Why The Nashville Predators Should Acquire Pastrnak
Even though the roster appears complete, the Nashville Predators lack a powerful scoring threat. Is it time to look at acquiring Pastrnak?
The Nashville Predators have one of the better forward groups in the NHL. However, even after signing Victor Arvidsson and Ryan Johansen, it still feels like they’re missing something. They’re missing that star who can score from any line he’s put on. There is a need for a true scoring winger that can bring the crowd out of their seats.
Enter David Pastrnak.
Seventy-point scorers don’t grown on trees, and when a team finds one they usually hold on for dear life. The Boston Bruins have a much different approach to young superstars in the making. They consistently trade good players away before they ask for more money. i.e. Dougie Hamilton, Tyler Seguin, and captain hot dog Phil Kessel.
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The cost
The Nashville Predators are one of the only teams in the NHL that could swing a trade for Pastrnak. Boston is trading a star forward, so it’s likely they’re looking for a star defenseman, which the Predators have in spades.
The bad news is that the Predators would probably have to give up suspected captain Roman Josi and picks. Obviously, no one wants to lose one of the best defenseman in the NHL, especially when he’s on one of the better deals in the NHL. But that deal is coming to an end soon and I expect Josi, a 29-year-old Defenseman (when the contract is over) to demand at least 9 million on the market. Losing Josi’s 49 points on the backend will be missed, but it won’t be the end of the world as P.K. Subban, Mattias Ekholm, and Ryan Ellis are all extremely capable defensemen in the offensive zone. The loss of picks would hurt as well but in my opinion, I’d rather have a 70 point winger than a late 1st round pick.
Is it worth it?
I think the Predators would be fine without Roman Josi mostly because of the rise of Dante Fabbro. Fabbro is playing a defensively solid game while posting 18 points in 36 games for Boston University. He’s a responsible 2-way defenseman who possesses a great shot and keen instincts. He’ll likely be ready for the NHL after another season in the NCAA. If he continues to progress accordingly he should be ready to step into a top 4 role almost immediately.
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All in all, I don’t believe the Predators will trade for Pastrnak, but they should at least take a look at it. David Poile has said that he’s not willing to split the defense up and unlike Marc Bergervin, I actually believe him. David Pastrnak would be a great addition to the team and I believe the Predators would be better off with him than Josi.