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Erik Haula

New Jersey Devils Extend Erik Haula

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The New Jersey Devils have agreed to a three-year contract extension with center Erik Haula, the team announced Friday. The contract carries an average annual value of $3.15MM, paid out as follows:

2023-24: $2.9MM salary + $1MM signing bonus, full no-trade clause
2024-25: $2.15MM salary + $1MM signing bonus, full no-trade clause
2025-26: $2.4MM salary, six team no-trade list

PuckPedia reported the details of Haula’s signing bonuses and trade protection.

Haula, 32, was one of three Devils depth forwards destined for unrestricted free agency on July 1. He could be the only one returning out of himself, Miles Wood, and Tomas Tatar, as the Devils would like to keep some salary cap space open heading into the free-agent market.

The Finnish forward has bounced around quite a bit in the past few seasons. He hadn’t played for the same team in back-to-back seasons since his stint with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017-18 and 2018-19, a trend that will end next year.

He’s revived his career significantly in the past two seasons with the Devils and Boston Bruins, recording back-to-back 40-point campaigns after notching just nine goals and 21 points in 51 games with the Nashville Predators in 2020-21. Haula was a force in the faceoff circle for the Devils last year, winning 54.2% of his draws, and recorded his highest average time on ice (16:38) since his first season in Vegas.

Haula finished the 2022-23 campaign with 14 goals, 27 assists, and 41 points in 80 games, finishing seventh on the team in all those categories. He added four goals in 12 playoff games for the Devils, which was second on the team behind Jack Hughes, and played over 17 minutes per game.

Retaining Haula puts the Devils in quite a position of strength down the middle. A three-year extension could get hairy near the end, given he’ll be turning 35 in the deal’s final season, but he remains a high-end third-line center.

Behind Hughes and Nico Hischier, the team’s center depth in the Metropolitan Division is rivaled by perhaps the New York Rangers, with Filip Chytil as their third-line center – although most would rather have Hughes and Hischier over Mika Zibanejad and Vincent Trocheck on their top two lines.

Haula just completed the final season of a two-year contract signed with Boston in 2021 that paid him $2.375MM per season.

ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was the first to report the two sides were nearing an extension. NJ.com’s Ryan Novozinsky was the first to report the contract’s value.

Devils Notes: Severson, Graves, Haula

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The New Jersey Devils won their first playoff series in over a decade this past spring and now face the prospect of losing several key free agents in just under a month’s time. James Nichols of The Fourth Period reported today that Damon Severson’s camp isn’t sure whether the Devils want him to return or not. While it certainly doesn’t sound like the two sides are close to an agreement or even talking now, these types of agreements can be reached in a matter of days. Devils’ general manager Tom Fitzgerald has a lot of work to be done this summer and appears to have prioritized the Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier contract negotiations at this time.

Nichols reported yesterday that the Columbus Blue Jackets were interested in Severson’s services as well, and it isn’t a surprise given the players track record. Severson is sure to be in demand as he is a right defenseman coming off a season in which he put up 7 goals and 26 assists in 81 games. The veteran has spent his entire nine-year career with the Devils and could very well find himself in a different uniform come the fall.

In other Devils news:

  • Nichols also reported that defenseman Ryan Graves sounds like a player that is on his way out of New Jersey. Nichols spoke with Graves agent Allain Roy who said that New Jersey needs to figure out if they have room for his client and that a lot will have to happen before they do. Graves is another defenseman that is sure to be in demand, the 28-year-old posted eight goals and 18 assists in 78 games this past season and was a big part of a Devils penalty kill that finished fifth in the league with a success rate of 82.5%.
  • In positive news for New Jersey, Nichols reports that the Devils have engage in extension talks with Erik Haula. The left winger has stated his interest in returning to the Devils and Fitzgerald has said the Devils would like him back. While they are early in their discussions, Nichols says it would be hard to imagine them not working out a deal to bring the 32-year-old back into the fray. Haula came over from the Boston Bruins in a trade last summer and put up 14 goals and 27 assists in 80 games in his first year with the Devils.

East Notes: Haula, Hurricanes, Teravainen, Bertuzzi

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Center Erik Haula is among the list of pending unrestricted free agents that the Devils will have to re-sign or replace this summer but if he has his way, he won’t be going anywhere.  Speaking at his end-of-season media scrum (video link), the 32-year-old indicated that he doesn’t want to play for another team and relayed that in his meeting with GM Tom Fitzgerald earlier today.  Haula came over in an offseason swap last year with Boston and was a capable secondary producer, notching 14 goals and a career-high 27 assists during the regular season before adding six more points in their 12 playoff contests.  Haula should be in line for a raise from the $2.375MM AAV on his expiring contract, especially with the UFA market being weak down the middle.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • CapFriendly clarified (Twitter link) that the conditional third-round pick that the Hurricanes will receive from the Flyers this year as part of the Anthony DeAngelo trade is the best of Philadelphia’s three third-round selections, not the lowest as originally believed. Accordingly, Carolina will pick up Philadelphia’s own pick, slotted 71st overall.  The Flyers still owe the Hurricanes one more selection as part of the swap, their 2024 second-round choice.
  • Hurricanes winger Teuvo Teravainen was at practice today as Carolina prepares for the Eastern Conference Final. However, as Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News & Observer notes (Twitter link), the 28-year-old remains in a non-contact jersey.  Teravainen has been out for nearly a month since undergoing wrist surgery and is coming up on the early part of the four-to-eight-week recovery timeline.  With him skating, it’s possible that he could be back at some point in this series which would be a big boost to their attack even with him having a quieter regular season than usual when he had 37 points in 68 games.
  • While Detroit was able to lock up Dylan Larkin to a max-term extension before the trade deadline, they weren’t able to do so with Tyler Bertuzzi, resulting in him being moved to Boston. MLive’s Ansar Khan notes that the Red Wings only were willing to offer the pending UFA a four-year extension.  However, in a thin free agent market and on the heels of a strong showing in the playoffs with 10 points in seven games, it’s quite likely that the 28-year-old will be able to get a longer-term contract in July (or earlier, if the Bruins able to free up cap space to re-sign him).

Metro Injury Notes: Devils, Romanov, Blue Jackets

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Erik Haula and Curtis Lazar will both be available for tomorrow’s game for the New Jersey Devils according to Amanda Stein, the team’s lead reporter. Furthermore, she adds that forward Michael McLeod will not be available yet, but head coach Lindy Ruff is hoping he will practice with the team soon.

Haula has not played for the Devils since their April 6th win against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but will now be available for New Jersey come playoff time. Since being acquired from the Boston Bruins this past offseason, Haula has chipped in nicely for the Devils, scoring 12 goals and 27 assists so far this year. That is a pretty typical year for Haula, as he has become one of the most dependable players in the NHL over the course of his decade-long career.

Lazar, who was acquired from the Vancouver Canucks at the trade deadline, has only managed three games in New Jersey, getting injured on their March 18th game against the Florida Panthers. Being out for almost a month, it is unclear whether or not Lazar will be a part of the Devils’ regular playoff lineup. In 48 games so far this year, a majority of which in Vancouver, Lazar has three goals and two assists.

Similar to Haula, McLeod has been out of the Devils’ lineup for a little under a week. The young forward is continuing to progress throughout his short career, setting a new career-high in points this year with 26. Originally drafted 12th overall by New Jersey in the 2016 NHL Draft, McLeod has yet to break out into the league in accordance with his draft selection. Although he is not a world-breaker when it comes to scoring, he has become one of the Devils’ most physical forwards, throwing over 120 hits the last two seasons.

Other injury notes from the Metro Division:

  • In the first year of a 3-year, $7.5MM contract signed with the New York Islanders this past summer, Alexander Romanov has been out of the lineup since the team’s game on April 1st. The Islanders are still battling for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, and they may be getting Romanov sooner rather than later. Andrew Gross of Newsday is reporting that Romanov has recently begun skating on his own again. Being one of the better low-key defensemen in the NHL, Romanov has 129 blocked shots and 198 hits for the Islanders this season.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports that none of the currently injured Columbus Blue Jackets players will return for the regular season. This includes such players as Boone Jenner, Patrik Laine, and Elvis Merzlikins. Because of the Blue Jackets’ placement in the standings, it is understandable that they would not want to rush any player back from an injury. From Columbus’ perspective, this season is lost, and it will be better for them to have everyone healthy and rested for the start of the 2023-24 season.

Snapshots: Byram, Haula, O’Brien

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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bowen Byram will not be in the lineup tonight per Bennett Durando of the Denver Post. The 21-year-old is battling an illness and will sit out the Avalanche contest against the Los Angeles Kings in a showdown between two playoff-bound Western Conference teams. Byram has 23 points in 39 games played this season.

He missed significant time earlier this season with injury, but this absence appears to be short term since it is an illness and not an injury. Byram joins Cale Makar and Josh Manson on the sidelines for the Avalanche who will be a bit shorthanded on the blue line as they try to catch the Dallas Stars for first place in the Central Division standings.

  • Erik Haula is not in the New Jersey Devils lineup tonight according to Amanda Stein, the lead reporter for the team. Haula has played all 79 games for the Devils before tonight’s contest, but has taken consecutive maintenance days at practice leading up to today. With the playoffs just around the corner, it will be worth keeping an eye on Haula’s status in the coming days to see if he can get back in the lineup before the postseason.
  • Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night In Canada reports former first-round draft pick Jay O’Brien is not going to sign with the Philadelphia Flyers. O’Brien just played his final college season with Boston University, scoring eight goals and 32 points in 39 games. He was taken 19th overall in the 2018 NHL Draft and the Flyers have until this August to sign him or allow him to become an unrestricted free agent. Friedman said on “32 Thoughts” segment that O’Brien will not be joining the Flyers and will become a free agent later this summer. The Flyers will receive an additional second round draft pick as compensation for not signing a former first round pick.

Boston Bruins Place Erik Haula In COVID Protocol

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Boston Bruins forward Erik Haula entered the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol today, per the team. They recalled forward Steven Fogarty from the AHL’s Providence Bruins to take his spot on the active roster.

Haula, despite just 16 points through his first 40 games in Boston, had been heating up as of late. Seven of those 16 points have come in his past 10 games as he seems to have found a home between Taylor Hall and David Pastrnak on the team’s second line for the time being.

Fogarty’s recall comes with the Bruins not having any healthy forwards available as scratches or on the taxi squad. The AHL veteran and former New York Ranger and Buffalo Sabre has 23 points in 26 games with Providence this year, and he’ll likely slot into the lineup tonight against the Dallas Stars.

A five-day quarantine for Haula would cause him to miss the team’s next two games against Dallas and Seattle.

Coyle, Forbort Expected To Step Into Top Roles For Bruins

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With the unexpected departure of David Krejci, the unknown status of injured Tuukka Rask, and a shockingly busy first day of free agency that included adding a number of top names, there are plenty of questions surrounding the Boston Bruins and how they may look next season. With so many possible lineup combinations and the team having yet to even practice together once, it would be understandable to leave fans wondering how the team may be structured in 2021-22. However, head coach Bruce Cassidy is not afraid to hint at his plans. Speaking with beat writer Eric Russo, Cassidy was open about who he sees stepping into some of the most important vacancies in the Bruins lineup.

First and foremost on the minds of most is who will step into Krejci’s role as second line center, especially after Taylor Hall was re-signed following stellar production with Krejci and Craig Smith. Well, despite some speculation to the contrary, Occam’s Razor prevails. Third line center Charlie Coyle will indeed get the first shot at centering the second line, as Cassidy called him the “obvious choice”. Coyle may be coming off of the worst offensive season of his career, but the two-way forward will be healthy this season following off-season knee surgeries and will look to return to form, which is a player whose career full-season scoring pace is 40 points. Cassidy notes that with Hall and Smith having experience playing together and Coyle and Smith also having played together, the familiarity that the three would share makes it an easy initial choice as the team’s second line. However, Cassidy does note that free agent additions Erik Haula and Tomas Nosek both play their best at center as well and could be next in line if Coyle is not a fit.

On defense, while some were content with the Bruins’ most frequent top pair of Matt Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy, not everyone was convinced. Count Cassidy among that group. The head coach opined that the role may have been asking too much of Grzelcyk. He believes that free agent addition Derek Forbort, who plays a much more defensive and physical style, could in fact be the better match with McAvoy. Cassidy stated that between competing for that role and likely playing alongside Brandon Carlo on the top penalty kill unit, Forbort will be expected to play “big minutes”. Of course, Forbort will have to prove himself worthy, as Grzelcyk has the advantage of being the incumbent. Cassidy noted that Mike Reilly will likely continue to play with Carlo, but that too could change if Grzelcyk is bumped from the top pair.

Elsewhere on the roster, Cassidy firmly stated his support for Connor Clifton as getting the first shot as the regular third pair right-handed defenseman in the wake of Kevan Miller’s retirement. However, he also noted that youngsters Jakub Zboril and Urho Vaakanainen as well as recovering veteran John Moore all have experience playing their off side and will compete for opportunity. In the bottom-six, Cassidy offered a vote of confidence for Jake DeBrusk retaining his starting job as third line left wing, while also advocating for top prospect Jack Studnicka to get a look for a roster spot. With the versatility of additions Haula, Nosek, and Nick Foligno, there are plenty of potential combinations on that third line and there is a high likelihood of a more offensive fourth line in Boston than in years with the overflow of the third line position battle matched with the likes of Curtis Lazar and Trent Frederic. In goal, Cassidy did not just announce free agent splurge Linus Ullmark as the new starter; in fact quite the contrary. Cassidy expects Ullmark and breakout rookie Jeremy Swayman “to compete for the majority of the starts.” While Ullmark was compensated like a starter by the Bruins in both salary and term, Cassidy notes that Swayman will be given a fair chance to “come in and potentially be the No. 1.”

How it all plays out in Boston remains to be seen, but Cassidy did not hold anything back about his thought and plans for the current roster. That should give fans of the Bruins and their Atlantic Division rivals something more concrete to consider as the days tick down to the start of the regular season.

Boston Bruins Sign Erik Haula, Tomas Nosek

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The Boston Bruins have signed Erik Haula to a two-year contract according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, who reports that the deal will carry an average annual value of $2.375MM. The team has also signed Tomas Nosek to a two-year deal according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Nosek’s deal will carry an AAV of $1.75MM.

Haula, 30, seemed like a good bet to return to the Nashville Predators after the team lost Calle Jarnkrok in the expansion draft. Instead, while the Predators did retain Mikael Granlund, they lost Haula to the Bruins where he can bring some scoring punch to the bottom-six. For just $2.375MM, a slight raise on what he earned last season, Haula doesn’t even need to approach his career-highs of 29 goals and 55 points to be an effective player for Boston. If he can be solid defensively and sit right around that 30-40 point range, the team will be that much better for it.

Interestingly enough, Nosek was teammates with Haula when he set those career-highs with the Vegas Golden Knights. Both selected in the expansion draft, it was in Vegas that Nosek became a full-time NHL player, suiting up 240 times over the past four seasons. Even in limited minutes, he adds a little bit of offense, and in 2020-21 he was on a scoring pace that would have shattered his previous numbers if it were a full season. 18 points in 38 games may not sound like much, but when it comes with positional flexibility, penalty-killing prowess and a 6’3″ frame, it equals a pretty valuable bottom-six option.

How the Bruins lines shake out with all the newcomers—the team also signed Nick Foligno—isn’t clear, but there’s certainly a lot of NHL depth to work with. The team has 14 forwards already on one-way contracts with no one earning more than Patrice Bergeron’s $6.875MM.

Nashville Predators Discussing Contract With Erik Haula

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When it came time for Erik Haula to test free agency last year, he entered the market as an interesting test case for the flat cap world. A 29-goal scorer in 2017-18, he had experienced two down years but was still arguably one of the top centers available. Like so many others, he felt the squeeze of an uncertain hockey landscape and ended up taking a one-year, $1.75MM deal with the Nashville Predators, a significant pay cut from the $2.75MM he had earned each of the three previous seasons.

Now, as free agency approaches once again, Haula may not even test the market at all. Adam Vingan of The Athletic reports that the 30-year-old center is discussing a new contract with the Predators.

In 2020-21, Haula settled into a depth role, averaging just over 12 minutes of even-strength ice time but contributing on both special teams. He scored nine goals and 21 points in 51 games, but did win 55% of his faceoffs and was a versatile enough middle-six option for the Predators. Re-signing with the team at a reasonable price would provide him with some security heading into another uncertain offseason, though the deal would likely have to wait a few days.

Tomorrow, a transaction freeze will be put in place after teams submit their protection lists for the upcoming expansion draft. Even with the Predators moving out Viktor Arvidsson, it still seems unlikely that they would want to protect Haula after signing him to a new deal, given they will currently have to go the eight-skater route in order to protect their top-four defensemen. There are always ways around those protection issues, but signing Haula early would only complicate things.

The veteran center knows all about expansion draft dealings. He was Vegas’ choice from the Minnesota Wild in 2017, signing a three-year deal with the Golden Knights on expansion day. The Wild lost not only Haula but also Alex Tuch to make sure the Golden Knights didn’t select Matt Dumba, a deal that certainly worked out for Vegas. Haula scored 29 goals and 55 points in that inaugural expansion season, numbers that he hasn’t approached before or after. Though that production may never come again, it does add to his value knowing that he could step into a more offensive role in a pinch.

Nashville does have a good amount of cap space this summer, but with new deals owed to restricted free agents like Juuse Saros, Dante Fabbro, and Eeli Tolvanen, it could disappear quickly. If they’re bringing back Haula, it’s because they believe he represents a better value than some of the other options that will become free agents later this month.

Trade Deadline Primer: Nashville Predators

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Although we’re less than three months into the season, the trade deadline is already just three weeks away.  Where does each team stand and what moves should they be looking to make?  We continue our look around the league with the Nashville Predators.

The Nashville Predators are sellers. In fact, the Predators being ready to gut their roster has been one of the more talked-about storylines of the 2020-21 season. Ask any media personality in hockey and they will say that Nashville is shopping this guy and listening on that guy. It seems that almost anyone on the roster could be available as the Predators have been labeled as disappointments.

Yet, hidden behind the headlines, the outrage level likely isn’t that high internally in Nashville. Quietly, the team is actually playing quite well of late. Since Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman proclaimed last month that there were only three untouchables on the entire Nashville roster, the team has gone 10-7-1 including four wins in a row and wins in six of their past seven. The team is up to .500 on the season and that could be enough to sneak into the postseason in the Central Division’s final spot. In their history, the Predators have never really torn apart their roster and restarted and it seems unlikely that they have the proper motivation to do so now.

With that said, this is still not where the 2017 Western Conference Champions thought they would be at this point in time. The season results have gotten worse each year since their Stanley Cup Final appearance: a second-round exit in 2018, a first-round loss in 2019, and a failure to even advance beyond the qualifying round last year. Now, there is a real possibility that the Predators could miss the playoffs entirely this season. A team loaded with depth and numerous talented veterans, Nashville should be better and it is somewhat inexplicable why they aren’t. As a result, there needs to be a shake-up. However, given the recent improvements, the Predators’ approach to the deadline is likely to be less fire sale and more strategic dealing, especially in a buyer’s market.

Record

17-17-1, .500, T-5th in Central Division

Deadline Status

Seller

Deadline Cap Space

$2.46MM in full-season space ($10.97MM at the trade deadline), 0/3 retention slots used, 45/50 contracts used per CapFriendly

Upcoming Draft Picks

2021: NSH 1st, NSH 2nd, NSH 3rd, NSH 4th, COL 4th, NSH 5th, NSH 6th
2022: NSH 1st, NSH 2nd, NSH 3rd, NSH 4th, NSH 5th, NSH 7th

Trade Chips

It is probably easier to start with the players who aren’t for sale. As Friedman noted back in February, that definitely includes career Predator goaltender Pekka Rinne, who is in the last year of his contract and quite possibly his career and is being honored with the ability to go out on his own terms (and a No-Movement Clause helps). It also included cornerstone defensemen Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis. At the time, this was the extent of Friedman’s list. He even noted that young defender Dante Fabbro or top scorer Filip Forsberg could be available at the right price. Now, that is almost certainly not the case. Friedman has also since flipped on Ellis’ availability, but he should be safe. Nashville also has no reason to trade young impact players, such as off-season acquisition Luke Kunin, recent first-round pick Eeli Tolvanen, collegiate standouts Rem Pitlick and Jeremy Davies, and impressive goaltender Juuse Saros.

Beyond that group, it probably isn’t a stretch to say that GM David Poile will at least listen to offers for anyone else on the roster. Part of that is due to the Predators’ current situation and the slim likelihood that they can contend this season, even if they do sneak into the playoffs in a top-heavy Central Division. This means that they receive no benefit from hanging on to their impending unrestricted free agents. Mikael Granlund is the top trade chip among this group. The skilled forward was a late off-season signing and somewhat of an afterthought heading into the season, but leads all Nashville forwards in time on ice, proving himself to be an invaluable piece. Other teams have taken notice as well, as Granlund’s name has been floated on the rumor mill more than a few times and has been linked to several contenders. Another late off-season addition, Erik Haula will also be for sale. A similarly versatile forward to Granlund, Haula hasn’t made as much of an impact but has previously proven to be an asset in the right system. Among other expiring contracts, veterans Brad Richardson and Luca Sbisa, if healthy by the deadline, could draw some interest at a cheap price point. Despite their recent success, the Predators only reason for not trading any of these potential rentals would be if they had interest in an extension and only Granlund, their most valuable piece, would conceivably fit the bill.

The other reason why Poile is open to moving other players off his roster, those with term on their contracts, is partially due to the impending Expansion Draft. Whether the Predators choose to use the standard 7-3 protection scheme or instead choose the 8-skater scheme in order to protect Mattias Ekholm, they will be exposing key players either way. Ironically, the Predators’ impressive depth on paper is not doing much to help them this season but will hurt them in expansion. Ekholm is at the top of most trade boards as a name likely to move before the deadline. The Seattle Kraken would not hesitate to claim him if he was to be left exposed in the draft and the Predators will not give him up for free when he can command a strong return on the trade market as a balanced, two-way defenseman with an affordable contract and a reliable top-four track record. Yet, even if Ekholm is traded and the Predators can protect three defensemen and seven forwards, they still face liability up front. Nashville simply has too many valuable names at forward, even if many are underachieving. Are they really ready to let expensive, underwhelming former stars like Ryan Johansen or Matt Duchene go for free? Could they really leave career Predators like Calle Jarnkrok or Colton Sissons exposed? And they also need to consider protecting younger names like Pitlick an Yakov Trenin who could be looked upon to take on larger roles moving forward. There are simply too many names in Nashville for a valuable player not to be left exposed, so why not listen to trade offers instead. Moving Johansen or Duchene this season is unlikely due to cap implications, but Jarnkrok, Sissons, Rocco Grimaldi, and Nick Cousins are all for sale at the right price. The difference between last month’s mindset and the current strategy is likely that only one or two of the aforementioned players are likely to go, rather than the whole lot in a fire sale.

The x-factor for Nashville at the deadline is forward Viktor Arvidsson. By no means does the team have to trade the talented winger, who will have a safe spot on their protection list come Expansion Draft time if he is still on the roster. However, Arvidsson has been in decline for two seasons now – an unexpected regression for a 27-year-old. Arvidsson is still relied upon to play a key top-six role for Nashville, but is failing to produce like he did as a back-to-back 61-point player just a few years ago. On one hand, the Predators would be selling low on the skilled forward, who should still have plenty left in the tank. On the other hand, moving Arvidsson if they are happy with an offer could be the reality check that the team desperately needs. If the trade market remains underwhelming though, as many expect, it is more likely that Arvidsson stays put for now. Trading him at his lowest point while the team is finally gaining traction is not the shake up they need.

Others to Watch For: D Mark Borowiecki ($2MM, 2022 UFA), D Matt Benning ($1MM, 2022 UFA), G Kasimir Kaskisuo ($700K, UFA), D Ben Harpur ($700K, RFA), F Michael McCarron ($700K, RFA)

Team Needs

1) Draft Picks – Despite several years in a row of regular season success, the Predators have managed to build themselves a nice pipeline of talent. At every position, they have multiple players who project to be good NHLers. The problem with their current pipeline is that it is getting a little old. Some of their best prospects are already in the pros, bouncing between the NHL and AHL or locked into contracts overseas. Many others are collegiate players on the older side for prospects. Nashville needs some fresh blood and the best way to do that is to add draft picks. Though they have their full complement of draft picks this year (minus a seventh-rounder), draft pick packages will be the way to go as they move on from current roster players.

2) Top-Four Left-Handed Prospect Defenseman – If available, the one area that Nashville could target a specific player rather than load up on draft picks is at left defense. With Ekholm looking like his time in Nashville is winding down and some concern over whether Boston University defenseman David Farrance will sign with the team or instead opt for free agency, there could be a major hole in the top-four at LHD. The Predators have the cap space to find a capable free agent stopgap, but could use a long-term plan. Young pros Fabbro, Alexandre Carrier, and Frederic Allard are all right-handed and Davies looks like a solid NHLer but is already 24 and lacks top-pair upside. In the pipeline, Marc Del Gaizo is an intriguing prospect but more likely a bottom-pair defender. No one else even projects to be an NHLer. The Predators need to reload on the blue line, and can do that through the draft, but if a top young left-handed defense prospect is offered up, they would be wise to consider. To a lesser extent, center is also a position that could become a need sooner rather than later in Nashville as many of the Predators’ top forward prospects are not necessarily projected to play center at the top level. A natural pivot with top-six upside would be a nice addition, but isn’t as pressing as left defense and could be more easily found where the team expects to pick in the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft.

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