Nashville Predators: A Look Back at the Johansen/Jones Trade

In one of the biggest, yet often overlooked trades in Nashville Predators history, Nashville and Columbus both improved in a rare one-for-one swap.

Oftentimes with trades, people tend to look back at the ones that turned into steals, more than actual trades. People remember the trade that got Filip Forsberg to the Nashville Predators, for basically nothing, as both players and the draft pick included, never panned out for Washington.

However, one of the best trades in recent NHL history, not to mention the Predators’ history, was a player-for-player swap: defenseman Seth Jones for center Ryan Johansen.

On January 6, 2016, the Predators made a deal with the Blue Jackets, sending 21-year old defenseman Seth Jones to Columbus, in exchange for 23-year old center Ryan Johansen.

The deal sent the 4th overall pick from 2013 to Columbus, in exchange for the 4th overall pick from 2010.

This trade was one that reversed the paths of both franchises, for the better, and left both sides happy, a rare occurrence in the trade world.

Why It Happened

Although few saw it coming as it did, everyone understood this trade immediately.

In the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 seasons, the Predators missed the playoffs, finishing near the bottom of the Central division. In 2014-2015, they made the playoffs but were knocked out by Chicago in the first round.

Columbus had missed the playoffs in two of the previous three seasons and were clearly at a standstill.

At the time, both franchises were average at best but were stuck in the bottom half of their divisions.

Nashville had an outstanding blue line with Shea Weber, Mattias Ekholm, Ryan Ellis, and Roman Josi. However, they lacked a great first-line center. Mike Fisher and Mike Ribeiro were their top centermen, but neither was an elite talent that would lead the Predators to a Stanley Cup.

Columbus had great young offensive talent, but a weak defensive core, which was hindering their chances at a postseason run. Jack Johnson, David Savard, and Ryan Murray were their top-3 defenders, none of whom surpassed 40 points the previous season.

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Nashville needed a superstar center, and Columbus needed a superstar defender. Preferably, both young players.

Thus became the match made in heaven.

Johansen arrived in Nashville at 23-years old, coming off of a 26 goal, 45 assist season with Columbus. He was quickly becoming one of the better centers in the game, with three consecutive 60+ point seasons. On the other side, Jones arrived in Columbus at 21-years old, with three consecutive 25+ point seasons under his belt. His numbers weren’t as impressive as Johansen’s, but he was clearly becoming a top tier defenseman.

Johansen wasn’t getting along with the coaching staff, and it was clear that he was a moveable asset. Jones was a budding star but wasn’t going to develop on Nashville’s third line

And just like that, the teams swapped Jones for Johansen, instantly improving each team in a crucial area.

How Has It Worked Out?

Simply put, this has been a rare GREAT trade for both teams. In a player-for-player trade, which you see less of in recent years, one team usually comes out clearly on top.

With this swap though, both teams have improved, and have used their player as a role player in the reshaping of their team.

Johansen has become an elite NHL center, and is the glue on one of the most dynamic and dangerous lines in the league, with Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson.

In that first half-season with Nashville, Johansen tallied 34 points in 42 games. Since then, he’s added 61, 54, and 64 point campaigns to that, along with positive faceoff percentages, and outstanding possession metrics. In his first full season with Nashville, he led the Predators to their first-ever Stanley Cup appearance. Joey registered 13 points and a +12 rating in 14 games, during those playoffs.

Since then, he has become one of the most important pieces on the Nashville Predators and is one of the main reasons that they’ve stayed atop the Western Conference in recent years.

Jones has become a Norris-caliber defenseman, alongside Zach Werenski in Columbus, making them one of the better defensive pairings in the NHL since that trade. He’s put up 165 points in 269 games for the Jackets, in an astounding 24:35 minutes on ice per game.

Jones has also turned in elite-level possession metrics and has become a young, dynamic leader on a very talented Columbus team.

A Rare Win-Win

Despite hockey being a business, teams, coaches, and front offices try to do what’s best for their players. In this particular situation, Johansen wasn’t happy with his situation in Columbus, and it was clear that the team wasn’t crazy about him either. Despite that though, they handed him over to a very capable team that needed a star like him.

In Nashville, Jones was clearly a Norris-caliber talent. However, the Predators were embarrassingly stacked on the blue line, giving Jones no real chance to properly develop. He showed flashes of his potential at times but was generally suppressed with lesser talent on the third defensive pair.

With more star defenders than they knew what to with, Jones became the odd man out in Nashville However, this deal was great for him, as he got to become an instant impact player for Columbus. He got to use that potential that we saw in Nashville, then he got to build on it even more.

Best of all? The two ran into each other at the airport, while swapping cities, and shared this fun moment.

All’s well that ends well.

For Nashville and Columbus, all ended well, as they both got their missing pieces.

Both teams have seen drastic improvement since then, and both players have budded into young superstars.