After a flurry of trades leading up to the 2026 NHL Draft, the Nashville Predators have joined the party.
Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager Chris MacFarland announced Wednesday that he acquired center Jack Drury, left wing prospect Chase Bradley and a 2029 third-round pick from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for centers Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L'Heureux. It is his second trade in the role and his second with his former club.
Drury, 26, was drafted 42nd overall by the Carolina Hurricanes in 2018 and has since played in 268 games, scoring 30 goals and 82 points. He matched his career-high 27 points last season with Colorado while also setting a career-high in goals with 10. He is one of the top faceoff takers in the league, averaging an impressive 57.1%-win rate throughout his career. A consistent 5-on-5 scorer, he'll greatly benefit the Predators attempt to score at even strength.
Bradley, 24, is a seventh-round draft pick with two NHL games under his belt. He's spent the last two seasons in the AHL with the Colorado Eagles where he's put up 23 goals and 34 points. He is a former teammate of Predators center Matthew Wood, playing two seasons together for University of Connecticut.
It isn't a Colorado fleece by any means
It is becoming a common occurrence for the Predators to deal off their drafted first-round players, and they just did it again, twice. Svechkov, 19th overall, and L'Heureux, 27th overall, were fan favorites among the Nashville fanbase, primarily for their personalities and on-ice playstyle. Svechkov was mainly a shutdown centerman while L'Heureux was a gritty, get-in-your-face type of player, and together the two were an iconic duo.
Unfortunately for the Predators, all things must pass, and that goes for parts of the youth group. Svechkov struggled to redeem himself after his rookie campaign, and it became clear that he was an odd man out. His offensive production and his faceoff percentages just weren't good enough (42.8%). For L'Heureux, he held his own, but for a team trying to make scoring a priority, he just didn't fit.
In the long run, this trade makes a lot of sense. With guys like Brady Martin, Felix Nilsson, Aiden Fink and Vitali Pinchuk entering the lineup in the soon, there must be some space for them to grow. We realistically can't deal Steven Stamkos or Jonathan Marchessault now, but we can at least give some room for the youngsters to slot in.
Why open space just to close it?
The one thing I don't get about this trade is why open up roster space if we're just going to close it right back up. Sure, Bradley isn't going to be joining the team anytime soon, so there'll be one spot open, but Drury takes up another spot that a rookie can take up. With him and Colton in the bottom six, that's two spots that won't be given to a prospect with potential.
Now, given that Drury has potential, I'm all for giving him a chance, but I'm hoping that we open up another spot or two before the season. I'm a firm believer that MacFarland has a plan in mind heading into the draft. If for some reason he doesn't do anything, then I may begin losing faith. For the time being, however, I believe that this is part of a much bigger move. I also hope he realizes that he can make trades with other organizations, not just the Avalanche.
In the end, this trade is all about trading away wasted potential in exchange for partial talent and room for more.
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