Oilers may be rushing into mistake with top defenceman Mattias Ekholm
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The Edmonton Oilers are reportedly interested in signing top pairing defenceman Mattias Ekholm to a contract extension this summer, but it may be a mistake.
Top Oilers insider Bob Stauffer has mentioned Ekholm among a list of 5 Oilers that will be offered contract extensions this offseason. At 35 years old, Ekholm is entering the final season of his contract with a cap hit of $6.25M.
Oilers signing Mattias Ekholm to contract extension may be a rushed decision
While Ekholm has been an incredible player for the Oilers since his arrival in 2023, but he's coming off a very tough season by his standards. Analysts at the Hockey Writers warned that signing Ekholm now may be buying high on a depreciating player.
While he was the perfect addition at the time, it looks like he's running out of gas, and his time in Edmonton might be limited. Therefore, the organization will benefit from taking a patient approach. It's important to re-sign certain players before their value increases, but that's not the case with Ekholm. If anything, his value will decrease.
- The Hockey Writers
- The Hockey Writers
Entering his age 36 season, Ekholm has some serious mileage as an aging player tasked with playing the toughest defensive matchups.
In the back half of last season, Ekholm found himself shut down due to a number of injuries and illnesses, limiting him to just 65 games on the year. When he did get into the lineup, Ekholm looked a step behind his usual self.
Locking up Ekholm makes sense because he's the team's top pairing defenceman, and without him their blue line looks significantly weaker. However, they still should be patient and try to re-evaluate in the season to monitor Ekholm's play, hoping that it doesn't lose another step.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 6 | 459 ANSWERS Oilers may be rushing into mistake with top defenceman Mattias Ekholm Do you think the Oilers should re-sign Ekholm now, or wait and see? | ||
| Sign now | 279 | 60.8 % |
| Wait | 180 | 39.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
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