Marchessault Sent to Former Rival in Pacific Division for a Gamble of a Trade
Bartner suggested that Nashville is aiming to get younger and would prefer trading aging stars away for some younger pieces. In this trade, Bartner sent Jonathan Marchessault over to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for 24-year-old forward Alex Turcotte and a 2026 third round pick.
Marchessault could see Los Angeles as a potential destination in mind if he were to get traded. After getting betrayed by the Vegas Golden Knights in a contract dispute, he may be motivated to join a former rival and settle the score. Bartner added that with signing of Ken Holland as Kings General Manager, the organization would be in a "win now" mode and would focus on adding star depth rather than developing prospects.
Turcotte, the 2019 5th overall draft selection, is coming off of a breakout season which saw him tally 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists) in 68 games. Prior to this, his best season was a four-point, 20-game season just last year. The Predators have seen a scenario just like this in the past with Cody Glass. The 2017 6th overall center was acquired by Nashville in a 3-team trade which saw Ryan Ellis get sent to the Philadelphia Flyers. Things didn't work out well for Nashville and Glass in the long run—hopefully the Predators find something in Turcotte.
There is still a chance Turcotte turns into the elite playmaker many scouts saw him as in the draft. If paired properly, he can become a solid middle-six centerman for Nashville. He's shown promising development when given more minutes, as shown with this season, and the Predators would give him that. We'd have to bank on his development to prevent this trade from becoming a flop. In the final trade proposal by Bartner, we also saw the addition of another young forward who is looking to find their footing in the NHL.