In a move the Edmonton Oilers hope would boost their defense, the team has made a trade to acquire defenseman Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators, according to Pierre LeBrun and Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic.

“The Edmonton Oilers have acquired defenseman Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick, defenseman Tyson Barrie, forward Reid Schaefer and a 2024 fourth-round pick, a league source tells The Athletic.”

Although the Oilers coughed up a defenseman in Barrie to get another one, this is considered to be an upgrade in the blue line of Edmonton. Mattias Ekholm is a solid top-four defenseman with plenty of experience with the Nashville Predators, a team that has always been loaded with great talent in the blue line.

At the time of this Mattias Ekholm trade, the Oilers are just 20th in the NHL this season with an average of 3.28 goals allowed per game and 24th in penalty killing, snuffing just 75.58 percent of power plays against them. The hope for the Oilers is that Mattias Ekholm will be able to make an impact right away on defense and help Edmonton strengthen its chances to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs again.

Mattias Ekholm is also not just a rental piece for the Oilers, as he will not be a free agent until the end of the 2025-26 season. He carries a cap hit of $6.25 million until the expiration of his current deal.

So far in his career in the NHL which started in 2011, Ekholm has gathered a total of 62 goals and 206 assists across 719 games.