Nashville Predators: Grading the Predators offseason activity

Departures

For the first time since the Predators came into the league, the NHL had an Expansion Draft. The Nashville Predators lost forward James Neal to the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Neal spent 3 seasons in Nashville, where he tallied 136 points in 219 games. He was a physical winger who was a reliable offensive weapon for the Predators.

After Neal, Colin Wilson was traded to the Colorado Avalanche for a 2019 4th round pick. Wilson was chosen 7th overall in the 2008 draft, and tallied 237 points in 502 career games. While not as productive as many thought he would be, Wilson was still a solid winger. However, the Predators needed to free the salary cap space for free agent signings, so Wilson had to go.