Rumor: Nashville Predators Trading Mattias Ekholm

According to Pierre LeBrun of TSN, one name to look out for on the trade market is Nashville Predators' defenseman Mattias Ekholm.

LeBrun notes the Predators are likely to be on the outside looking in at the playoff picture as the new divisional set up makes it harder to make the playoffs. With the struggles this season for the Preds, it feels like general manager David Poile is going to hit the reset button.

LeBrun referenced previous trades with Jake Muzzin and Alec Martinez where defensemen with one and a half years left on their contract were traded for solid returns. Their new team received two playoff runs out of the player, so there's more incentive for everyone to make the deal.

So far this season the 30-year-old Ekholm has battled some injuries and has managed three points in 12 games. His best season came in 2019 when he finished with 44 points and was near the top of the league with a plus 27.

Nashville also has a slew of pending unrestricted free-agents so expect names like Erik Haula, Mikael Granlund and Pekka Rinne to also draw interest from other teams.