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Mattias Ekholm

#14 · Defence · Edmonton Oilers

Born May 24, 1990 in Borlange, SWE (age 36) · 6'4", 211 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 102nd overall in 2009 by NSH (round 4)

Compare with a similar player

The defencemen closest to him in points in 2022-23. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Jake Sanderson OTT · 32 P in 77 GP Torey Krug STL · 32 P in 63 GP Damon Severson NJD · 33 P in 81 GP MacKenzie Weegar CGY · 31 P in 81 GP Adam Larsson SEA · 33 P in 82 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0102030402011-12: 0 points011-122012-13: 0 points02013-14: 9 points913-142014-15: 18 points182015-16: 35 points3515-162016-17: 23 points232017-18: 34 points3417-182018-19: 44 points442019-20: 33 points3319-202020-21: 23 points232021-22: 31 points3121-222022-23: 32 points322023-24: 45 points4523-242024-25: 33 points332025-26: 41 points4125-262026-27: 2 points2

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2011-12 NSH 2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 0.00 $900K
2012-13 NSH 1 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0.00 $900K
2013-14 NSH 62 1 8 9 -8 10 58 42 0.15 $900K
2014-15 NSH 80 7 11 18 12 52 86 57 0.23 $1.038M
2015-16 NSH 82 8 27 35 14 44 114 67 0.43 $1.038M
2016-17 NSH 82 3 20 23 4 34 120 61 0.28 $3.75M
2017-18 NSH 81 10 24 34 25 46 135 75 0.42 $3.75M
2018-19 NSH 80 8 36 44 27 47 146 68 0.55 $3.75M
2019-20 NSH 68 8 25 33 -1 32 154 49 0.49 $3.75M
2020-21 NSH 48 6 17 23 19 14 110 23 0.48 $3.75M
2021-22 NSH 76 6 25 31 14 44 145 79 0.41 $3.75M
2022-23 NSH 57 5 13 18 0 24 99 62 0.32 $6.25M
2022-23 EDM 21 4 10 14 28 4 36 29 0.67
2023-24 EDM 79 11 34 45 44 47 177 136 0.57 $6.25M
2024-25 EDM 65 9 24 33 11 30 143 42 0.51 $6.25M
2025-26 EDM 82 6 35 41 32 30 131 65 0.50 $6.25M
2026-27 EDM 5 1 1 2 11 10 5 4 0.40 $4M
16 seasons Career 971 93 310 403 230 468 1660 859 0.42

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2014-15 NSH 6 1 0 1 4 2 6 9 0.17
2015-16 NSH 14 3 4 7 2 4 25 9 0.50
2016-17 NSH 22 1 10 11 6 38 33 25 0.50
2017-18 NSH 13 1 7 8 4 12 20 16 0.62
2018-19 NSH 6 0 2 2 -2 12 14 5 0.33
2019-20 NSH 4 0 1 1 -2 0 12 6 0.25
2020-21 NSH 6 0 3 3 2 6 12 2 0.50
2021-22 NSH 4 0 2 2 -2 0 8 11 0.50
2022-23 EDM 12 1 6 7 0 8 20 30 0.58
2023-24 EDM 25 5 5 10 9 6 45 28 0.40
2024-25 EDM 7 1 5 6 0 14 13 2 0.86
2025-26 EDM 6 0 2 2 -1 0 6 4 0.33
12 seasons Playoffs 125 13 47 60 20 102 214 147 0.48

2022-23 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
78 9 23 32 28 28 135 91 0.41 6.7 21:28

Contract

$6.25MCap hitends in 2026, then UFA
$195KCap dollars per point32 points in 78 games
$537KCap dollars per goal above replacement11.6 goals above replacement
$9.1MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$2.9MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 695 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Nashville Predators on Oct 13, 2021, as an extension of the contract he was on: 4 years and $25M, beginning in 2022-23. It runs through 2025-26, with 3 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2022-23 $6.25M $5.5M $0 $5.5M
2023-24 $6.25M $6.5M $0 $6.5M
2024-25 $6.25M $6.5M $0 $6.5M
2025-26 $6.25M $6.5M $0 $6.5M

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Oct 8, 2025 Edmonton Oilers Extension 2026-27 to 2028-29 3 $12M $4M
Oct 13, 2021 Nashville Predators Extension 2022-23 to 2025-26 4 $25M $6.25M
Oct 26, 2015 Nashville Predators Extension 2016-17 to 2021-22 6 $22.5M $3.75M
Jul 9, 2014 Nashville Predators New contract 2014-15 to 2015-16 2 $2.075M $1.038M
May 12, 2011 Nashville Predators Entry-level 2011-12 to 2013-14 3 $3.075M $900K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2022-23 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2022-23 playoff analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+0.7Goals above replacementsix goals are worth about one win
+0.1Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
-0.1Goals above averagethe five parts below added up
Even-strength offence+1.0Even-strength defence-1.0Power play-0.2Penalty kill+0.2Penalties-0.2

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. A playoff run is too short to rank anyone on. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

051015202011-122013-142015-162017-182019-202021-222023-242025-26Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

58.5Corsi for %249 attempts for, 177 against
+7.5CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
56.7Expected goals for %12.3 expected for, 9.4 against
+1.9xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
55.3Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
50.0Goals for %9 for, 9 against
98.5PDO7.4% shooting + 91.1% saves
40Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 141 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Defence pairGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Mattias Ekholm · Evan Bouchard12173:3158.358.58-7
Mattias Ekholm · Darnell Nurse87:5558.864.30-0
Mattias Ekholm · Philip Broberg67:3270.052.60-0
Mattias Ekholm · Cody Ceci55:5544.47.10-1

The pairs he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's pairs that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

1Goalsnot counting empty-netters
1.3Expected goalsfrom 30 unblocked attempts
-0.3Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.29 expected goals per 60 minutes83rd
Shot quality 4.2% chance per attempt85th
Finishing -0.3 goals above expected49thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of defencemen he is ahead of, among the 65 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest in these playoffs.

00.51Expected 1.3Goals 1

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took in these playoffs, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 13, 2023 vs SJS W 5-2 0 1 1 2 0 1 2 20:35
Apr 11, 2023 @ COL W 2-1 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 3 0 22:07
Apr 8, 2023 @ SJS W 6-1 0 1 1 6 0 1 1 19:07
Apr 5, 2023 @ ANA W 3-1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 19:31
Apr 4, 2023 @ LAK W 3-1 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 19:27
Apr 1, 2023 vs ANA W 6-0 0 2 2 3 0 1 0 18:36
Mar 30, 2023 vs LAK W 2-0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 20:46
Mar 28, 2023 @ VGK W 7-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 19:07
Mar 27, 2023 @ ARI W 5-4 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 24:58
Mar 25, 2023 vs VGK L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -2 2 2 2 23:00
Mar 22, 2023 vs ARI W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 18:43
Mar 20, 2023 vs SJS W 5-4 (OT) 2 0 2 2 0 5 2 22:28
Mar 18, 2023 @ SEA W 6-4 0 3 3 0 0 1 3 19:51
Mar 16, 2023 vs DAL W 4-1 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 22:38
Mar 14, 2023 vs OTT W 6-3 0 1 1 3 0 0 3 19:39
Mar 11, 2023 @ TOR L 4-7 1 0 1 0 0 4 0 22:34
Mar 9, 2023 @ BOS W 3-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 6 20:47
Mar 6, 2023 @ BUF W 3-2 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 22:03
Mar 4, 2023 @ WPG L 5-7 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 21:29
Mar 3, 2023 vs WPG W 6-3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 18:03
Mar 1, 2023 vs TOR W 5-2 0 1 1 2 0 2 3 20:50
Feb 26, 2023 @ ARI W 6-2 0 0 0 2 2 3 1 21:12
Feb 23, 2023 @ SJS W 6-2 0 0 0 1 2 3 1 21:04
Feb 21, 2023 vs VAN W 5-4 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 23:26
Feb 19, 2023 @ MIN L 3-4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 23:17
Feb 18, 2023 vs FLA W 7-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 20:18
Feb 16, 2023 vs BOS L 0-5 0 0 0 -2 0 1 0 22:08
Feb 13, 2023 vs ARI L 2-4 0 0 0 0 2 4 1 24:05
Feb 11, 2023 @ PHI W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 24:15
Feb 7, 2023 vs VGK L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 21:07
Jan 26, 2023 vs NJD W 6-4 0 0 0 -3 0 1 1 20:50
Jan 24, 2023 vs WPG W 2-1 0 0 0 0 2 4 2 24:47
Jan 21, 2023 vs LAK W 5-3 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 20:50
Jan 19, 2023 @ STL L 2-5 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 19:13
Jan 17, 2023 vs CBJ W 2-1 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 20:54
Jan 16, 2023 vs CGY W 2-1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 21:17
Jan 14, 2023 vs BUF L 3-5 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 22:05
Jan 12, 2023 @ MTL L 3-4 0 1 1 2 2 2 0 21:51
Jan 11, 2023 @ TOR L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 21:14
Jan 9, 2023 @ OTT W 3-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 21:53
Jan 6, 2023 @ WSH W 3-2 0 0 0 -2 0 3 1 20:47
Jan 5, 2023 @ CAR W 5-3 1 0 1 1 2 1 2 21:12
Jan 3, 2023 vs MTL W 6-3 1 1 2 0 2 2 1 21:55
Dec 31, 2022 @ VGK L 4-5 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 23:36
Dec 30, 2022 @ ANA W 6-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 19:37
Dec 27, 2022 vs DAL L 2-3 0 1 1 1 0 3 1 20:19
Dec 23, 2022 vs COL L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 24:57
Dec 21, 2022 @ CHI W 4-2 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 21:35
Dec 19, 2022 vs EDM W 4-3 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 5 2 23:03
Dec 17, 2022 @ COL L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 21:27
Dec 15, 2022 @ WPG L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 3 23:04
Dec 13, 2022 vs EDM L 3-6 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 21:24
Dec 12, 2022 @ STL L 0-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 24:02
Dec 10, 2022 vs OTT L 2-3 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 24:41
Dec 8, 2022 @ TBL L 2-5 0 0 0 1 0 2 3 18:39
Dec 2, 2022 @ NYI W 4-1 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 22:22
Dec 1, 2022 @ NJD W 4-3 (OT) 0 1 1 2 0 2 0 23:14
Nov 29, 2022 vs ANA W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 5 0 23:34
Nov 23, 2022 @ DET L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 20:10
Nov 21, 2022 vs ARI W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -2 0 4 0 23:23
Nov 19, 2022 vs TBL L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 2 1 0 20:02
Nov 17, 2022 vs NYI W 5-4 0 0 0 -1 2 0 2 20:31
Nov 15, 2022 vs MIN W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 19:27
Nov 12, 2022 vs NYR W 2-1 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 21:38
Nov 10, 2022 @ COL L 3-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 19:17
Nov 8, 2022 @ SEA L 1-5 0 0 0 1 0 3 2 20:04
Nov 5, 2022 @ VAN W 4-3 (SO) 0 2 2 1 0 0 3 22:25
Nov 3, 2022 @ CGY W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 23:52
Nov 1, 2022 @ EDM L 4-7 1 0 1 0 2 5 6 19:34
Oct 29, 2022 vs WSH L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 23:26
Oct 27, 2022 vs STL W 6-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 20:23
Oct 22, 2022 vs PHI L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 22:27
Oct 20, 2022 @ CBJ L 3-5 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 19:35
Oct 18, 2022 vs LAK L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 22:40
Oct 15, 2022 @ DAL L 1-5 0 0 0 -2 0 3 0 18:16
Oct 13, 2022 vs DAL L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 22:12
Oct 8, 2022 @ SJS W 3-2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 22:44
Oct 7, 2022 vs SJS W 4-1 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 21:02