Revisiting the Biggest Stories for the Nashville Predators in 2023
By Chad Minton
Matt Duchene Buyout, Ryan Johansen Traded to Avs
You're hard-pressed to top this story for the Predators in 2023. I could've never imagined the Predators choosing to buyout Matt Duchene, a player that just before set the single season franchise goal record.
It showed the desperation of the front office to just move on and wipe their hands clean, but it looks pretty shaky in hindsight with Duchene being a key piece for a Stanley Cup caliber Dallas Stars team.
Ryan Johansen was traded to the Colorado Avalanche, another division foe, and the Predators freed up $4M in cap space that the Avalanche retained. It's not as beneficial as the Duchene addition for Dallas. Johansen has just 14 points in 36 games.
Two very shocking moves by the Predators front office that really completely the full clean house objective that begain with the trade deadline. Now the Predators have the fourth-most projected cap space in the NHL to play around with.