nashville has announced that John Leonard has been recalled to the big club. Leonard,24, is a former 2018 sixth-round pick who is currently tied for third in scoring on Milwaukee this season with 32 points. Leonard does have NHL experience on his resume, having dressed in 58 games with the San Jose Sharks, where he tallied 15 points.
  • Brad Marchand left tonight’s Boston Bruins contest against the Buffalo Sabres with an apparent lower-body injury. Marchand was hit awkwardly into the boards from behind and the Bruins announced that he would not return. Losing Marchand for any length of time would be a big blow to a Bruins team that has Stanley Cup aspirations. Marchand is having another fine season with 53 points in 52 games and has heated up recently after going pointless in five straight games. Boston is nearly a lock to win the President’s Trophy, so they likely won’t rush Marchand back, but should his injury keep him out long-term, it could become problematic.
  • NHL.com’s Dan Rosen has reported that New York Rangers forward Tyler Motte would not be returning to tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators. Motte was just dealt by the Senators to the Rangers on February 19th and was injured after taking a headshot from former teammate Austin Watson. Watson was assessed a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. Motte was beginning his second run with the Rangers after being dealt there last trade deadline from Vancouver. He has dealt with concussion issues in the past, having missed 31 games in 2020-21 while with the Canucks. Hopefully, Motte can make a speedy recovery after the very scary injury tonight.

Edmonton Oilers Looking To Add A Forward

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The Edmonton Oilers have been on the hunt for defensive help for the better part of this season. GM Ken Holland was able to put that need to rest yesterday by swinging a trade for Mattias Ekholm. Despite the upgrade, it appears that Holland is not done.

Darren Dreger reported last night on TSN’s Insider Trading that Edmonton is still looking to add a forward and have shown interest in Tyler Bertuzzi as well as Nick Bjugstad.

Bertuzzi would be a tough add for Edmonton as his $4.75MM cap hit could prove problematic given the Oilers cap situation, but Bjugstad’s cap hit is just $900K. Both Bertuzzi and Bjugstad are pending unrestricted free agents playing on teams that appear likely to miss the playoffs.

Bertuzzi has had a down year this season with the Detroit Red Wings. He has just four goals in 29 games after scoring 30 goals last season in 68 games. He has missed considerable time this year and also missed most of the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season. Given his recent history, injury risk could be a concern to any team interested in Bertuzzi’s services. Cost could also be a concern as Detroit is reportedly asking for a first round pick.

Bjugstad on the other hand has dealt with injuries his entire career, but he has remained relatively healthy this season. He has had somewhat of a resurgence with the Arizona Coyotes scoring 13 goals, his first time breaking the 10-goal mark since 2017-18. The former first round pick appeared to be a budding star with the Florida Panthers back in 2014-15 when he scored 24 goals, but since that time he has yet to crack the 20-goal mark.

Any Oilers addition will likely need to be a dollar for dollar move at this point, or require a team or two to retain salary. The Oilers have just $450K of deadline cap space to make a move as they are still dealing with dead cap hits from the buyouts of James Neal and Andrej Sekera, as well as the retained salary from the Milan Lucic trade with the Calgary Flames. Lucic and Sekera come off the books at the end of this season, which should open the door for Holland to add to the Oilers this summer.

Edmonton Oilers Acquire Mattias Ekholm

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5:37 pm: The Oilers have made the trade official, also acquiring a 2024 sixth-round pick along with Ekholm.

4:28 pm: The Edmonton Oilers have made their deadline splash, set to acquire veteran defenseman Mattias Ekholm and a sixth-round pick from the Nashville Predators, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. A few moments later, Friedman reported on the return, announcing that the Predators will acquire Tyson Barrie, Reid Schaefer, a first-round pick in 2023, and a fourth-round pick in 2024. Later on, Pierre LeBrun of TSN reports that the Predators will also retain 4% ($250K) of Ekholm’s remaining contract.

Frequently the focus of trade rumors for the last several seasons, Ekholm will try to become the missing piece of the Oilers’ defense. After spending the last 12 years as a main piece on the Predators, Ekholm will look to transfer his two-way play to the Oilers’ back end. Since the 2015-16 season, Ekholm has always averaged over 20 minutes a game, spending time on both the power-play and penalty kill. He has the ability to block shots and create a lot of them himself, he should be the significant defense piece the Oilers have been searching for all season long.

In a surprise to many, Barrie is one of the main pieces headed back to Nashville. Benefiting by being on the same powerplay as Connor McDavid, Barrie’s playmaking abilities on the backend had a resurgence after his one year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After signing a 1-year contract with the Oilers before the 2020-21 season, his play impressed enough to earn him a 3-year, $13.5MM contract extension. In the second year of that deal, Barrie will look to transfer his passing ability to a new-look team in Nashville. Although Barrie is most known for his offensive abilities, his possession numbers are quite good as well, earning a CF% of 54.9 throughout his career.

A now-former first-round selection of Edmonton in the 2022 NHL Draft, Schaefer will become a nice prospect the Predators will add to their system. After scoring 58 points in 66 games for the Seattle Thunderbirds, the Oilers used the 32nd overall pick to select him. Continuing to grow in the Western Hockey League, Schaefer has scored 47 points in 44 games so far this season. As the Predators have also acquired Edmonton’s first-round pick in the upcoming 2023 NHL Draft, they are guaranteed two young first-round talents if they hold on to the pick. As current GM David Poile transitions the reigns over to Predators legend Barry Trotz, Poile has left now left Trotz with 11 picks in the first three rounds of the next two NHL drafts.

In a corresponding move, the Predators announced that forward Mark Jankowski has been recalled to replace Ekholm on the active roster.

Deadline Notes: Miller, Oilers, Ekholm

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks were discussing a J.T. Miller trade recently, according to Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Vensel’s sources indicate that talks have stalled but could re-open at some point before the deadline.

Miller, 29, has a seven-year, $56MM contract extension set to kick in next season, but the Canucks are already re-assessing the structure of their roster. This morning, CapFriendly confirmed that a trade with retained salary would extend to the entire extension. If Vancouver wanted to make Miller more enticing to contenders this year, they’d be on the hook for part of his salary through 2029-30.

Edmonton Oilers, Nashville Predators Discussing Mattias Ekholm

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When insiders talk about the Nashville Predators being “open for business” this trade deadline, it usually includes a small caveat. Three untouchables are on the roster: Roman Josi, Juuse Saros, and Filip Forsberg. Notably, that list does not include long-time Predator Mattias Ekholm, who has seemingly been on the block-off the block for a few years.

After last night’s stunning return for Tanner Jeannot, Predators fans may be on board with blowing up the core and rebuilding, and there may even be a little trust returning to a front office that had lost the confidence of many in the market.

Today, Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Predators are in discussions with the Edmonton Oilers regarding Ekholm, though there is no indication that a deal is close. The Oilers have been connected to just about every high-priced defenseman on the market as they try to give Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl some support ahead of the playoffs. Dreger adds that there are still talks between Edmonton and the Montreal Canadiens centered around Joel Edmundson.

Ekholm, 32, is signed through the 2025-26 season and carries a $6.25MM cap hit, meaning the Oilers would have to find a creative way to fit him into their current structure. The team essentially has to move out any money they bring in, and it seems unlikely that the Predators would want to retain a large portion of Ekholm’s salary, given how long his contract extends.

But the Oilers aren’t the only team in the mix. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period adds that the Los Angeles Kings have also “kicked this idea around” as they look for their own defensive addition.

If the Predators can strip some of the expensive, veteran contracts off the books while adding future assets, new general manager Barry Trotz will be coming into an enviable situation. The team is already looking at a pretty full draft cupboard, with 11 picks this year, nine in 2024, and an extra first-round selection in 2025.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Evening Notes: Boeser, IIHF/Russia, NHLPA Leadership

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After the Bo Horvat trade yesterday, the floodgates appear to be opening on the trade front. That’s especially true for the Vancouver Canucks, who have some desirable trade assets other than Horvat that could find their way out of town by the trade deadline.

One of those is Brock Boeser, who TSN’s Darren Dreger said today continues to receive interest from around the league. However, he reported that any Boeser trade, and the corresponding interest, hinges on how much salary Vancouver is willing to retain in a potential trade. Boeser is signed to a steep cap hit of $6.65MM for the next three seasons. With so many teams already dipping into LTIR pools to stay cap-compliant, Vancouver is unlikely to find a trade partner willing to take the full brunt of the deal. The 25-year-old has nine goals and 30 points in 41 games this season. That’s a 60-point pace over 82 games.

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.

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