Confirmed Signing with Link: [NSH] Mattias Ekholm re-signs with the Predators (4 years, $6.25M AAV)

[Porter Stoutheart]

Nobody who is a regular poster on our board thinks we are in sell off/rebuild mode. Some may think we should be, but we arent. Some may expect us to do poorly and sell assets at the deadline, and we might. But the expectations right now are that we are a borderline playoff team. We actually played better when guys like Ellis and Arvy were out injured last year.

But either way, we already have Josi signed for many years, so Ekholm wouldn't be needed just to "oversee the rebuild"

Plus there are some posters... probably on every team's board... who are just pretty much always in perpetual "blow it up" mode anyway. Picks, prospects, trades for picks or prospects, that's what some promote like clockwork, year after year, no matter what. They'll see 31 teams weren't Tampa last year, so most of them should be thinking about blowing things up! It's not representative of the rest of the fanbase, nor what Poile is thinking.

 

[DingDongCharlie]

That’s a great deal. Good term and less than he could have gotten cap wise.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Nice player. Nice deal. Good job Preds management.

Bonus, I don’t need to see another stupid Byram for Ekholm proposal.

Never say never... now that he's locked up at a reasonable term $$$ number his value is that much greater... he's not just a rental anymore... !

 

[koyvoo]

A much better defender than some of the pure points guys who signed for millions more in the past few months. This guy won’t turn over the puck like a hotcake in the playoffs when the forechecking is relentless.

 

[PromisedLand]

solid deal for the preds.

 

[Ice and Whiskey]

Great deal for a contending team.
Not sure what the Preds are doing in terms of strategy but hey

It's a good deal and they can trade him if needed.. Honestly, this may increase his trade value.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

Love Ekholm and this is a really solid deal

Question 1) When will they fire Poile?

Question 2) Is NSH going for the Cup, re-tooling or doing something we haven't defined yet?

 

[PromisedLand]

Love Ekholm and this is a really solid deal

Question 1) When will they fire Poile?

Question 2) Is NSH going for the Cup, re-tooling or doing something we haven't defined yet?

doing something that hasnt been defined yet but will be named the : Nashville Hot Chicken

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Love Ekholm and this is a really solid deal

Question 1) When will they fire Poile?

Question 2) Is NSH going for the Cup, re-tooling or doing something we haven't defined yet?

1) Never. He will retire when he feels ready to. Since he is 70 now, that's probably not TOO far off, though. 2 years? 5 years? He seems very fit, however... 10 years?

2) Going for the Cup. Which requires a little bit of re-tooling along the way as ineffective older players (Ellis, Arvidsson) are replaced from within by better, hungrier younger players. This seems to be an "undefined" process for some hockey fans who think the real world is like a fantasy hockey pool?

 

[Soundgarden]

Love Ekholm and this is a really solid deal

Question 1) When will they fire Poile?

Question 2) Is NSH going for the Cup, re-tooling or doing something we haven't defined yet?

1. Poile has carte blanche, deservedly so.

2. We're remaining competitive while replacing older, expensive and injured players.

it's baffling people don't get what they're doing.

 

[CanadienShark]

Sweet deal for the Preds. Good cap hit and great term.

 

[PredsV82]

Love Ekholm and this is a really solid deal

Question 1) When will they fire Poile?

Question 2) Is NSH going for the Cup, re-tooling or doing something we haven't defined yet?

1. Why would they fire Poile?

2. Retooling with the intent of remaining competitive. Not in "go for it" mode vis a vis ridiculous UFA signings or trade deadline deals, but certainly not tanking or writing off the season.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

He's been there since 1997...FFS.
Get some new blood in there.

As I can see, it's a touchy subject for NSH fans to ask what they're doing.
Feel they're going to be like MIN, good enough for playoffs but not good enough to go deep and won't be able to draft and develop a new core to take over 2-3 yrs down the road.

1) Never. He will retire when he feels ready to. Since he is 70 now, that's probably not TOO far off, though. 2 years? 5 years? He seems very fit, however... 10 years?

2) Going for the Cup. Which requires a little bit of re-tooling along the way as ineffective older players (Ellis, Arvidsson) are replaced from within by better, hungrier younger players. This seems to be an "undefined" process for some hockey fans who think the real world is like a fantasy hockey pool?

1. Poile has carte blanche, deservedly so.

2. We're remaining competitive while replacing older, expensive and injured players.

it's baffling people don't get what they're doing.

1. Why would they fire Poile?

2. Retooling with the intent of being competitive. Not in "go for it" mode vis a vis ridiculous UFA signings or trade deadline deals, but certainly not tanking or writing off the season.

 

[Discipline Daddy]

As a Canes fan, I love me some Ekholm. He is a phenomenal defender. Huge, but with speed. Savvy, but with snarl. Stout defensively, but moves the puck well. He's your Brett Pesce, but a little bigger and nastier. This isn't a steal, but it is a very good contract and is fair. I like to say a deal is fair if I'd want the player and contract on my team for free (and not a negative hot potato asset), and this is definitely the case for Mattias. Here's to Nashville being a little more competitive this year and making FF want to stay.

 

[PredsV82]

He's been there since 1997...FFS.
Get some new blood in there.

As I can see, it's a touchy subject for NSH fans to ask what they're doing.
Feel they're going to be like MIN, good enough for playoffs but not good enough to go deep and won't be able to draft and develop a new core to take over 2-3 yrs down the road.

There are hot takes, and then there is this....

Nothing touchy about it. We do what we do. Find ways to compete when it looks like we shouldnt be any good. Nashville is not a market that will tolerate 3 or 4 years of abject suckage in the name of a rebuild, unlike Detroit or Toronto.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

He's been there since 1997...FFS.
Get some new blood in there.

As I can see, it's a touchy subject for NSH fans to ask what they're doing.
Feel they're going to be like MIN, good enough for playoffs but not good enough to go deep and won't be able to draft and develop a new core to take over 2-3 yrs down the road.

The organization as a whole (unlikely just Poile) appears to have no interest in ever doing a "blow it up" type rebuild. It's probably some mixture of the years with no budget and seeing their best players consistently poached by bigger market teams, the great Leipold fire sale and almost relocation, concerns that a consistent down turn will stifle interest in the product, and just core philosophy. So what's left is they will just try to compete every year the best they can, with sometimes variable roster quality, and they have just transitioned from one of the oldest teams in the league to the 6th youngest (with some more pieces in the pipeline). Are they a Cup contender? No. Are they going to be in the next 3-4 years? Probably not. Is the organization content with this? Probably.

Preds fans are always touchy but in this case Poile's moves (from the trades to the non-extensions, to the extensions) all make a lot of sense based on what we've seen from the team and these players over the past few seasons. I think there may be a little more excitement and less apathy even with a slight change in direction, regardless of where we end up.

 

[McJedi]

Never say never... now that he's locked up at a reasonable term $$$ number his value is that much greater... he's not just a rental anymore... !

His value is greater to Nashville. This is a core player.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

There are hot takes, and then there is this....

Nothing touchy about it. We do what we do. Find ways to compete when it looks like we shouldnt be any good. Nashville is not a market that will tolerate 3 or 4 years of abject suckage in the name of a rebuild, unlike Detroit or Toronto.

Still feels touchy Doctor.

Just seems you may be stuck in the worst spot for years to come, which is middle of the pack.
And this is probably a shared feeling among a good amount of non NSH fans on here.

The organization as a whole (unlikely just Poile) appears to have no interest in ever doing a "blow it up" type rebuild. It's probably some mixture of the years with no budget and seeing their best players consistently poached by bigger market teams, the great Leipold fire sale and almost relocation, concerns that a consistent down turn will stifle interest in the product, and just core philosophy. So what's left is they will just try to compete every year the best they can, with sometimes variable roster quality, and they have just transitioned from one of the oldest teams in the league to the 6th youngest (with some more pieces in the pipeline). Are they a Cup contender? No. Are they going to be in the next 3-4 years? Probably not. Is the organization content with this? Probably.

Preds fans are always touchy but in this case Poile's moves (from the trades to the non-extensions, to the extensions) all make a lot of sense based on what we've seen from the team and these players over the past few seasons. I think there may be a little more excitement and less apathy even with a slight change in direction, regardless of where we end up.

Appreciate this honest and real take here!!
Thank you.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

He's been there since 1997...FFS.
Get some new blood in there.

As I can see, it's a touchy subject for NSH fans to ask what they're doing.
Feel they're going to be like MIN, good enough for playoffs but not good enough to go deep and won't be able to draft and develop a new core to take over 2-3 yrs down the road.

How is it "touchy"? You asked 2 questions, and then 4 or 5 of us all gave you the same answer. Hoping it would help you understand.

And it's a matter of taste whether being "good enough for playoffs..." is a problem or not. For a lot of us, that's a lot preferable than "blow it up and suck for a decade in the hopes that you draft the next Jack Eichel or Taylor Hall and they lead you to glory in 2032." Heck a lot of us won't even be alive in 2032. I'll take a playoff race every year instead. Poile is doing exactly the right thing afaic.

 

[PredsV82]

How is it "touchy"? You asked 2 questions, and then 4 or 5 of us all gave you the same answer. Hoping it would help you understand.

And it's a matter of taste whether being "good enough for playoffs..." is a problem or not. For a lot of us, that's a lot preferable than "blow it up and suck for a decade in the hopes that you draft the next Jack Eichel or Taylor Hall and they lead you to glory in 2032." Heck a lot of us won't even be alive in 2032. I'll take a playoff race every year instead. Poile is doing exactly the right thing afaic.

Exactly. For every "tank and eventually dominate" (Pittsburgh/Chicago) there is the other side of the coin(Columbus, Buffalo) which would be a disaster in a market like ours.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

How is it "touchy"? You asked 2 questions, and then 4 or 5 of us all gave you the same answer. Hoping it would help you understand.

And it's a matter of taste whether being "good enough for playoffs..." is a problem or not. For a lot of us, that's a lot preferable than "blow it up and suck for a decade in the hopes that you draft the next Jack Eichel or Taylor Hall and they lead you to glory in 2032." Heck a lot of us won't even be alive in 2032. I'll take a playoff race every year instead. Poile is doing exactly the right thing afaic.

Not so much your reply as the other two saying baffling and the hot take dig one.

That's fair but can you go back the last 20yrs and list the teams who won the Cup without 2-3 star level players on their team?

If you NSH fans are happy to just play games and stay in middle of the pack, all the power to you.

 

[TT1]

exact same contract as Petry

 

[DeysArena]

Why is that?

It recast him as a puck-mover which isn't his strength.

 

[Legionnaire11]

Not so much your reply as the other two saying baffling and the hot take dig one.

That's fair but can you go back the last 20yrs and list the teams who won the Cup without 2-3 star level players on their team?

If you NSH fans are happy to just play games and stay in middle of the pack, all the power to you.

You said we won't be able to draft and develop a new core... But it's already happened/happening...

Tolvanen is here, just traded for Glass. Tomasino, Svechkov, Afanasyev, Parssinen, Evangelista coming along up front, Chistyakov, Farrance and Askarov on the back end. I'm probably forgetting someone there too, but those are all very promising players already in the fold with more picks coming every year.

The job that Poile has done rebuilding the prospect pool while still fielding a playoff team is pretty remarkable.

 

[Soundgarden]

He's been there since 1997...FFS.
Get some new blood in there.

As I can see, it's a touchy subject for NSH fans to ask what they're doing.
Feel they're going to be like MIN, good enough for playoffs but not good enough to go deep and won't be able to draft and develop a new core to take over 2-3 yrs down the road.

Sounds like you haven't been paying attention. We've already been drafting a new core the last three years

Askarov
Chistyakov
Farrance
Tomasino
Afanysev
Svechkov
L'heareux