Go big or go home.
At 5-on-5 Barrie was also by far the best puck-moving Oiler D, so they are losing that as well as his power play points and his smarts. Not everybody can think on the same wavelength as McDavid and Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who liked Barrie, a lot.After McDavid hit 50 goals against Boston, he talked of his brilliance, but also how driven McDavid was for the team Barrie is now no longer part of.
Holland obviously hopes Evan Bouchard, who has been getting meagre minutes on the second PP unit, can imitate Barrie, to a degree, on the first unit But that is debatable right now. Bouchard, while drafted for his offensive chops, has struggled mightily this season. He hasn’t scored in 39 games, going back to Nov. 28 against Florida, and is lacking confidence 10-fold with the puck. Yes, the dreaded sophomore slump.
The left-shot Ekholm says he played some right-side D early this season like Jonas Brodin does so admirably in Minnesota and got through it just fine in Nashville, so maybe he and Nurse could play together as the ultimate shutdown pair. That would leave the right-shot Ceci and left-shot Brett Kulak as a second partnership.
Before people say Ekholm is turning 33 in May and that’s too old and his contract won’t age well with three years left, maybe in 2026 that might be a concern. But, Holland is dealing in the now with his core in their prime, in a wide-open Western Conference where anybody could get to the Stanley Cup final. The Oilers did just fine with the 38-year-old Duncan Keith last season and he had a lot more miles on him, obviously, after three Stanley Cups and playing 25 minutes or more a night.
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Edmonton Oilers acquire Mattias Ekholm from Nashville Predators for Tyson Barrie | TSNThe Edmonton Oilers stayed busy on Tuesday, acquiring defenceman Mattias Ekholm from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenceman Tyson Barrie, forward Reid Schaefer, a 2023 first-round pick and a fourth-round selection in 2024.
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Edmonton Oilers acquire Mattias Ekholm from Nashville Predators for Tyson Barrie and top picksThis in from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: “Ekholm will be going to EDM…not fully sure of return, but multiple pieces/picks…
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Oilers weigh in on Barrie's departure, Ekholm's arrivalMembers of the Oilers explain what Tyson Barrie meant to the team and say it's always hard to see someone go, but they admit that it's part of the business and they're ready to welcome Mattias Ekholm with open arms.
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