Another Oilers veteran may be next to take massive contract discount, says insider
Photo credit: Imagn Images
Speaking on the The Jason Gregor Show the podcast's namesake and Oilers' hockey Insider commented on what he believes Mattias Ekholm's next Annual Average Value will be.
"I think you'll see Ekholm around the $4M range, plus/minus," Jason Gregor said. "It's likely what I see happening. I know his family wants to stay here and that's a good thing."
Top-Oilers' defenseman carves-out top-role in Edmonton
Since he arrived in Edmonton from Nashville at the 2023 trade deadline, Mattias Ekholm has been nothing short of a rock defensively, a smooth passer who's had a stabilizing effect on the blueline.
However, with his arrival, the Oilers also inherited Ekholm's cap hit of $6.25M from a contract that is set to expire July 1, 2026, when he's eligible for unrestricted free agency.
The Oilers, of course, want to avoid this scenario and will likely extend Mattias soon enough, especially now that the team's Captain and priority has been secured for the next three years at a reasonable cap hit of $12.5M.
Given the big defenseman's age, in addition to how much, Stan Bowman must also consider for how long
«It's a contract year, but I'm also getting up there (35 years old)," Mattias Ekholm said when he addressed the media last month. "I know what I bring on the ice, but I also have a family and I want to make sure we have security. Do I want to stay in Edmonton? Absolutely. I guess there will be discussions, but you're going to be talking to a guy in a few minutes who's the big focus. I've been around long enough in this league to know you take care of the big boys first,»
It seems the big Swede was absolutely correct about his prediction that the Oilers would extend McDavid first.
Knowing what we know now about McDavid's salary for the next three-years, however, GM Stan Bowman has to find the right balance between loyalty, performance, and cap management: Does Mattias take a team-first approach to his negotiations and leave money on the table to build a stronger roster?
That is very much the question, which Jason Gregor believes will be the case, specifically at $14M.
All in, Stan Bowman should extend Ekholm on a shorter-term deal with a manageable AAV, and keep him around for the next three years also, in my opinion. What's good enough for the world's best player, well...
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 7 | 781 ANSWERS Another Oilers veteran may be next to take massive contract discount, says insider Is a 3-year, $14M AAV extension for Mattias Ekholm fair, in your opinion? | ||
| yes | 621 | 79.5 % |
| no | 160 | 20.5 % |
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