Another one down as Cole Smith is traded to Las Vegas

On the heels of trading Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild, the Nashville Predators are sending his most frequent linemate, Cole Smith, to the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

Smith, a 30-year-old free agent to be, is going to Las Vegas in exchange for defenseman Christoffer Sedoff and a 3rd round draft pick in the 2028 NHL draft. In an odd twist, Smith's deal was not completed before the final lineups were set. McCarron's trade call came in time so McCarron was out of the lineup, while Smith only took a 3 second shift on the opening draw before departing. He got some pats and stick taps from his now former teammates.

Smith had spent all of his NHL 270 game NHL career with Nashville, totalling 23 goals and 39 assists for 62 points, along with 223 penalty minutes. Heading over to Las Vegas, he'll provide them with bottom-of-the-lineup depth, strong penalty killing, and an aggressive forecheck. In Veags he'll also be reunited with two former Predators teammates in Colton Sissons and Jeremy Lauzon.

Smith's career is a success story. Undrafted, he played 4 seasons at the University of North Dakota, where his highest scoring output was 18 points. He didn't look like the type of player that makes pro teams come calling, but the Predators took a flyer on him. After two productive AHL seasons, Smith made the team for the 2021-2022 season and has never looked back.

The return to Nashville is a decent draft pick in two years and an AHL-level defender. Sedoff has spent his professional career with the Henderson Silver Knights and has yet to make his NHL debut after being undrafted. There are now two spots open at the bottom of the Predators' lineup, so we can likely expect to see more movement from the AHL, but it likely won't be Sedoff this season.

The Golden Knights will be taking on the remainder of Smith's salary for the season. With two straight losses, the Predators have now fallen four points out of the final Wild Card position, and have traded two veterans from the bottom of the lineup. Those moves aren't crippling to their playoff chances, but it does signal that players who are perceived as assets are likely to be moved.

We don't know who the next player out of town will be, but we do know that it won't be Ryan O'Reilly, who has been vocal about his desire to stay in Nashville. We also know that there have been conflicting reports about the future of Steven Stamkos, but he seems likely to stay in town a while longer as well.

With two lower-six roster spots now open, the door is open for players like Zachary L'Heureux, Reid Schaefer Joakim Kemell, and others to try to make some inroads for next season with consistent play. If this leads to wins for the Nashville Predators remains to be seen, but the future war chest is being refilled for whoever ends up in the GM chair.