After moving Viktor Arvidsson to Los Angeles last week, what's next for the Nashville Predators? Lyle Richardson takes a look in today's rumor roundup.
The Nashville Predators made the first trade of the off-season last Thursday, shipping Viktor Arvidsson to the Los Angeles Kings for a 2021 second-round pick and a 2022 third-rounder.
It might not be the only player swap they have in store this summer.
Cam Lewis of The Daily Faceoff took note of comments by Predators general manager David Poile on ESPN 102.5 The Game following the Arvidsson trade. He expressed interest in making a side deal with the Seattle Kraken before the expansion draft. “Ideally, if we could strike a deal to determine a certain player who we could lose, I'd like to do that,” said Poile.
Lewis speculated Poile could protect eight skaters because of his blueline depth. That would explain why Arvidsson was shipped to the Kings for draft picks.
Poile didn't indicate which player he'd move next. Lewis suggested offering up draft picks to entice the Seattle Kraken to select Matt Duchene. The 29-year-old center has struggled since inking a seven-year, $56-million contract two years ago. It could take a significant pitch to convince the Kraken to take Duchene.
Poile also explained why he traded Arvidsson. “I think he's ok with this. He needed something different,” he said. “He was not happy with where he was.”
That line caught the attention of The Tennessean's Gentry Estes. He wondered who else on the Predators felt the same way.
Mattias Ekholm and Filip Forsberg were among several Predators to appear in trade rumors earlier in the season. That talk died away as the club improved down the stretch.
Both are a year away from UFA eligibility. The trade chatter could resurface depending on how contract extension talks go this summer.