Nashville Predators: Ripple Effect to the Ryan Ellis Trade

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The trade of Ryan Ellis to the Philadelphia Flyers has sent a ripple effect to the Nashville Predators far beyond just the trade itself. This offseason is heating up.

No one knew exactly what to expect for this offseason back in late May after the Nashville Predators lost valiantly in the first round to the Carolina Hurricanes, but now things are taking shape.

Just a few weeks after trading away Viktor Arvidsson, the Predators and General Manger David Poile made another big trade splash by trading away Ryan Ellis:

The trade on face value is hard to get excited about as a Predators fan. You get some young projects in defenseman Philippe Myers and centerman Cody Glass.

Both players have the potential to emerge into solid players, and Poile has clearly sent a message that it’s time to move on from the days of the 2017 run to the Stanley Cup Final.

The trading of Ellis has multiple effects on the Predators past what’s just on face value. We look at the trade and see the Flyers getting a potential elite defenseman, and the Predators getting two young, unproven players.

This trade affects a lot of different things. Let’s look at some of the ramifications to this heartbreaking, but understandable trade.

Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

Leverage in the Expansion Draft

This offseason is different than most because teams have to think about their protection lists. When it comes to the Predators, they were in a difficult position on who to protect.

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By trading Ellis, the Predators now have some leverage to protect another forward they value, like Colton Sissons or Calle Jarnkrok.

Before the Ellis trade, I was certain that the Predators would protect five defensemen and lose a coveted forward, most notably Sissons.

Losing Sissons would be tough blow to a team that’s already lacking on depth and special teams. One of the worst penalty kill and power play teams out there, and losing Sissons wouldn’t help. Now they can maybe use a protection spot on him.

Jarnkrok is another player that would be unsettling to lose to Seattle. This team lacks playmaking forwards who have a knack for scoring, and losing Jarnkrok would make it even worse.

Trading Ellis changes the thoughts on the protection list, which has already been submitted by general managers and will be revealed later today.

Keeping the players happy

There’s a lot of talk swirling around about the culture of the team after trading to key player like Ellis and Arvidsson. It’s understandable that the core players like Filip Forsberg might be upset, but it’s a business ultimately and this core hasn’t produced encouraging results for four seasons.

Forsberg is a player that deserves a contract extensions and needs to be on the top of the pile on things to do on David Poile’s desk right now. Poile says they’re working on it, per Brooks Bratten:

#Preds GM David Poile reiterates having extra cap space and the ability to be flexible with a flat cap for the foreseeable future is a positive. Poile says Filip Forsberg and Mattias Ekholm are two players the Preds would like to sit down with and discuss extending them soon.
— Brooks Bratten 🍪 (@brooksbratten) July 17, 2021

I’m seeing a lot of chatter about current players being unhappy with this trade and not being willing to re-sign, with Forsberg at the forefront of that thinking. Let me just say that is ridiculous.

If Forsberg chooses to not re-sign for a contract extension due to trading Arvidsson and Ellis, then he wasn’t the franchise player I’ve always thought him to be. I don’t think that’s the case, and Poile needs to get a contract worked out with him quickly once the dust settles. I get it, he’s a busy man.

Mattias Ekholm is another player that should be in firm line to get a contract extension with Ellis traded away. We already thought it should happen, but this kind of confirms it.

You’re getting what you asked for, a youth movement

Remind me again why some fans are up in arms over this trade, other than having an emotional attachment to Ellis?

Nashville Predators

It’s clearly a response to the Predators needing to reset everything and think about the long-term future, and I could’ve sworn so many fans were clamoring about a great, big youth movement back in March.

Set the emotions aside on losing a fan-favorite and likeable player like Ellis. It’s not fun to see him wear another team’s uniform, but this is what many asked for, just a little later than what I would’ve liked to see. I wanted to see a shakeup at the trade deadline.

Either way, Poile is making a bold stance here that could blow up in his face, or make him look brilliant. None of us truly know the outcome of that right now. We don’t know what impact Glass and Myers will have.

As it pertains to the current Predators roster just days before the expansion draft, it opens up the door for young players like Alexandre Carrier, Jeremy Davies and trade acquisition Myers to find impactful time on the NHL roster.

More Cap Space, More Offseason Drama?

Look, I think it’s crazy to think that David Poile is in a position to be chasing elite superstars like Jack Eichel and Gabriel Landeskog, but he does have the money to play around with.

According to PuckPedia, the Nashville Predators have just under $26M of cap space available, but the aforementioned contract extensions with Forsberg and Ekholm play a part in that. Now there’s more room for Poile to work out a deal with those players, as mentioned earlier.

As for chasing an Eichel or Landeskog on the open market, just because they have the money doesn’t mean they should do it. It’s a highly risky proposition if you ask me, but they do have the cap freedom to pursue it after the Ellis, and also the Arvidsson trade.

I’m still on board for more conservative free agency pickups like Blake Coleman, with the hope that Tampa Bay can’t retain him. Veteran player who have some upside but not overly expensive is who I’d rather be targeting, but this does leave room for an Eichel or Landeskog to be at least possible.

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The trade of Ellis really opens up the Predators offseason to potentially be one of the wildest ones we’ve seen ever. Poile has money to spend, something to prove, and I don’t think he’s ready to fully commit to the term “rebuild”. He’s going to make another big move, whether we like it or not.

So the trade of Ellis has a massive ripple effect on this offseason, and he’s earned that effect as a player who did so many great things for the Nashville Predators franchise. He’ll be missed, but business is business.

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