It’s no secret that the Edmonton Oilers are looking at improving their blue line to make a run at the Stanley Cup. Their defensive play hasn’t been consistent by any means and they’ve been looking for ways to fix it all season. They’ve looked internally with Markus Niemelainen and Philip Broberg but they can only provide so much as younger players. Instead, one option seems to be a veteran blue liner out of Nashville.
"“The question being asked internally right now is whether that defenseman should stylistically be a puck-moving type or a defensive-minded defender. Edmonton feels like an ideal landing spot for someone like Vladislav Gavrikov, but maybe Mattias Ekholm is a nice blend of the two styles.” – Frank Seravalli"
At 6-foot-4, Mattias Ekholm is a good sized defender with a wicked shot. His overall defensive game is sound and as a left shot, and bringing him in would solve the depth issue on the back end’s left side. Broberg and Niemelainen have been okay, but they obviously aren’t the best options when you want to have a deep playoff run. On top of that if anyone gets hurt it becomes an even bigger issue.
At 32 years old, you’d think this is the exact player the Oilers want to have and should be the player they focus on targeting, until you see his contract. Ekholm is in the first year of a four year deal with the Predators. At $6.25M AAV, Ekholm got a hefty pay day, but it now becomes a little harder for any team to acquire him. The Oilers are already tight for money as it is, so bringing in Ekholm is close to impossible without getting rid of a young asset, or someone like Tyson Barrie. While those options wouldn’t hurt, it would still take Edmonton to the limit on money, and they’d struggle to be able to find depth for next season in places they need it.
Realistically, they shouldn’t try and go for Ekholm. They already have a solid foundation, they now just need to figure out what the finishing pieces of the puzzle are. There are cheaper blue liners available for trade and the Oilers have some time to make a move with the deadline not until March, but I think Ekholm is a no-go.