Nashville Predators radio color analyst Hal Gill joined ESPN 102.5 The Game’s Braden and Fitz Thursday morning. Gill broke down the Kyle Turris trade and what makes him a high level player.
“He’s a skilled player, he’s not big, he’s not one of those guys that’s going to run you through the boards.” Gill said, “He’s hard to keep up with, he’s fast, he plays both way really well he’s good defensively, he’s honest, but I was always on his hands. Now you can’t do that, they’re calling that slashing rule, so how do you defend him? I don’t have an answer for you, which is a great thing for the Preds.”
Turris arguably played his best season of hockey last season, tallying 27g-28a-55p in 78 games. At 28 years old, Turris is in the prime of his career which matches up perfectly with the Preds’ Stanley Cup window.
GM David Poile assembled Nashville’s best center depth in franchise history with the acquisition of Turris. Presumably, Johansen will remain the top center with Turris anchoring the second line followed by a combination of a healthy Nick Bonino, Calle Jarnkrok or Colton Sissons.
“[Turris] could be a [first line center], he could be a two, or a three, and now you take Bonino who could be a two or a three that takes a lot of pressure off Johansen. Which I think is huge for this team.” Gill stated.
To hear the full hour of Braden and Fitz with Hal Gill check out the SoundCloud link below.
