The Trade:
For anyone who remembers Paul Gaustad, you know he was a critical depth player and leader on the ice. Not a flashy player by any means, but one that was really important to those Predators teams.
Gaustad played in 14 games initially for the Predators during that season, and was a master in the faceoff circle. He laid out hits, blocked shots and was reliable as a decade long veteran at the time.
And then there’s what the Predators did with their draft pick they received in 2013 on this deal. Now of course there was no way they knew who would be available with that pick, but they ended up taking Juuse Saros all the way back in the 4th-round.
What did the Buffalo Sabres do with that 2012 first-round pick? They took a player named Mark Jankowski who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins and has played 30 games this season. He never played a game for Buffalo.
I would call this a very fruitful trade for the Predators that still has its ramifications to this day with Saros as Nashville’s hopeful franchise goaltender.