Rumor: Mattias Ekholm to the Montreal Canadiens

According to reports the Montreal Canadiens have interest in trading for Nashville Predators defenseman, Mattias Ekholm. The veteran defenseman has this season and next left on his contract that sees him paid $3.75 million per.

Canadiens eyeing defenceman Ekholm? https://t.co/FChSO3hdod
— The Fourth Period (@TFP) March 11, 2021

The 30-year-old dependable blue-liner is the biggest name on the trade market at the moment so it makes sense for the Canadiens to be interested. They have a ton of draft picks in play and have cupboard full of prospects that could entice Preds' general manager David Poile.

The Canadiens are pressed up against the salary cap so any money in will need to be money out. If Marc Bergevin is going to want the Preds to retain salary, the pot will need to be sweetened. If a deal does go down, expect young defenseman Victor Mete to be included, along with at least one second-round pick.

The Predators are likely to wait right until the April 12th deadline to listen to offers, however the Canadiens want things moved along quicker as they will need Ekholm to quarantine because of the COVID guidelines in Canada. This could mean Bergevin has to ante up his offer and blow the Predators away before the deadline.

Interesting times for both fan bases as one sees a new coach putting his fingerprints on their team while the other fan base prepares themselves for a rebuild or 're-tool.