Report: Jets, Bruins interested in Preds' Ekholm
The Boston Bruins and Winnipeg Jets have each shown interest in acquiring Nashville Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.
With the Predators failing to meet expectations this season, Ekhlom is believed to be among the top blue-liners available as the April 12 trade deadline approaches.
Nashville has made it clear that their asking price for Ekholm is similar to what the Los Angeles Kings fetched for Jake Muzzin in 2019, according to Friedman. The Kings sent Muzzin to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a first-round pick as well as prospect Sean Durzi - a second-rounder the year before - and forward Carl Grundstrom.
Ekholm has one year remaining on his current deal and carries a cap hit of $3.75 million. The 30-year-old has established himself as a strong two-way defenseman who's capable of logging top-pairing minutes and driving offense at a high rate, as shown by HockeyViz's isolated impact.
Red (positive) is good in the offensive zone while blue (negative) is good in the defensive zone.
The Bruins recently claimed Jarred Tinordi off waivers to round out the left side of their blue line while lefties Jeremy Lauzon and John Moore remain on injured reserve. Ekholm would slide in as arguably the team's best left-shooting rearguard and provide some much-needed offense from the back end. The Bruins rank 30th in points from defensemen this season.
The Jets have won eight of their last 12 games and have proved to be a contender in the North Division. The team is still trying to restore its blue line after enduring a difficult 2019 offseason in which many key defensemen left the club. Ekholm and Josh Morrissey would provide a solid one-two punch on the left side.
Ekholm has played his entire 10-year career with the Predators and has recorded 50 goals and 208 points over 560 contests.