Nashville Predators: Grading the Surprising Wayne Simmonds Trade

The Nashville Predators and GM David Poile waited until literally the last minute to trade for Wayne Simmonds. How much will he help?

Two trades orchestrated by Nashville Predators GM David Poile has hopefully fixed some depth issues for the team. Mikael Granlund comes here from Minnesota and will likely bolster the second line. However, the acquisition of Wayne Simmonds from Philadelphia comes as a major surprise to many.

Most of us thought the Predators were done as the NHL trade deadline was just minutes away. Poile had different thoughts and pulled a rabbit out of his hat by adding the 30-year-old veteran who will bring more toughness and physicality to the bottom six of the roster.

There’s no question that the Predators got better on NHL trade deadline day. It’s tough to see Kevin Fiala not develop into the lethal scoring threat that we originally expected, but Granlund is an obvious upgrade. As for seeing Ryan Hartman get traded for Simmonds, it’s not as simple.

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Grading the Simmonds trade

Simmonds has already made his Predators debut in a 2-0 loss to the Blues, a team that seems to own the Predators right now. We’re not going to know how fruitful this trade is going to be until after the playoffs and beyond. However, as we sit right now, I’m happy with the trade. He gives Nashville some much-needed depth for the playoffs, both as a defender and as a scorer.

As for Hartman, whom the Predators gave up to get Simmonds, he’s struggled as of late to find the back of the net. As hard of a worker he is, he wasn’t providing what the Predators really need, which is depth scoring. He also has an expiring contract and likely was going to ask for too much money to stay with the team past this season. Basically, Poile swapped out for a proven veteran who can help the third and fourth line more than Hartman was providing.

Simmonds is well-respected, a leader on the ice and will bring a huge presence in front of the net. The fact that Simmonds and Brian Boyle are on the same team is pretty amazing. Both will make the Predators a much more physical team for the playoffs. Simmonds may just be a rental, but that’s not a foregone conclusion. I could see the Predators re-signing him if he flourishes in the playoffs. Simmonds may also be intrigued to stay now that he’s reunited with his first NHL coach, Peter Laviolette.

Just based on the “win now” model that the Predators are adopting for this next playoff run, I give this trade a B+. I can’t give it a perfect grade due to my respect for Hartman as a streaky young player who works hard on the forecheck. It’s tough to see him go.

What we need from Simmonds

Simmonds needs to provide help to two glaring weaknesses for this. The major one is the last-ranked power play. It has to show at least minor improvement if the Predators are getting past the second round. Simmonds has 91 career power play goals, including five this season. His size and presence in front of the net should help the power play more than Hartman could have.

Another area that Simmonds needs to help with is more broad, and that’s bringing a boost to the bottom six. The Predators have looked like a one-line team for much of January and February. They can’t rely solely on the top line of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson anymore. Elite teams will expose them in the playoffs. A guy like Simmonds can make players around him better. Bottom six players like Calle Jarnkrok, Colton Sissons and Frederick Gaudreau.

For this trade to really work out for Nashville, Simmonds is going to have to impact these two areas the most. Let’s be patient with his first few games with Nashville. It’s going to take time to build chemistry with his new teammates. He should be fully comfortable once the playoffs approach. Here’s a cool clip of Simmonds greeting his new teammates in St.Louis before his Predators debut: