BLOG: Ekholm anticipating an emotional return to Nashville on Tuesday

NASHVILLE, TN – A lot can happen when you’re with the same team for more than a decade.

“When I got there, it was the classic kind of new expansion,” Ekholm said. “We didn't have much [media] coverage, we didn't sell out games or anything like that, and then with success, we made the playoffs a bunch of years in a row and the fans really showed up.

“Today, it’s a great hockey city… I think that Nashville is a very underrated hockey city and has been for a long time.”

For Mattias Ekholm, who spent 14 seasons within the Nashville Predators organization from 2009 to 2023, the defenceman owes almost everything that’s near and dear to him – his family, his friends and his ability to command a blueline in the NHL – to the club and the city of that became his new adopted home after being selected by the Predators in the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Draft.

The 33-year-old will have a lot of emotions, experiences and old memories going through his mind when he walks through the doors at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville for the first time as a member of the opposition on Tuesday after playing out his entire NHL career in yellow, navy blue and white up until he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers at last season's Trade Deadline.

“It's going to be special. It's been a big part of my life, and it's been a big part of my family's life,” Ekholm said, speaking to the media from Rogers Place late Monday afternoon before the team travelled to Nashville. “Two of our three kids were born there.”

There aren’t too many teammates left from his days with the Predators, which were filled with plenty of successes, failures and everything in between over nine uninterrupted seasons between 2013 and 2022 – including a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2017.

But there are a lot of familiar faces among the parking, security, events and training staff that the Swede is looking forward to seeing again after crossing paths every game day over 12 seasons in ‘Smashville’.

“I think it's just [seeing] the people around the rink ­– from the guys in the parking lot, to coaches, to management, the fans and all that stuff – is what’s going to be really special,” Ekholm said.

“The guys that really make your team are the trainers and your everyday personnel that are always there. No matter what, they're there for you and always support you and try to make your life as easy as possible and make you perform at your best.

"Everyone – from equipment managers, to strength and conditioning coaches, to the medical staff – I'm sure it's going to bring back a lot of memories.”

Returning to face your former club in a rink that he used to visit almost every day will be a new experience for Ekholm like it was when he was traded for the first time at last year’s Trade Deadline.

The Swede was dealt the Oilers with a 2023 sixth-round pick for a 2023 first-round pick, a 2024 fourth-round pick and 2022 first-round pick Reid Schaefer before becoming a major part of Edmonton’s success over the final two months of the regular season.

Ekholm formed an instant connection with Evan Bouchard and flexed his defensive prowess on the penalty kill and at even strength, leading to an incredible 14 points and a plus-28 rating in 21 regular-season games before the postseason, while becoming a mentor for some of the club's younger D-men like his Swedish countryman Philip Broberg.

Ekholm knows it’ll be an emotional return – even long before he steps onto the ice at Bridgestone Arena – and that’s the way it should be.

This is the place where he grew into a regular NHL defenceman, learned about the lustre of Music City as a new North American, and built a relationship with his wife Ida before they built their family that now includes three kids – their youngest Leon having been born in Edmonton this past July.

“I have no idea. I've never been traded before, so I have no idea what it's going to be like,” Ekholm said of his expectations on Tuesday. “I'm just trying to lean on experience; an even-keel kind of thing; and at the same time let it kind of be emotional and let it be special.

“I'm sure it's going to be a day that I'll never forget. It's going to be one of those days.”

Ekholm had this particular date circled right from when the NHL schedule for the 2023-24 season had been released, but also noted in his morning media availability that he’s happy to get it over with in October instead of a later point on the schedule.

“I’m kind of happy it’s happening early so I didn't have to kind of drag it out,” he said. “It's kind of nice to come there now and not get some closure. I feel like that's the wrong word, but Nashville is always going to be a part of my life and my family's life. To come back for the first time playing on the road team in Bridgestone Arena, it’s a special day tomorrow and I’m looking forward to it.”

The veteran defenceman also understands that despite what will be an emotional return, there’s still a game to be won.

That detail is keeping Ekholm grounded in his tip back to Bridgestone Arena, with the Oilers in need of their first win of the new season after starting the year 0-2-0 with back-to-back defeats to Vancouver.

Ekholm only made his return to the lineup for the first time in four months on Saturday after missing out on Training Camp and the preseason with a hip flexor injury. The Swede’s season debut at Rogers Place in front of his new home fans was a good precursor to what he could experience at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday evening.

“I'll try to manage it as much as possible because we need to win as well, so it's obviously going to be something that I'll have to manage myself,” he said. “But I felt like my first game too was about managing; coming back from injury, not playing for four months, the excitement of the fans, a home opener, so it's been a lot. I feel like I got a little taste of it at least the other night."

“I know we only go there once this year, but for now, it's about the two points and we really need them. I'm hoping we beat them.”