Nashville Predators: A Retrospective on David Poile’s Biggest Trades
By Eamon Smith
![NASHVILLE, TN - JANUARY 7: Nashville Predators general manager David Poile walks with John Hynes prior to his first game as the new head coach of the Nashville Predators against the Boston Bruins at Bridgestone Arena on January 7, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images) NASHVILLE, TN - JANUARY 7: Nashville Predators general manager David Poile walks with John Hynes prior to his first game as the new head coach of the Nashville Predators against the Boston Bruins at Bridgestone Arena on January 7, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/a446a3d74852b40c2793beb3434e928d96767b47e89bed739b26029f401b2a9e.jpg)
Trade #11: Nashville Predators acquire Ryan Johansen from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Seth Jones. (January 6, 2016)
Arguably the second biggest move Poile has made as GM, he shipped out stellar defensive prospect and future All-Star Seth Jones for a talented young center who was coming off of a 71 point year.
Johansen would become a key cog in the elite JOFA line that he formed with Viktor Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg, and was a huge contributor in the Predators making their miraculous run to the Stanley Cup Final before he was injured in the Western Conference Final.
Johansen has been having a down year in the 2019-20 season, but that doesn’t erase all of the massive contributions he’s made in his time in Smashville. Jones went on to become a stellar No.1 defender in Columbus, but likely wouldn’t have had the same trajectory on a crowded depth chart with the likes of Ryan Ellis, Shea Weber, Mattias Ekholm and Roman Josi blocking his path to the top of the lineup.