The Nashville Predators announced during a news conference on Wednesday that defenseman Mattias Ekholm has agreed to a four-year, $25 million contract extension. The deal will keep him with the team until the end of the 2025-26 season.
Following the signing of the contract, Ekholm made the following statement: “Nashville is home for us. It’s where we want to be. I believe in the future of this team and I’m looking forward to the chance at competing for the Stanley Cup here in the next five seasons.”
General manager David Poile expressed his own satisfaction in the signing of the deal, stating that Ekholm’s inclusion adds a lot of defensive strength to the team, particularly due to his imposing stature. He also expressed relief that the deal had been concluded before the team’s opening NHL fixture of the new season against the Seattle Kraken.
Picked 102nd overall in the 2009 NHL Draft, Ekholm has played for the Predators for the past eight seasons. With at least 20 points in six consecutive seasons, Ekholm enjoyed the first multi-goal game of his career in February.
