Nashville Predators: Hardest Players to See Wear Another Uniform

5 of 6

It’s never easy to see one of your favorites players go to another team and wear a different uniform, especially if it’s a rival team. The Nashville Predators have seen some important players in their history go to other teams, leaving the fans heartbroken.

When your favorite player goes to another team, you still want to cheer for them, but also have some confliction. It’s the nature of the business of investing as a fan.

One players that’s not on this list, but one day might be, is Pekka Rinne. It will be incredibly difficult for many Predators fans to see Rinne in net for another team, just like it was hard for New Jersey Devils fans to see Martin Brodeur temporarily play for the St. Louis Blues.

In this list I’m going to lay out the five players in Nashville Predators history that were so heartbreaking to see throw on another team’s sweater and not retire in Nashville. We’ll end it with a honorable mention slide.

Craig Smith, Boston Bruins

Let’s start with the most recent fan-favorite to go to another team, and that’s Craig Smith. An integral part of the Nashville Predators for several seasons after being drafted in 2009 as a fourth-round pick.

More from Predlines

Smith is definitely one of those players you want to see have success in his post-Nashville Predators career. He’s such a classy guy and one that always bring 100 percent to the ice every game.

With all of the struggles the Predators are having in this current season, they sure could use a player like Smith to bring them some sort of tenacity and leadership. This team really lacks identity right now.

Smith is also playing for a Stanley Cup contender in the Boston Bruins. We’ll all be very happy for Smith if he wins a Stanley Cup this season with Boston. He has just five points in 13 games, but he’s still an important depth player for them.

Smith is fifth all-time for the Predators in goals with 162, fifth in games played with 661 and sixth in points with 330. On the current Predators roster, only Filip Forsberg leads Smith in all-time points and goals.

It still baffles me that the Predators didn’t figure out a way to retain Smith.

David Legwand, Detroit Red Wings

The original Nashville Predator, David Legwand. He still is the franchise leader in games, goals, assists, points and game-winning goals. His longevity for the Predators is one that was very impressive to watch.

Legwand was the original draft pick for the expansion Nashville Predators, and it’s a pick that absolutely was a successful one. He was one of the main leaders of the team for most of his 15 seasons in Nashville.

It made sense when Legwand was traded before the 2013-14 season, but the team he went to was what made it so hard. He went to the rival Detroit Red Wings, and as a huge Legwand fan, this gave me some heartache.

Legwand’s career was winding down as he only played 21 games for the Red Wings and then ended up going to the Ottawa Senators after his brief stint in Detroit.

It was much easier to handle seeing Legwand in a Senators uniform than it was a Red Wings uniform.

In impressive fashion Legwand would play his last season in NHL with the Buffalo Sabres and still appear in 79 games.

For what it’s worth, the Predators received a big haul for Legwand at time, including Calle Jarnkrok.

Kimmo Timonen, Philadelphia Flyers

This one is going back in time as well. For the old school Predators fans, you remember Kimmo Timonen vividly. He was a huge part of the early years of the franchise that started getting over the hump and into the playoffs.

Timonen’s last season with the Predators was in 2007 when he put up 55 points, which he also served as team captain. I remember very clearly how hard it was to lose this team leader.

That was a great season for the Predators as they finished with 110 points in the standings, and yet somehow still finished in 2nd place in the division. The Predators ran into a very strong San Jose Sharks team in the first round, but the foundation was being built thanks to players like Timonen.

This was a major trade at the time as the Predators dealt their captain for a first-round draft pick. They also sent Scott Hartnell to the Flyers. Timonen would go on to build quite the career with the Flyers in seven seasons and putting up 270 points.

Some may have forgotten that Timonen actually finished his career with the Chicago Blackhawks just before retiring. What a way to end his career.

Timonen was the first great defenseman for the Nashville Predators, and he definitely belongs in the class of the greatest players in team history.

Shea Weber, Montreal Canadiens

Speaking of iconic defensemen for the Nashville Predators, how about the greatest of all time in team history, Shea Weber.

In one of the biggest swaps in recent NHL history, the Predators and Canadiens traded swapped superstars in Weber and P.K. Subban. You’ll find mixed opinion from Predators fans to this day on how they feel about that blockbuster trade.

The string was taken away a little bit for me to see Weber go to Montreal because it wasn’t a rival that we faced often, and the Predators were getting an iconic player of their own in Subban.

Be that as it may, it’s still hard to see Weber in another uniform. He’s widely considered the first truly elite NHL superstar that the Predators ever had. He was a nationally recognized player on a team full of mostly blue collar players.

Weber is still plugging along with the Canadiens and looks like he’s on a team that has a decent chance to contending for the Stanley Cup.

Seeing Weber hoist a Stanley Cup will be outstanding for true Predators fans, but at the same time, he’s a player we wish could’ve retired in Predators Gold.

Colin Wilson, Colorado Avalanche

I was a huge Colin Wilson fan while he was in Nashville, and most other fans joined me in that regard. His clutch factor and ability to score big goals made it so easy to cheer for him.

Wilson and the Predators had some trouble in contract negotiations towards the end of his time in Nashville. Eventually the Predators would go on to trade him to the Avalanche for just a fourth-round pick. A tough exchange for a lot of Predators fans.

To add to the heartache, fans had to see Wilson suit up for the Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs against his former team. The Predators would win that series, but it definitely was difficult seeing “Playoff Colin” representing a conference rival.

Wilson may not have been a superstar type of player, but he was a hard worker who brought an energy and tenacity to the team for his time in Nashville. His last season in Nashville was 2016-17, the Stanley Cup season, and he put up 35 points in 70 games.

The historic Predators playoff run saw Wilson score two goals and two assists in the 14-game run that ended just two wins shy of the Stanley Cup.

Honorable Mention

We can’t leave out some of the other important players in Predators history who unfortunately ended their careers elsewhere.

Jordin Tootoo was a really difficult one for me as he went to the Detroit Red Wings for a couple seasons, and then to the New Jersey Devils and Chicago Blackhawks. Much like Legwand, seeing Tootoo in that Red Wings uniform wasn’t fun.

Ryan Suter had a bitter departure from the Predators and it was a big switch to the Minnesota Wild. He still gets booed regularly by Predators fans despite his success he had while alongside Shea Weber in Nashville.

More. Predators Quarterly Report Card: They're So Grounded. light

I didn’t have any trouble seeing Subban go the New Jersey Devils. I wish he could’ve spent more time here, but he wasn’t here long enough to get fully invested in him as a Predators fan .

This past offseason saw the Predators let a lot of players go, including Nick Bonino, Austin Watson, Kyle Turris and Colin Blackwell. None of these players were as difficult as losing Smith.

I’m afraid this list is going to grow after this season’s trade deadline in April. For now, let’s enjoy the players we have that have been part of this organization for several seasons now.

Home / All-Time Lists