Nashville Predators’ Mattias Ekholm on trade rumors: ‘I feel like it’s every other year’
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The volume keeps getting louder, no matter how much Nashville Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm wants to tune out the “noise” as Friday’s NHL trade deadline approaches.
The Predators, who are sellers at this year’s deadline, traded Nino Niederreiter and Tanner Jeannot in recent days as part of the franchise’s “reset.” Ekholm’s name, as is prone to happen around this time of year, has been linked to several trades.
“I feel like it’s every other year now,” Ekholm said of hearing his name in trade rumors. “I don’t even know how to answer. I stand here now and feel confident to be with this group. I want to be here, obviously. I signed a contract to stay here and I have no other thoughts in my head, whether I’ll be traded or not. It’s not up to me.”
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For the time being, Ekholm said, he’ll control what he can control, even with all the noise around him.
“It’s challenging when you have guys being picked out of your room,” Ekholm said Tuesday morning after the team’s morning skate at Bridgestone Arena. “That’s the emotional part of it that we’ll have to overcome.”
That is if Ekholm is still around after this week, which as been a busy one with the announcement that general manager David Poile is retiring after this season and former Predators coach Barry Trotz will take his place.
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The 32-year-old Ekholm is in the first season of a four-year, $25 million extension, and could be an attractive asset given his contract and playing history. He’s made clear his desire to stay in Nashville.
“From the first guy (you see) when you’re driving down the tunnel, and you meet the parking guards, to the equipment guys to the vendors to everyone that works around the front office and coaches and everyone,” Ekholm said after signing his extension. “It’s just a family kind of feeling here, and we’ve always enjoyed that.”
Ekholm said the focus remains making the postseason, despite the team’s recent deals. The Predators were six points out of the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference going into Tuesday’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“For us, gotta survive Friday,” Ekholm said. “Other than that, we’re not done at all. We’re playing good hockey as of now.”
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Predators’ Mattias Ekholm on trade rumors: ‘I feel like it’s every other year’