Everyone knows about the three high-profile defensemen on the roster, P.K. Subban, Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis. But Ekholm, 26, should be in that conversation.
Just ask Nashville coach Peter Laviolette.
"He really is so underrated in terms of what he brings to the table on a nightly basis," Laviolette said during the Western Conference Second Round against the St. Louis Blues. "He is so hard to play against. He can skate, he can move a puck, shoot a puck, defend. He's courageous out there.
"There's not a lot he doesn't do. He's a 24- or 25-minute guy with no limitations to what he can do. There's not a situation you could bring up where I could say, 'Well, maybe that's not cut for him.' He's cut [out] for all situations."
Ekholm, who is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, has averaged 25:21 of ice time in 14 postseason games, third on the Predators but 1:06 per game less than Josi and 27 less than Subban. He has seven points, all on assists, and is a plus-9, which leads Predators defenseman.
Like Nashville's other elite defensemen, Ekholm excels because of his skating ability. It's the skill that prompted his position switch as a youth player in Sweden and it's the skill that has allowed him to prosper in North America.
"I think his skating ability is really second to none," Ellis said. "He has a tremendous stride. He's obviously big, which means he covers a lot of ground quicker. He's got a great stick. His defensive reads and offensive reads are great. Really he's just your complete two-way defenseman.
"Having had the chance to play with him in the past, I know he made my life a lot easier. You give him the puck and watch him go. He's a terrific defenseman."