The days leading up to the NHL Draft are always the most chaotic, and this year is no different.
The league saw four blockbusters just yesterday and a handful of others in the days prior. With the urge to buy now while the cap is rising and contracts expire, there are still a number of teams who have been on the down low, and that includes the Nashville Predators.
Predators President of Hockey Ops/General Manager Chris MacFarland made one of the first trades of the official NHL offseason after he acquired Ross Colton from his former club, the Colorado Avalanche. Since then, he's remained awfully quiet. Whether or not it's because he's answering calls from other teams or he's simply focused on the draft, he should focus on his main goal: prospect development.
Predators feel pressure within the Western Conference
It's been a chaotic few days, so let's just breakdown what it means for the Predators.
In the Central Division, the Chicago Blackhawks acquired defenseman Bowen Byram and forward Jordan Greenway in exchange for the 4th and 45th overall picks and defenseman Louis Crevier. Many analysts suspected they were willing to shop the 4th overall pick, and they were right.
To the Predators, this is a slight sigh of relief. While Byram is a solid defenseman, the idea of the Blackhawks acquiring another top defender or forward in the draft is scary enough. Now with the 4th overall dealt to the other conference, they will have rarely play whatever talent comes out of it. On top of that, they also don't have to deal with the brute that is the 6-foot-8 Crevier much anymore.
Not too far west is the St. Louis Blues, and man are they loaded at the draft. After trading away winger Jordan Kyrou to the Washington Capitals, they now have a total of four first round picks, yeah, you heard that right. What makes it even more dangerous is that they have two back-to-back picks, No. 15 and No. 16. With the deep pool this draft has, that gives the Blues so many chances to snag some of the best with ease.
Nashville only has one pick in the first round, sitting at No. 10. Compared to last draft's stretch at No.'s 5, 21 and 26, it's a pretty big fall-off. They'll have to compete with the Blues for the better prospect pool, but it's pretty clear that St. Louis will most likely construct a more competent one with their huge array of first-round prospects.
Outside of the Central and into the Pacific Division, things are shaking up. With William Eklund gone, the San Jose Sharks now have three first-round picks to work with, including two in the top ten. Much like the Blues, the Preds will have to compete with more deep prospect pools, and considering the Sharks have one of, if not the deepest prospect pool, in the NHL, it will only get worse for them.
Things don't look too positive for the Predators. Even though they can snag one great player out of the first-round, overall it's honestly one of the worst situations to be in considering the teams around them. However, that could all change with a phone call.
MacFarland has opportunity to reel in more talent
Even though the Sharks and Blues are trying to add more talent to their roster, they may opt for NHL-ready players to accelerate the rebuild.
The idea still stands that the Sharks are willing to move the second overall pick for the right asset. Here is one that I believe makes the most sense.
The Predators take the second overall in exchange for their 10th overall, a promising defensive prospect and a future draft asset. The reason I ship Molendyk out in this deal is that the Predators left defensive side is already loaded. With the likes of Cameron Reid and Jacob Rombach in the mix, as well as the logjam on the Predators left side, Molendyk's progression may be stumped.
With the second overall pick, I have the Preds taking Brady Martin's teammate, defenseman Chase Reid. The team doesn't have much luck on the right side; Reid will automatically bring that up a few grades. He is an elite offensive defenseman that will help the Predators offense for years to come.
If San Jose doesn't agree, the Predators could target a later, but valuable first rounder. This is where St. Louis comes in. Trading for the 29th overall pick may be the move, as they can still keep No. 10 and give up way more less than No. 2.
With this, the Predators can still retain the 10th overall while adding another first. In the case they want to move up, MacFarland can package these two together and attempt to enter the top five.
If MacFarland wants to add some more talent, the best thing to do isn't find established players, it's to draft the promising ones. Having more than one pick in the first round can almost guarentee that at least one can become a solid piece for the Predators future.
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