Nashville Predators: Predators active as free agency opens

With the NHL’s free agency period beginning July 1, at 11am CT, GM David Poile wasted no time in reloading his Nashville Predators team.

The first step to repeating any previous success in professional sports, is reloading. Nashville Predators GM David Poile did just that on Saturday, as he made multiple major deals  on the first day of the NHL’s free agency period. Ever since losing James Neal to the Expansion Draft, Poile has been on a mission to rebuild his Stanley Cup finalist team, in hopes that they can get over the hump next season, and raise the cup.

The first signing came this morning as the Predators inked former Pittsburgh Penguin forward Nick Bonino to a 4 year deal. The deal is reportedly worth $4.1 million a year. Bonino is a forward who brings more of a defensive presence to the table. During his two year stint with Pittsburgh, Bonino tallied 66 points. That stat itself is not terribly impressive, however his defense is what makes him so valuable.

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During those two seasons, Bonino had 82 hits, 166 blocks, and 73 takeaways. Such a strong defensive forward is a rare commodity nowadays. Bonino’s solid offense combined with excellent defense will greatly help the Nashville lineup. Likewise, Bonino’s back-to-back Stanley Cup victories in Pittsburgh will bring veteran leadership in the playoffs. Bonino is an all around solid signing, that will hopefully help the Predators in their quest for the cup.

Surprise move

The Predators’ next move came shortly after, as it was announced that forward Colin Wilson had been traded to the Colorado Avalanche. The Predators received a 2019 4th round pick for Wilson. With Wilson’s $4 million salary removed from the Predators’ cap, and Bonino’s $4.1 million added, Poile broke even with his first two moves of the day.

There had been much speculation that the Predators would try to acquire center Matt Duchene from Colorado. However, that move is not out of the picture. The asking price for Duchene was reportedly a defenseman, which the Predators don’t want to give up. With the acquisition of Alexi Emelin from the Las Vegas Golden Knights yesterday, that trade could still be in play. The Predators sent Las Vegas a 2019 third round pick in exchange for Emelin.

Emelin was claimed in the Expansion Draft, after skating six seasons with Montreal. In 380 career games, Emelin has recorded 72 points and 323 penalty minutes. There is talk that Emelin might be used in a trade for Duchene. If he stays with the Predators, that will most likely allow Poile to trade Ryan Ellis or Mattias Ekholm to Colorado.

Welcome home

The next move brought forward Scott Hartnell back to Nashville, after a ten year hiatus from the team. Nashville chose Hartnell 6th overall in the 2000 Entry Draft. Hartnell played the last ten seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets. Along with veteran leadership, Hartnell brings a well-rounded offensive game to the Predators lineup. His deal is worth $1 million, for one year.

Next, Poile added two goaltenders to his roster. Nashville signed Matt O’Connor, and former Predator Anders Lindback. Both contracts are one year deals worth $650,000. They bring the goalie depth that the Predators need in the organization.

The next move for Poile was to sign forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie to a one year deal worth $650,000. Labrie hasn’t appeared in an NHL game since 2014 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but has spent the last three years in the AHL. This is one of Poile’s more questionable moves. In 178 AHL games over the last three seasons, Labrie tallied only 58 points, and an astonishing 311 penalty minutes. Poile is the master though, so clearly he sees something here.

Busy Day

After a whirlwind of signings across the league on the first day of free agency, the dust has finally settled. The Predators have signed six new players, and look to sign more. Poile is a master at the free agency game, so Predator fans should trust in his acquisitions. With many more highly-touted free agents on the market, the free agent frenzy is far from over.

The first step to repeating a Stanley Cup run is reloading a team with talent, and after day 1, Poile has already begun that process. Much has already happened in free agency, but it is far from over.

Next: Bonino inks 4 year deal with Predators

Stay tuned to see what else David Poile has up his sleeve for the Nashville Predators.