[EXTENSION] Ekholm

[Blues_fan1000]

4yrs / $25M - $6.25M AAV

https://www.tsn.ca/mattias-ekholm-na...sion-1.1705868

[2014olympicgold]

I don't quite get what Nashville is trying to hold onto. Ekholm and Josi are 31yrs old and getting longer term deals. Feels like they are holding onto the past too much.

[hockeyrobot]

I don't quite get what Nashville is trying to hold onto. Ekholm and Josi are 31yrs old and getting longer term deals. Feels like they are holding onto the past too much.

Agreed. Don't understand the deal or keeping him around when they could probably get a massive return for him.

[metaldude26]

I don't quite get what Nashville is trying to hold onto. Ekholm and Josi are 31yrs old and getting longer term deals. Feels like they are holding onto the past too much.

David Poile has been calling this stage for the Preds a "competitive rebuild". He doesn't want to tear it down to the studs. It's something they've never done. They've been a playoff team in all but 3 years in the cap era. I think the situation is similar to that in San Jose. They probably won't draw if they bottom out. At least not until we're talking about generations of fans having memories there. They're obviously a great fan base while things are rocking. But could be another 20 years before they're as engrained there as other fan bases around the league.

You also look at where they were at last season. We all figured, Ellis is locked in so they'll keep him and Ekholm has only a year left so it would be best to maximize his value now. Well, the way the trade market went, they really couldn't extract the value they wanted from Ekholm via trade so he stays and ultimately gets an extension at the price Ellis was signed for. Instead, Ellis gets moved for a decent haul, including a couple of players much further down the developmental path. So I think there's an element of the narrative being "you have to trade Ekholm" from last year that no longer applies since they moved a different piece and got him extended into that salary slot.

You could argue that not stripping things down leads you to a state where you're good but never great but the Preds made the Cup final and won a President's Trophy never stripping things down so their process worked. Also, look at all the massive rebuild jobs around the league. You've got more teams falling flat on their face for decades at a time than you do teams stringing together extended success.

I don't love this specific contract, but it ain't 8 years like some teams have committed to with 30+ type players and I can totally get behind a team saying, no let's actually not commit to sucking.