Kukla's Korner Hockey
Category: Nashville-Predators
Mattias Ekholm’s New Contract Is Official With The Nashville Predators
by Paul on 10/13/21 at 02:02 PM ET
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Nashville, Tenn. (October 13, 2021) - Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today the team has signed defenseman Mattias Ekholm to a four-year, $25 million contract that will keep him in Nashville through the 2025-26 season. The contract will begin in the 2022-23 season and carries an annual average value of $6.25 million.
"When you think about foundational pieces on our hockey team, Mattias Ekholm is certainly at the top of the list, and we couldn't be happier to get this deal done with the start of the regular season upon us," Poile said. "An alternate captain who leads both vocally and by example, Mattias brings stability and size to our defense corps and has embraced serving as a mentor to the younger players on our team. We have a group of young, right-shot defensemen that includes Alexandre Carrier, Philippe Myers, Dante Fabbro and Matt Benning who all have the opportunity to learn from and play with Mattias on the side opposite him, and we're excited about the stability that will provide us on the blue line."
Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
What Direction Will The Nashville Predators Go With Filip Forsberg And Mattias Ekholm?
by Paul on 10/01/21 at 12:55 PM ET
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from Lyle Richardson at The Hockey News,
Left wing Filip Forsberg and defenseman Mattias Ekholm have spent their entire NHL careers with the Nashville Predators. However, uncertainty hangs over their futures entering the final season of their respective contracts.
The 31-year-old Ekholm told The Tennessean's Paul Skrbina he wants to stay in Nashville, remaining hopeful his agent and general manager David Poile can work out a new deal “I'd rather have it done yesterday,” he said.
Forsberg, however, told Robby Stanley of 102.5 The Game Nashville he's in no rush to sign. “I mean I still have a full year. I don't know, I feel like you have to play your contract out, “ he said. The 27-year-old winger also said he loved Nashville, believing the Predators have “a great opportunity to make something great” now and going forward.
Ekholm was the subject of trade speculation last season but it died down as the Predators surged in the standings leading up to the trade deadline. Forsberg, meanwhile, surfaced in recent conjecture as some pundits mull his role on a roster undergoing what Poile called a “competitive rebuild”.
The cost of re-signing both will also determine if they remain in Nashville beyond this season.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Two Signings This Morning
by Paul on 08/16/21 at 11:00 AM ET
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The Wild signed Kevin Fiala to a one-year, $5.1 million deal and the Predators locked up Juuse Saros with a four-year contract, AAV is $5M.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
The Expansion Draft Did Not Help The Nashville Predators
by Paul on 07/22/21 at 08:19 AM ET
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from Gentry Estes of The Tennessean,
The Seattle Kraken didn’t take the bait. They didn’t reach a sweetened deal or voluntarily pay up for Matt Duchene or Ryan Johansen in the NHL’s expansion draft.
Instead, they took a bargain in Calle Järnkrok.
And the Nashville Predators winced and took a loss.
Strange as it might sound, retaining their two top centers – given their long-term deals and overpriced salaries – was the worst thing that could have happened to the Preds on Wednesday night. They’d have much rather lost Duchene or Johansen than Järnkrok.
Which speaks to how complicated things have become.
A pivotal offseason for the Preds has accelerated into an eventful flurry of recent activity, and it has done so without a decipherable direction from general manager David Poile.
He’s not gearing up. He’s not rebuilding.
Really, what he’s doing is trying to erase his own mistakes.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Statement From Gary Bettman On Luke Prokop
by Paul on 07/19/21 at 09:57 AM ET
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added 10:02am, Statement from NHLPA below.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
A Battle May Be In The Future Between The NHL And NHLPA Regarding Shea Weber
by Paul on 07/15/21 at 01:00 PM ET
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from TSN,
TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports that it's leaning towards unlikely that Montreal Canadiens captain Shea Weber will play again, and his contract status could end in a dispute between the NHL and NHL Players’ Association.
Dreger notes that the league has not yet commented on Weber's status, but if its stance does not soften, Weber's case "will likely end in dispute with the PA."
Weber is one of the last active players in the league playing on a deal that would include a cap recapture penalty from the front-loaded 14-year, $110 million contract he signed with the Nashville Predators in 2012. He is due just $12 million in actual salary over the next five seasons.
If Weber were to retire, as opposed to landing on long-term injured reserve, the Predators would face a cap charge in each of the next five seasons, starting with a $4.9 million charge in the upcoming season and building to a charge of $24.57 million in 2025-26, the final year of Weber's deal.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Pekka Rinne Announces His Retirement
by Paul on 07/13/21 at 09:05 AM ET
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Nashville, Tenn. (July 13, 2021) - Nashville Predators goaltender and franchise icon Pekka Rinne announced his retirement from the NHL today following a decorated 15-year career.
Rinne, 38 (11/3/82), retired after spending his entire 683-game NHL career with the Predators. He is etched in Nashville's record books as the franchise leader in nearly every goaltending category, including games played, wins (369), goals-against average (2.43), total TOI (39,413:29), shutouts (60) and saves (17,627), and in NHL history, he sits 19th in shutouts and tied for 19th in victories. He finished his career with a record of 369-213-75.
"For more than 15 years, I've been on an incredible, life-changing journey with the Nashville Predators that has taken me to more places than I could have ever imagined and given me more than I could ever hope to give back," Rinne said. "This decision wasn't easy, but I know this is the right one at the right time. As I announce my retirement, I'm thankful for my parents, sisters, fiancé Erika, everyone in the Predators organization - management, coaches and trainers - my teammates and my youth coaches back in Finland. Last but not least, I'm thankful for the people of Nashville. Each of you helped me grow into the man, father and person I am today."
Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
LA Kings Acquire Viktor Arvidsson From The Nashville Predators
by Paul on 07/01/21 at 12:12 PM ET
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LOS ANGELES (July 1, 2021) – The LA Kings have acquired forward Viktor Arvidsson from the Nashville Predators in exchange for their second-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft and third-round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft, according to Vice President and General Manager Rob Blake.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Video- Quick Recap Of Game 2 Of The Stanley Cup Final
by Paul on 07/01/21 at 10:17 AM ET
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Less than 3 minutes to watch.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, | KK Hockey | Permalink
The Bottom Line In Nashville
by Paul on 05/28/21 at 09:29 AM ET
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from Paul Skrbina of The Tennessean,
Hynes hasn't had time to reflect on the ride to the postseason, but he was sure of a couple of things before Game 6.
One was that his team, after a lot of soul searching, had found its identity, that it had become "hard to play against.
"The confidence comes from the process ... that we've done it numerous times throughout the year. That's what the recipe is now," he said.
Except the recipe calls for more. Some changes and decisions will be made in the coming months of the offseason.
Will Rinne return to Nashville or go home to play in Finland or retire?
Will Mikael Granlund be back?
What to do with Duchene and/or Johansen?
Is Viktor Arvidsson, who missed the final four games of the series with an injury, part of the plans for the future?
These questions will have answers sooner or later.
"We're close," Johansen said. "We're very close."
Filed in: NHL Teams, Nashville Predators, | KK Hockey | Permalink
About Kukla's Korner Hockey
Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
Email Paul anytime at pk@kuklaskorner.com
