No. 1: The Nashville Trade
The Trade:
- Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Mattias Ekholm
- Nashville Predators acquire: Alex Kerfoot, Mikhail Abramov and 2022 2nd Round Pick (*If Ekholm re-signs in Toronto*)
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been rumored to Ekholm for the past year and it makes sense why. The 31-year-old is a big-body defenseman who puts up big-time points.
At 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, Ekholm’s like a poor-man’s Dougie Hamilton. He’s not quite as big or doesn’t quite score as many goals, but at $3.75M AAV, I’d rather have him on my team than Hamilton’s $9M.
Ekholm would also make a great Leaf, based on his playoff experience. With 71 playoff games under his belt and a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, that experience would be great in the room. Jake Muzzin is currently the only other defenseman to have played in a Final, so any extra experience is crucial in those big games.
Since Nashville is rebuilding and Ekholm is a pending UFA, they may be inclined to trade him, if they’re getting a player with term in return. Kerfoot would help a low-scoring Predators team in the top-six or as a third-line centre, so this could be a good trade for both parties.
Who knows if that’s enough to get Ekholm to Toronto but another big-body player on the blue-line would be great for the Leafs.